THE BELIEVING CENTURION
CLASS 4 ISSUES
Study Scripture: Matthew 8: 5 – 13
Background Scripture: Luke 7: 1 – 10
Lesson 5 July 4, 2026
Key Verse
“When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel”. Matthew 7:10
INTRODUCTION
What is ‘true life’ and what must there be to attain to this life?
Our Lesson Study gives us a great clue on what is necessary for this ‘true life’. We can see this in the faith of a Roman centurion soldier that astonished the Lord Jesus Christ.
This display of by a pagan, a person outside of the covenant made by God with the people of Israel is a most remarkable faith.
Note that this Roman Centurion was a soldier in the army of occupation in the land of Israel, the Promised Land. The Jews, who considered themselves as God’s chosen and favourite people, hated the powerful Romans intensely, and the romans who were quite oppressive and cruel hated them right back. When the Jews rebelled against the roman occupation, the Romans did not hesitate to slaughter them mercilessly.
The event our Study Lesson examines occurred in the days of Herod Antipas, one of the more evil, twisted and deviant rulers of the time. E represented Rome and its tyranny. He knew about the history of Israel and the law and commandments given to Israel, as well as the life of the great patriarchs of the Faith
Therefore that this centurion should come to such a faith that amazed and astonished the Lord Jesus Christ gives us a fascinating insight into what God wants from people.
We hope you will learn that because you are a pagan, because you have been oppressing the people of God, because you have been following the way of Satan, it’s no reason for you not to come to exhibit the kind of faith that will astonish and fascinate the Lord Jesus Christ.
This kind of faith is certainly to be found for it comes as a result of the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit which we are told by the Apostle John is on earth after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to witness to every single human being of sin, righteousness and the salvation offered by God the Father, and the Judgment to come.
Make sure you remember that the Holy Spirit is the only One that can lead you to Christ, give you the New Birth, and transform you into what is acceptable to the Father in heaven, transforming those who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour into the image of Jesus.
So it is most important that we ask ourselves the question, What is the faith of this pagan centurion soldier? Can we have it too?
Now we must put a caution here in this Study for there are people who believe that faith is believing something that is not true. That kind of faith is really presumption.
The Scriptures tell us that biblical faith is not blind faith. Faith is a faith that is grounded in truth.
It is not a faith that is not grounded in truth
This is the kind of faith that the centurion had for he had a faith that was grounded in truth and so he is one of the most attractive characters in the New Testament.
When you are a child of the Lord Jesus Christ and you have a faith like that of the Centurion you will experience great joy when you get to Heaven to know the people that are already there, So you should begin to anticipate enjoying life with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Lesson Study deals with two very important topics, namely, the importance of faith and what it really is, as well as dealing with the extremely important issue on everybody’s mind whether Christian or non-Christian, of how we can cancel our appointment with death.
We should become sensitive to the fact that the people around us that have no relationship with Jesus Christ struggle with their own certain physical death. Some might even believe that if they live a certain way, follow certain rules that they make up for themselves or inherit from others, some god or goddess might save them from death or from an endless cycle of suffering. These persons are either ignorant of, or are unaware of the Second Death which is an eternal separation from the Lord God who created them and whom they will know they foolishly rejected as they inhabit the Lake of Fire.
So we are pointed to the fact that the relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ is what will save people from the Second Death which is to be feared more than physical death.
So as this Study defines for us what faith really is as far as God is concerned, it gives us the answer as to how we can cancel our appointment with the real important death.
This Study makes it clear that faith is an important subject and Jesus’ words emphasized the importance of the subject of faith. We can remind ourselves of the incorrect Dictionary definition of faith which is as follows:
“Faith – a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
– Belief that is not based on proof:
– Conviction of the truth of anything, belief;”
But Scripture gives us its definition as follows and advises how important it is:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(Heb.11:1)
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”. (Heb.11:6).
The writer of Hebrews helpfully informs us that ‘faith’ is a vital element if Christians want to please God.
In order to make this meaning clear we point out that “faith” is really a willingness to stake your life on the promises and character of God.
It is a risky adventure which might even make your heart race for as Hebrew 11 tells us Abraham left his home and the safety of his tribe to go to a place he did not know, looking for a city that had foundation, whose builder and maker was God, and in the process taking risks by trusting the Lord God in which he believed. One writer further clarifies as he warns against the wrong conception of faith:
“Many times , people are trying to ‘get more faith’, thinking that if they just believe they will be healed, then it will happen. I have news for you, that is new age faith, NOT Christian faith !
