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Authority and healing

From the December 1995 issue of The Christian Science Journal


It must have been a remarkable event to have witnessed. An army officer had sought out a certain man to help him. First, the officer had sent a group of leaders from the country that his army was occupying to entreat the man to come to his aid. The man he was looking for, however, held no official rank or political position. He was instead an itinerant religious teacher who had recently been preaching in the area.

This man had been talking openly of God's kingdom and telling people of the good news that the kingdom of heaven was "at hand." He had been teaching about man's relation to God. Some of the people were saying that when he preached taught, it was "as one having authority." Matt.7:29. He was also a healer. It was the man's healing ability that the army officer needed.

This account is recorded in the New Testament. In the Gospel of Luke, we read that the officer, a Roman centurion, wasn't actually seeking healing for himself but for a servant in his household. See Luke 7:1–10 . He dearly loved his and the man was seriously ill. In fact, the servant wasn't expected to live much longer. The teacher and healer who had come to their city, Capernaum, was Christ Jesus.

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