Matthew : Season 5 - Week 2

WestGate Church Teaching

We modern people have - for a variety of reasons - a trust problem. And specifically, we have a trust-in-authority problem. From broad institutional failures, to distrust of media, to the deepening of individual autonomy, we are becoming a people who are distrustful of all authority. For followers of Jesus, this poses a tremendous challenge mainly because one can't read the Gospels without being struck by the definitive and unapologetic authority Jesus communicates and claims. In Matthew 8, we see the story of a Roman Centurion who amazes Jesus by his understanding of Jesus’ clear authority. And in the process, we learn that following Jesus demands that we surrender to His authority.