Faith is not simply believing that something will happen before it does. Faith is knowing that the provisions have been made for that feeling, then trusting God to manifest it on your behalf”.
This verse Hebrews 11:1 tells us that in the New Testament Greek the word “substance” refers to assurance or confidence. To have faith means we have confidence that what we hope for will take place. When God promises something men and women of God believe Him and taking what He says seriously will act on the promises of God.
Jesus had just finished His definitive ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (Matthew’s Gospel) or ‘Sermon on the Plain’, Luke’s summary of the same Sermon. Some believe these were two different sermons but the similarities are striking.
It is about the season of the fall of 28 – 29 A.D. and though early in Jesus’ Galilean ministry which will wrap up the fall of the following year, His fame had already spread throughout all Galilee, (Luke 4:36, 37, 42–44; 5:15).
By now huge crowds of disciples regularly followed Him.
Note the word disciple, (Gr. = mathts), means learner, student and does not necessarily speak to one’s spiritual condition. There was a wide spectrum represented in the group. There were those apostles who had committed themselves to Jesus Christ and who had a fair understanding of who He was and theirs’ was a saving faith.
On the other hand, there were those following Him who were nothing more than the curious and there was everything in the middle. So it was appropriate that Jesus direct this sermon at that wide spectrum of disciples. His sermon will essentially sort out for them who were a true disciple.
Notably, among other things a true disciple is humble, penitent, recognize spiritual poverty, loves others, even enemies, is hungry for a righteousness he knows what he does not have is compassionate, is a weeper and sorrows over sin, (Luke 6).
Both Matthew and Luke in the recounting of this meeting of the centurion with the Lord Jesus Christ record that no sooner than Jesus finished the Sermon, He encountered the living illustration of a true disciple, the centurion of our Text.
This centurion the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus meets will illustrate the very truth of the sermon.
The centurion was certainly an unlikely source to demonstrate the faith that challenges all Christians and so impressed Jesus.
We will meet a man with compassion: a centurion who loved his slave. A slave was considered a tool to be discarded if it did not function. He was a man that loved the Jews who hated him, a man who loved his enemies. He not only loved the Jews but was generous enough that he built their synagogue. Here was a Roman centurion who called Jesus Lord! He recognized his own unworthiness to be in the presence of Jesus. Much of what Jesus said that was characteristic of a true disciple was characteristic of this man. He rejected the false teachers of Judaism, the scribes and the Pharisees and chose to follow Jesus.
A centurion was a Roman officer in command of a company of soldiers, usually one hundred, the number could vary. The Romans began to rule over Palestine in 63 BC, and in Jesus’ day the Roman army was an occupation force that maintained law and order and facilitated the collection of taxes. Units of soldiers commanded by centurions and stationed in local neighborhoods, were the backbone of Rome’s program to control the Jewish and other subjugated populations. These two factors would have made a Roman centurion a certified object of hate among the Jews.
Note that the Romans did not object to religion among their subjects since they recognized that religion generally imposed moral restrictions on their adherents, which helped law and order.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, people marveled at His words and actions but there is little record
(Mark 6:6) of He Himself being amazed and understandably so; amazement involves some element of surprise and Jesus is the God-man.
But one writer points out that
“Between the four Gospel accounts, we see Jesus marvel three times. One time he marvels at the unbelief of the people of Nazareth (Mark 6:5). The only other kinds are in our story today (Luke 7:9), and the same story as it appears in Matthew (8:10).
In contrast, people always seem to be amazed by Jesus. The crowds marvel at Jesus seven times (Matthew 9:33; 15: 31; Mark 5: 20, Luke 4: 22 ; 9:43; 11:14; John 7:21), the disciples marvel at Jesus five times (Matthew 22:22; 27:14; Mark 15:5; Luke 11:38; 20:26), and Mary and Joseph marvel at him once (Luke 2:33). A lot of people are amazed by Jesus. But in our story today, it is Jesus that is amazed. This is the only time that Jesus is said to be amazed in a positive sense. As we will see, he is amazed that because He witnesses marvelous Faith from an unlikely source– a Gentile Centurion”.
It is to be noted that when twice in the Gospels Christ commended a person for great faith-the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew 15:28, and this Gentile Centurion in our Study. Both are Gentiles, one is a woman, the other is a man.
It appears then that the way of faith is open to all nationalities and to both male and female.
The event of our Text happened within walking distance of Capernaum, which was the main city on the north shore of the city of Galilee. It was an agricultural center with a thriving fishing industry.
Jesus made Capernaum His headquarters during His Galilean ministry, so the city was exposed to Him on a regular basis. It was located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee and was an important Roman port where Herod Antipas built a Roman garrison. There would obviously be several Roman military officers there but the one in our Study was different.
While He traveled all around the Galilee, preaching in villages and towns everywhere, when He came back to home, it tended to be at Capernaum for much of the time. The city was exposed to His teaching and miracle power but sadly Jesus denounced Capernaum’s lack of faith and unbelief, (Luke 10:11-13).
Jesus healed hundreds but there is an unusual aspect to the healing in our Study Text and this relates to the nature of the individual who requested the healing. He was a Gentile, and a Roman centurion
“Jesus marveled at a Roman centurion, whose background and circumstances ought to have made it difficult for him to have faith, a man whose occupation prized ferocity and the ability to rely on oneself, a man whose background was paganism, a man hated by the Jews because he was a Roman. Yet, despite all the circumstances that went against him, this man was identified by the Lord as an example of faith”.
Strangely, this man was not affected by the extraordinary unbelief of the people of Capernaum.
The Gospels very rarely show Jesus interacting with Gentiles, and in fact record Him stating that His mission was focused on Israel (Matthew 10:5, 6; 15:24-26). The contrast between this Gentile and the faith and understanding of the majority Jewish population was stark.
Luke records a different emphasis in his recounting of this meeting with the centurion than Matthew but there is really no contradiction when one examines the two recounting of the event. In the Lukan account the centurion did not come to the Lord Jesus Christ but in the Matthew account the centurion did come to Jesus. In the account in Luke Jesus went near to the house of the Centurion who had instead sent a group of elders of Israel to, ensure that Jesus would come and do the necessary healing but in the account in Matthew there is no reference to that at all.
These elders had been sent by the Centurion to beg Jesus to come to his house, but he must have known enough about the Jewish religion to know that to enter the house of a Gentile would be defiling. So Matthew omitted all of the details in Luke and simply says that the centurion came to Jesus himself. That of course does not contradict the fact that he might have sent the elders of Israel to come to beg Jesus to come, for he might have thought that this action would have encouraged Jesus to come and help him.
The incident in our Study Text however shows Jesus extending grace to a Gentile even though the grace of Jesus would not only have come through Jewish intermediaries.
It would have helped Luke’s original Gentile readers appreciate that Jesus’ mission included them as well as the Jews.
The Jews considered the centurion worthy of Jesus’ favor because of what he had done for them. This approach was a humanistic approach where it was believed that the best way of approach to move Jesus’ heart is to show merit in terms of what a person has done in the community. People nowadays do the same thing recalling the qualifications that they and others have, expecting that this will appeal to Jesus’ heart.
But Matthew omits all of that kind of detail and simply focuses on what was important to Jesus. In fact, Jesus reaction teaches us what was important to Him and gives us the great lesson that we need when we think about faith in Him.
So we will look at why Matthew focuses on an important fact that Luke omits. His account is much briefer than that of Luke for it has a different orientation and stresses a somewhat different message to a different audience.
Remember that Matthew is writing to the people of Israel and so it is most important that he stresses what God expects from the people of Israel.
There are several lessons that we can learn from Matthew’s account and this relates to faith that astounds and fascinates Jesus.
First, we will see Matthew’s stress on the fact that the centurion came to Jesus. That is one element of the kind of faith you should have. Matthew is stressing that you do not really need to to have people come to Jesus for you to seek healing and salvation.
You can do that but you can come to Him by yourself and this will amaze and fascinate Jesus
Second, you will notice how Matthew placed a great stress on the purpose of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. This should be clear to you for when the centurion came to faith in Jesus Christ it causes the Lord Jesus to reflect on the eschatological future, therefore in Verse 10 we read:
“When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, “Vverily, I say unto you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
Jesus therefore when he looked at this Gentile centurion come to faith in Christ saw the future fact of the effect of His ministry. He saw that the nation Israel will not respond to Him though He had been sent to them alone as the Scriptures tell us.
Jesus had stressed this fact of who He had been sent to for in the 10th chapter of Matthew we read that the Lord Jesus instructed the 12 disciples as He sent them out saying, “Go not, into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter not, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”.
We also know about the nature of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ when He told the Syrophoenician woman who had come to Him pleading for Him to heal her child, “ I am not sent what into the House of Israel”.
So you can see the third element of faith for the Gentile Syrophoenician woman came to faith to Jesus Christ Himself and appealed to Him for salvation.
The request of faith therefore for this Centurion meant that the request of faith came directly to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So hopefully this will be a lesson for you as you exercise your faith requests. It will not help you to exercise your faith request through other men despite their claims to be the representatives of God. Don’t be fooled by them.
Note therefore that this is not what you might think is “simple faith” if there is such a thing. The centurion’s faith is grounded in the philosophy of life, and this is the philosophy of faith in the sense that it contains as one writer says a very mature and intelligent view of Jesus Christ.
We will see in our Study that he speaks first of himself and that he is not worthy though he was highly regarded by the Jews, and then he speaks of the nature of Jesus who is to him unlike the many gods in the pagan world.
He must have known that you cannot have a multitude of infinite beings and so you must have one God and come to Him. He therefore was attracted to Judaism, and as he thought about that he came to the Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We can now come to another element of faith for this the centurion tells us of his estimate of the Lord Jesus Christ as he speaks of his limited authority, and positions it against the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you say you have faith there must be a stress on the authority of the Lord Jesus, and here we see an argument from the less to the greater in full force from this centurion.
One writer comments on how and why Jesus responds to this faith:
“Notice that the faith that the Lord Jesus praises is the faith that praises him. Isn’t that interesting? The faith that he praises is the faith that praises him. This has always been one of the most astounding things to me about the Word of God and about the Lord Jesus, and one of the things that has convinced me so much concerning the inspiration of Holy Scripture.
The Lord Jesus endorses the centurion’s expression of faith of himself. Accepts it, and he always accepts the praise that men give him. In fact, the more they praise him, the more he approves of the expressions. No we don’t do that…., Isn’t it a remarkable thing that the more men praise the Lord Jesus the more he responds?
In other words, it’s almost as if we can’t have too high of a view of him”
As we continue our discussion on this matter of faith and the faith of the Centurion we will highlight the relationship of faith and belief in our Study Text, for we cannot separate faith from belief.
The centurion on the other hand considered himself unworthy. Let us read our Text and measure our faith against the centurion’s and again note the marks of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
THE TEXT
Verses 1-4. Now when he was come down from the mountain, great attitudes followed him…. this statement establishes a time line for the event we will study. It happened immediately after the aforementioned Sermon which the Apostle Matthew had detailed in Chapters 5-7.
A leper had broken the rules of being away from people and come to Jesus and worshiped Him saying, “ Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”.
It is important that you note that the condition of leprosy, this contagious and debilitating disease which corrupts a person and makes them essentially dead even though they are alive, is a model of sin. It affects the society, and the religious people and rulers scorned lepers and despised them.
But this leper came to Jesus despite all the discouragements that he faced for he knew his problem was terrible and his condition hopeless.
Note that he came to Jesus without any invitation but he knew without any doubt that Jesus had the ability to heal and so for him the only question was if Jesus was willing to heal him.
Jesus was different from religious rulers of the day and Jesus was willing to use His power for the benefit of the leper. So Jesus stepped out of the rules of this society and stretched out His hand and touched the leper telling him that He was willing to heal him, and immediately the man’s leprosy was cleansed. This was not only a bold move by Jesus but also it involved a compassionate touch for it was against the ceremonial law to touch a leper.
But Jesus who could have healed him with only a word went that extra mile and touched this leper for Jesus was moved with compassion for him.
Jesus answers the question that He is ready and willing to heal.
Verses 5-6.The centurion would manifest many of the traits of kingdom citizens Jesus had just identified: poor in spirit, love your enemies, humble, among other characteristics.Luke is moving from the theology of discipleship to a real-life example of a true disciple.
As noted Capernaum was Jesus’ base in Galilee and the people living there more than most would have had opportunities to demonstrate faith in the Messiah.
…a certain centurion’s … We are not told the centurion’s name or regiment (Acts 10:1). His title reveals him to be the leader of a group of Roman soldiers. The term implies that the group numbers one hundred, though it may in fact be somewhat less or more. Still, he is a person of status and rank. He has charge of both servants and soldiers to do his bidding. Servants or slaves would carry out household duties as well as administrative business within the garrison and the city. Some therefore would be highly valued as one would expect emotional attachments to develop.
Other centurions ae mentioned in the Gospels and Acts point to the potential for righteousness and faith in Gentiles, an important theme throughout the New Testament (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47; Acts 10; compare Acts 11; Romans 9:30, 31; Galatians 3:8, 14; etc.).
