Matthew 8:5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.” (The same story is told in Luke 7:1 – 9 )
There was no doubt in the minds of any right – thinking Jews! Those Roman soldiers were nothing but idol – worshiping bullies with no regard whatsoever for the one true living God. When the Roman soldiers invaded a market place, you could trace them by the trail of destruction and havoc they left in their wake. If the Romans demanded that you carry their baggage for them, you had no choice but to do it. If the Romans demanded that a fruit seller hand over her wares without payment, she had best do it quickly, lest her entire stand be destroyed. And the ultra – religious Jews tried to have as little to do with the Romans as possible, feeling that any contact with them would render a Jew unclean, just as if he had touched a dead body. Roman centurions commanded 100 men and were generally set in authority over places such as Capernaum. If a centurion needed anything from a Jew, the Jew would have to come to the centurion. But there were exceptions.
Call him Quintus Publius. The Gospels never really tell us his name. Centurion Quintus Publius had lived in Capernaum for several years. As difficult as the Jews could be, Quintus had found them to be people of great faith and he valued that faith. The story in Luke 7 indicates that Quintus had even built the public synagogue for the people of Capernaum. And Quintus had a favorite servant who was his right hand man as well as his best friend. That morning tragedy had struck! Apollos, the servant, had suffered a stroke and was lying near death. When Quintus heard that Jesus was coming through Capernaum, all he could think of was getting help for Apollos. In the story told by Matthew, the centurion comes to Jesus himself. In the version recounted by Luke, it’s actually the local religious leaders who come to plead on the centurion’s behalf, mentioning that he has built a synagogue for this town of 1500 people.
Several points stand out:
1. The centurion came to Jesus; he didn’t demand Jesus to come to him but humbled himself.
2. The centurion loved his servant and didn’t want him to suffer.
3. When Jesus offers to come, the centurion tells him that he, the centurion is not worthy to have Jesus come to his house. This statement demonstrates a knowledge of Jewish traditions at the same time it honors Jesus as a spiritual leader.
4. The centurion then makes an amazing statement of faith: he is a man under authority with men under him; if he gives an order, he expects it to be carried out. So the centurion is recognizing the authority of Jesus, that Jesus has the same kind of authority in the spiritual realm that the centurion has as a military commander. For the centurion, this is a no – brainer; he is confident that any spiritual order Jesus gives will be carried out promptly and completely.
5. Jesus commends the centurion for his faith and rewards that faith by granting the healing so desired.
The question of faith and healing is a thorny one and not easily tackled in a brief devotional. In my years as a surgeon, I have seen miraculous healings. On the other hand, I have also seen people of great faith who did not receive physical healing but who were given the grace to endure the sufferings brought by their illnesses. Even as I am writing this devotional, I am in nearly constant prayer for the life of one of our pediatric patients with typhoid. How this particular situation will end, I do not know. But this I DO know: there is power in the Name of Jesus, and Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same power that Jesus sent to heal the centurion’s servant is still available today.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, there are many today who may be reading these words who need healing. Some of us need physical healing. Some of us need emotional healing. Some of us feel battered by the struggles of our lives. Here we are, Lord. We kneel before you and humbly beg you for your healing touch on our lives. Thank you in advance that you know our hearts and see our faith. In your mighty and precious Name, Jesus. Amen.
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