Giving Orders

I’ve noticed that one of the hardest things to get used to in military life is that there are often two or more people above us in the chain of command.

I wonder about the centurion. Certainly, he had people he commanded. But he also received orders from others higher up than himself.

What the centurion did understand about faith was that when Jesus asked for something to be done, it would be done. Not that the centurion would or could order Jesus to accomplish such a task, but that Jesus’ word and work would be carried out.

In verse 2 of today’s reading, a leper came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Jesus’ response, “I do choose. Be made clean!” is a watershed moment in scripture when Jesus’ audience realized that this was truly the Messiah.

Sometimes I think that the surest sign that Jesus was the Messiah was that he chose frail and broken humanity when so much of that humanity rejected him outright.

Let us be thankful that our Lord and Saviour chose us and continues to choose us each and every day.

Lord Jesus, thank you for choosing me this day. Open my heart to your love, and help me to grow in love by serving others. Amen. — MHM