The Action and Submission of Faith
Someone once asked me what it’s like having a family that depends on me. How did I handle that responsibility without it weighing too heavily on me? At the time, I gave a relatively quick answer for a very meaningful question. Afterwards, my mind wouldn’t let it go.
I prayed, read and thought through it over the subsequent weeks and the answer has changed how I look at my role in my family, my position at work and even who I am as someone submitted to the teaching and leading of Jesus.
Being a parent is one of the hardest things I have ever done and in my opinion one of the hardest things anyone can do. The more I consider parenthood in light of a life submitted to Christ, the more I realize that whether a person is a parent or not, Jesus has called us to many challenging things that go beyond what we can actually handle or accomplish – The Great Commission (Mat 28:19), and the greatest commandments (Mat 22:35-40) being two examples. In our fallen/broken nature, we try to overcome situations or accomplish the impossible on our own; other times, we give up and seek to hide in distractions and comfort.
Jesus gives us a different example: a life of obedience to God the Father. He lived a life of both action and submission. He performed miracles and took the initiative to challenge false views of God, all while making it clear that He was submitted to the will of the Father. (John 7:16-18, 28-29, John 8:14-18, 26, 28-29, 50, John 10:25, 37-38).
This idea of simultaneous action and submission is seen in the story of Jesus and the Centurion in Luke 7:1-10 (see also Mat 8:5-13:
After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant[a] who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
A Centurion was a Roman officer who led a group of around 80 soldiers. In the U.S. Army, this would be roughly equivalent to a Captain. A Centurion was a man that was familiar with the chain of military command, as he occupied a position in the middle. He provided resources and direction to each of the junior officers below him, who in turn provided these things to the 8 men (or Contubernium) under their command. At the same time, he acted under the authority of his Cohort commanders, who in turn acted under the authority of the officers that commanded their entire legion.
One of the things that was remarkable about this Centurion was that he understood that the Son of God not only had authority but was UNDER authority, that the miracles Jesus performed and the words He spoke came from a higher authority. The Centurion rightly understood Jesus to be powerful and yet under, or submitted to a power (John 7:16-18, 28-29, John 8:14-18, 26, 28-29, 50, John 10:25, 37-38). This is something challenging to understand because Jesus, being a member of the Trinity, is God, and yet willingly subjected to living in the confines of human flesh during His life on Earth. He lived as a human being, fully surrendered to God the Father, seeking His will above anything that His human nature may have drawn Him to.
What was also remarkable about this Centurion was that unlike many people who sought the help of Jesus, he had never physically seen Him (at least that we know of from the biblical account). Nevertheless, he had faith that Jesus could heal his servant and could do so with a simple command.
Like the Centurion, we have never seen, touched, or heard the physical voice of Jesus, and yet by the power of God, we have faith that His promises are true and that the sacrifice that He made on the cross (in perfect submission to the will of the Father) has saved us from all our sins. We pray to God trusting that He hears our prayers and will act in His power just as the Centurion trusted Jesus to act in His miraculous power. Also like the Centurion, we all have people in our charge whom God has sovereignly placed in our lives. They may be our children, our aging parents, those who look up to us, or simply those whom we have close friendships with. Our relationships carry a weight of authority and yet we are under a greater authority.
As Christians, Jesus clearly calls us to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and yet also warns us that we are unable to accomplish what He asks apart from our surrender to, and relationship with Him (John 15:5). Like the Centurion, we have those in our care who will die a spiritual death without the intervention of God. We ourselves cannot help them and yet we know One who can.
Many times I read the commands of Jesus and realize I am so inadequate in my ability to obey them that I feel paralyzed. However, when I consider how great God is and that I can at any time, like the Centurion, ask Him to intercede, then what before filled me with anxiety and a feeling of shameful inaction, is instead exciting. His commands are no longer an opportunity to fail, but an opportunity to see God work.
So how can we lead a family toward godliness in a wicked and broken world, or make disciples of ALL nations? The simple answer is that we cannot, but in as much as we are a member of Christ’s body and remain in Him, we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. (Phil 4:13). Furthermore, we have been given the Holy Spirit who dwells within us to lead us in truth and life (Rom 8:4-11), to communicate for us when we cannot (Rom 8:26-27), and to work to the glory of Christ in our lives. He also inspired the Bible which serves as an anchor of truth in our lives (John 14:26, 16:7-15).
Like an officer in a military chain of command, we have people entrusted to our care and leadership and it’s a responsibility that weighs heavily. To have a healthy perspective of this requires that we, like the Centurion, recognize our true position and the true position of Christ. We are not isolated. True soldiers are not like Rambo, taking on the red army with a macho sweat bandana, large knife and AK-47. Instead, they work together to accomplish what must be done, act decisively in the authority they have been given and submit to the authority they are under for direction and the supply of all their needs and support. (To understand this in greater detail, consider reading Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin). We are members of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12) and are submitted to One who has a much broader perspective and understands where we fit into His plan in ways that we cannot. All authority and provision to do what He asks of us comes from Him. In fact, Jesus put the Great Commission in its proper context: “...All authority has been given to Me [Jesus] in heaven and on earth.” (Mat 28:18) and “...I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mat 28:20).
Everything that you and I lack as a parent, friend, child or disciple-maker reminds us that none of this is about us. Let’s leave both the comfy couch and Rambo bandana behind. It’s time to be proper soldiers marked with the humility of our own insignificance and yet filled with the courage of Who we fight with and under. We have been called to a life of submitted action.