“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him, appealing to Him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man 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 this, he marveled and said to those who followed Him, “Truly, I tell you, with NO ONE IN ISRAEL HAVE I FOUND SUCH FAITH.” (Matthew 8:5-10)
This particular centurion had heard of Jesus’s miraculous power and had sought Him out, imploring Him with an urgent request, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly” (v 6).
The Roman centurion addresses Jesus (his Jewish subject) with a title of respect—Lord. The centurion’s request is not directly for his own benefit, but FOR THAT OF HIS SERVANT. The fact that the centurion would set aside his busy affairs to travel to Capernaum, most likely from a Decapolis city five or more miles away, for the sake of his servant shows a REMARKABLE DEGREE OF LOVE FOR THE SERVANT. The servant is paralyzed but he is not merely unable to move. He is also FEARFULLY TORMENTED, perhaps suffering from a NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER THAT ALSO CAUSED SPASMS. The servant is in such bad shape that he is unable to travel or even be brought to Jesus for healing. Christ is willing to instantly drop and leave all that He was doing in Capernaum to heal a Pagan enemy’s servant. But the Centurion confesses that he, a Gentile of considerable power and position, IS NOT WORTHY FOR JESUS, A JEWISH RABBI, TO ENTER HIS HOUSE. This is a stunning statement of humility. The centurion follows this up with an EQUALLY STUNNING DECLARATION OF FAITH. “But just say the word, and my servant will be healed” (v 8). This centurion has such great faith in Jesus that he is not only convinced that He has the power to heal his servant, but he also believes that JESUS DOES NOT EVEN NEED TO BE PRESENT to make this happen. “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed” (v 8).
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham