The Centurion - Matt 8:1-13; Luke 7:1-10

I can’t believe that we’re done with the Sermon on the Mount, I really enjoyed it, and thought that it was quite profitable. After He finished speaking to the people, Jesus “came down from the mountain… and, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, ‘Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.’” I think it’s interesting that this leper didn’t beg Jesus to heal him, he basically asked to be healed if it was the will of God. He was willing to suffer with his disease further if that was what God wanted him to do. Jesus answers, “I will, be thou clean,” and reaches out his hand and heals the man immediately. Jesus tells the man to not say anything to anyone, “but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” As we discussed before, we know that leprosy isn’t as contagious as movies might make it appear, and we also know that many types of leprosy can heal on their own after time. Because it is curable much of the time, the ancient Jews had a protocol in place for reintroducing someone back into society after they had overcome their struggle with leprosy, which was to be inspected by the priests and then to offer sacrifice. This is an excellent example of mercy on the part of the Savior. He got no benefit from healing this guy, but there was also no reason to keep him in suffering either, so he had compassion on him and healed him.

 

After returning to Capernaum, Luke tells us that a centurion, a Roman officer of 100 men, sent the leaders of the Jews to Jesus “beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.” This particular servant “who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.” I’m speculating that this servant was probably Hebrew, and it is telling of the condition of the heart of the centurion that he loved this man who he was there to rule over enough to seek out help when he was ill. Romans, especially soldiers, were despised among the Jews because they deeply resented the Roman rule that the Jews were subjected to. The Jewish leaders, however, told Jesus that this centurion, “was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.” Clearly this man was familiar with and even held affection for the Jewish people and had faith in their religion. I think that it is important to note here that not all people who are put into positions of power abuse it, and that goes with soldiers. Looking throughout history, soldiers are viewed historically as ruthless, cruel, and bottom of the barrel scum. But it’s also important to note that many are in those positions because of circumstances beyond their control. Most are probably conscripted into service, they don’t want to be there anymore than the people want them to be there. Historically, many were taken as slaves and made to be soldiers or die. In so many cases, the opportunity to be a soldier in combat is a license to kill, to do whatever you want no matter how disgusting without consequence. Many people fall victim to this “free for all” mentality, and as a friend once said, “many people have lost their salvation in war.” But it doesn’t have to be like that, there are many examples of righteous soldiers and warriors, Captain Moroni being one of them, and I feel that this centurion is another.

 

Jesus agrees that this is an appropriate case for him to take and goes with them to the house of the centurion. “And when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say a work, and my servant shall be healed.” I always looked at this statement by the centurion as being a demand for Jesus to hurry up and heal the man without bothering the Roman. I always considered it the Roman being ashamed to have Jesus in his home, didn’t want to be bothered, just a “hurry up and do it from a distance.” But the more that I consider these circumstances, the more I realized that it was exactly the opposite reason. The centurion wasn’t ashamed of Jesus, he didn’t want Jesus to be shamed because of him.

 

Looking at this situation, Jesus, who would be considered to all a devout Jew is going to the house of a Roman soldier. We have seen previously how angry Jewish leadership get when visiting the home of someone they deem “unworthy” and a Roman soldier would be considered most unworthy. The IM says, “Another reason the centurion may not have sought a personal visit with Jesus is that observant Jews were forbidden to have close contact with Gentiles, such as eating with them or entering their homes.” Clearly the centurion knew enough about Jewish law and culture to know that Jesus entering his home would have been breaking his religious law and he respected the faith enough to not demand for Jesus to degrade himself like that. As a Roman officer, he surely could have demanded that Jesus enter his home and become his slave or do any number of degrading things. He could have demanded that Jesus enter his home and heal his servant, regardless of what the social repercussions would have been for Jesus himself. If he would have insisted that Jesus come into his home to personally heal his servant, it would have been a show of power and control. The focus would have been off of the servant who was dying, and onto the centurion who was power hungry and desirous to make a show of his authority. But he didn’t do that, he didn’t want a power display, he didn’t want Jesus to be uncomfortable or to be asked to compromise his standards. He respected Jesus as a person and as a Jew.

 

The centurion continues, “For I also am a man set under authority, and having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.” This has always just been a further indicator of the centurion’s arrogance when I considered him to be demanding of Jesus. But the IM makes an important clarification that by using the word “also” the centurion esteemed Jesus as an individual of equal power, saying, “The centurion acknowledged Jesus’s divine authority and by using the word also likened it unto the military authority with which he was familiar.” As JTC comments, “The centurion seems to have reasoned in this way: He himself was a man of authority,… To his subordinates he gave orders which were obeyed.., Surely One who had such power as Jesus possessed could command and be obeyed.”

 

We can assume that Jesus didn’t know this centurion before this incident, and it’s important to note that Jesus agreed to heal the man only because of the request, Jesus was not aware of these happenings before he agreed to come. As far as I know, the Jewish elders came to him and said, “a good roman soldier wants you to heal his servant,” and that was it. For all Jesus knew, this roman might have wanted to display his power, he might have wanted Jesus groveling, begging for the opportunity to do a miracle. But Jesus complied. He knew that he had more power and authority than the entire roman empire and could wield it in a single breath, yet he fulfilled the request of a man who was loathed in society because of his position. We know that Jesus wasn’t aware of the true feelings and intentions of the centurion because after he sent the 2ndenvoy telling Jesus simply to speak and the servant would be healed because the centurion didn’t want to degrade Jesus in any way, Jesus “marveled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” The envoy left Jesus and “Returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.”

 

Matthew tells us that Jesus continued speaking to those around him saying, “Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We have to remember that at this point, though the Hebrews professed to worship the true and living God, they were not a religion open for converts. They had been warned about mixing with other nations, not because the other nations didn’t deserve the truth, but because Israel at those times were unable to maintain their religion and identity while influenced by any other culture. No allowing anyone else to join them, except by a strenuous conversion process, was to limit outside influence into Judaism, not because other nations were not worthy or loved by God. JTC says, “The Jews were unaccustomed to hear the faith of a Gentile so extolled, for, according to the traditionalism of the day, a Gentile, even though an earnest proselyte to Judaism, was accounted essentially inferior to even the least worthy of the chosen people. Our Lord’s comment plainly indicated that Gentiles would be preferred in thekingdom of God if they excelled in worthiness… This lesson, that the supremacy of Israel can be attained only through excellence in righteousness, is reiterated and enlarged upon in the Lord’s teachings.”