Notice what the leper did: he worshiped Jesus first, then he made a statement showing that he believed that Jesus could heal him, if He would but consent to do so.

To worship is to humble yourself before God, to give Him praise and thanksgiving, and to approach Him in reverence.

Jesus honored His Father's will, used the power of His anointing, and commanded the leper to be healed.

This shows several things:

• Jesus has power over those things that baffle men
• He will help society's outcasts
• His power causes results very quickly
• Many afflictions are caused by spiritual forces
  

  Jesus is speaking. He has to be be speaking to something or someone. He is not using some form of medicine.

• Spiritual causes must have spiritual solutions
• Spiritual solutions cure and heal
• Human physicians are handicapped, limited to treating physical symptoms

Once healed, Jesus commands that the ex-leper go immediately to find a priest who can make sin offerings and thankgiving offerings to God.^{Leviticus 14}

Notice the factors in place that motivate Jesus (God-the Son) to act:

• The centurion was beseeching Him (humbly, fervently seeking), which is a type of praying
• He made it clear what he was seeking and for whom
• He spoke of his own lack of worthiness (more humility) for Jesus to honor his request
• He was in authority over men, so he believed in the authority and the ability of Jesus to command healing

Jesus had been facing many doubters, especially those in church leadership. When He sees this man (who was not of Abraham's seed) speak and act in such a high level of faith. He is amazed, and begins to upbraid (chide, rebuke) all of Israel for their lack of faith in Him.

He then becomes somber and gives a very dire pronouncement: Many of the seed of Abraham (who were favored as the human children of God) would lose that favor, because they lacked the faith in Him, that the centurion had demonstrated.

If the centurion (being unfavored) could believe in Jesus and show that level of faith, then several in Israel (the favored) would suffer the punishment designed for those who refused to believe He was the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God. They would be cast away from Jesus and our from Heavenly Father, given in eternity to whom they now served in unbelief (Satan, the devil) and share in his inheritance, i.e., eternal torment, with no way of repenting and reversing their eternity.

This is not a warning, that if they change their ways, they will not be cast into outer darkness. Since Jesus is God, He KNOWS the future. He is telling them what is going to happen. Because He knows they will not change and have faith in Him.

Take WARNING from this. If Jesus will put into eternal damnation, those who were chosen as His human family, how much more is He willing to put into damnation those who were never chosen to be in His human family?

Do not be foolish. Follow the patterns shown above:

• Be humble
• Be worshipful to Him
• Be reverent
• Seek His favor
• Believe that many human afflictions have spiritual causes
• Believe that Jesus can reverse the spiritual problems
• Believe in Jesus as God, that He has the power, that He has the cure, that He is THE Solution
• Show faith in Him, so that He might choose you for inclusion into His human family

Jesus really is LORD--over everything!