Why the Roman Centurion’s Faith Amazed Jesus in Luke 7
Luke 7:1 – 10: When he had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this, because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.” Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.
The word was spreading! News was getting out that Jesus had been healing people all throughout Galilee. It turns out that “a centurion’s servant . . . was sick and about to die. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, requesting Him to come and save the life of his servant.” The centurion was desperate for help since this was a person he deeply treasured but who was at the point of death. It would be soon. The problem for our centurion is that he’s not Jewish. He’s a gentile, and yet Jesus is a Jewish healer. There’s that social barrier keeping them apart. Our centurion solves this problem by going and enlisting some of his friends among the Jewish leadership. The Jewish elders do their part. They gush about the centurion and appeal to Jesus: “He is worthy for You to grant this, because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.” Even though he’s a gentile, he had been a benefactor and patron of the Jewish community—a lot like people we read about later in Luke’s book of Acts. He was a God-fearer who respected the Jewish God.
Jesus agrees to help and begins to make His way toward the house with the elders. But the centurion had sensed another potential stumbling block. He sends yet a second delegation when Jesus isn’t far from the house. The friends relay the message: “Lord, don’t trouble Yourself, since I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to You.” As a patron of the Jewish community, this gentile knows well that the dwelling places of his people are often considered unclean, and that could be a real problem for a Jewish holy man. The centurion adds, through his friends, “But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” The centurion knows well as a military man what it’s like working within a chain of command with those above and those below. Naturally, he assumes that since Jesus is under God’s authority, He has divine authorization and can therefore heal.
