Luke 7:1-10 probably relates one of the greatest demonstrations of faith that could be found in the Scriptures. The passage is about the confession of faith of a Roman centurion who believed Jesus could heal his servant by simply speaking the word of his recovery.
On a different angle, Luke 7:1-10 is also the story of a terminally ill man, whose master went the extra mile to save his life… Because he was “dear to him”. In other words, this man was a good servant.
The good servant obeys and honors his master, while the bad servant complains and rebels.
For us followers of Christ, we must understand that submission to authority is not negotiable. In 1 Peter 2:18, it is written: “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.”
Furthermore, we must obey all governing authorities “for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-2). Read more here.
The “dear” servant was not blood-related to the centurion. Yet, because he won his affection — through his devotion to him we can presume — he received the attention of a firstborn son.
Now let’s suppose for a moment he was wicked and lousy… Don’t you agree the outcome would have been quite different?