Luke 7:1-10
After
Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered
Capernaum. 2A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was
ill and close to death. 3When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders
to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4When they came to Jesus, they
appealed to him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy of having you do this for
him, 5for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for
us." 6And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house,
the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7therefore I did not
presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8For
I also 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 slave, `Do
this,' and the slave does it." 9When Jesus heard this he was amazed at
him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not
even in Israel have I found such faith." 10When those who had been sent
returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
This
centurion was truly a remarkable man. He was a powerful man, yet cared for his
slaves so much he was willing to appeal to a wandering Jewish healer for help.
He cares for those under his power and under his command. He demonstrates a
spirit of humility rather than lording it over the Jews as a member of the
Roman occupying force. As an officer in the Roman legion based at Capernaum, he
commanded 100 men (hence the name “centurion”), yet nonetheless was an admirer
of the Jewish God. He had even built the Jews there a synagogue, thus he could
even be considered a friend of the Jews. In verses 3-5. knowing the Jewish
prohibitions that were rigidly interpreted by the Pharisees as strictly
limiting fraternization with Gentiles, he does not presume to approach Jesus
himself, but sends some elders, who vouch for his good intentions and his
“love” for the Jewish people—high praise indeed!
The
centurion’s faith, humility and thoughtfulness are further demonstrated in
verses 6-7. He rethinks, and decides he
is not worthy to have Jesus actually come under his roof. He sends friends to
Jesus while Jesus is approaching the centurion’s home, and reveals a remarkable
understanding of Jesus’ power, using analogies of his experience as a commander
of troops and master of servants to demonstrate his understanding that Jesus
has the power of healing even from a distance—no illness could withstand the
command of Jesus. Jesus’ power exceeds the need for proximity. His military
analogy implies that his soldiers obey him through both his power and his
trustworthiness.
Jesus’s
fame has now spread far and wide. There is a crowd following him even on his
way to this centurion’s house, and he marvels and commends the faith of this
centurion to them. This centurion has never been in Jesus’s presence, and yet
he believes that Jesus commands amazing powers. Jesus is received and
acknowledged by this Gentile in ways that even the people of Israel have not
demonstrated—including his apostles, his disciples, the elders from Capernaum,
and the crowd that follows him around. And the centurion is right—Jesus can
heal from a distance, for when the centurion’s friends return back to the
centurion’s home, the slave is not just cured but is in “good health.” This gives us hope, we who live in another time and another place and culture, because we know that Jesus still lives, and can heal our brokenness in body and spirit as well.
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