Roman Centurions can legally treat a servant as nothing more than a tool. Many servants suffered gravely because of this legislation. However, a servant of great merit can be treated quite well. Though the centurion might also feel some affection for the servant, the primary bond between them exists because of the servant’s good work. Given that the servant is quite dear (elsewhere translated “precious”; see 1 Peter 2:4), the servant probably had a specific set of skills that the centurion values. This idea is in both Matthew and Luke.
Matthew uses a term for servant in this account, and unlike Luke Matthew uses a different word that can be translated “child” (Matthew 8:6; compare 2:16; 17:18). Children were generally not cherished in Jesus’ day as they are today (Matthew 19:13–15).
Matthew’s account mentions the severity of the illness and gives a specific diagnosis. Matthew’s account notes that the servant is paralyzed in some way (Matthew 8:6).
This same ailment afflicted the man who was carried by his four friends to Jesus (Matthew 9:2; see also 4:24; John 5:3; Acts 8:7). Outside of divine intervention, paralysis is untreatable and incurable in the centurion’s time.
Since the servant was about to die this was something extremely serious. The centurion realizes that though he is a man of power, authority, influence, and wealth he cannot save his servant from death.
Though he was surrounded by multitudes of Roman and Greek gods and many mystery religions, he knows that they are helpless when it comes to the subject of life and death. He must place his faith in a Jew named Jesus.
Note that the centurion under Roman law had the right to kill his slave and one writer points out that it was expected that he would do so if the slave became ill or injured to the point where he could no longer work.
But this centurion seemed to be very different from the normal Roman soldiers and his attitude toward his slave was unusual for he came and he pleaded with Jesus on behalf of his servant. This was no casual request. Spurgeon tells us:
“He seeks a cure, but does not prescribe to the Lord how or where he shall work it; in fact, he does not put his request into words, but pleads the case, and lets the sorrow speak”.
Verse 7. Luke tells us that the centurion… he sent unto him the elders of the Jews… the centurion also enjoyed the respect of the Jews in Capernaum so much that he felt free to ask some of the local leaders to approach Jesus on his behalf. Normally the Jews had outright hostility to the Roman soldiers who occupied their towns, while the Romans viewed Jews with disdain and equal hostility.
The centurion therefore would come to Jesus himself even though he would likely have asked help from the elders of the town.
It appears the slave was too sick to bring to Jesus. Matthew describes the six slave as grievously tormented and Luke described him as about to die. Matthew described him as paralyzed and in great pain (Matt. 8:6).
Note therefore that the centurion seized the opportunity to find relief for his servant.
The elders refer to the leaders of the Jewish community in Capernaum. Israel has depended on elders for leadership since the time of Moses (Exodus 3:16; Ruth 4:1–12; 1 Samuel 30:26; 2 Kings 10:5; Ezra 10:16; etc.). In spite of the centurion’s role as a leader among the occupational force dominating Judea and given the animosity common between Jews and Gentiles in Judea, these elders are on friendly terms with the Roman centurion.
It is known that in the first century Greek or Roman world social relationships rested on the concept of patronage. Matthew does not discuss this aspect as Luke did but it is is interesting for us to learn how people in that part of the world operated. One writer goes into the specific details of what would happen if the centurion had asked Jesus to come and heal the sick servant of this Roman soldier and he describes it this way:
“When somebody with power or access had something that you had no way of getting, you could ask them for it. If they chose to grant your request, then you would become indebted to them. You would then pay off this debt by honoring the person publicly and returning the favor should the need arise.
When the Jewish leaders approach Jesus, they appeal to this system of patronage. The Centurion, we learn, had become a benefactor to the people of Capernaum. He had built a synagogue for them– something they were presumably unable to do through their own means. In exchange, the whole town owed him a debt of honor– and possibly some favors in return. We can therefore rephrase in plain language what they said to Jesus who we must remember they did not particularly like:
“This man is worthy to have you do this for him . Jesus, we owe him. He deserves this. He loves our nation. He built us our Synagogue. He has been nothing but kind to us. And now we owe him. You must do this for him”.
One writer who looks at this attitude will now caution us:
“Do you ever notice your prayers starting to sound like this? We are instructed at numerous points in Scripture to ask God for things. Bringing our requests before God is a privilege that we should exercise because it shows our dependence on God and recognition of his power. And God loves to answer our requests– to give good gifts to his children.
But asking God for things can quickly turn into thinking that we deserve these things, especially when we live in a world that is constantly telling us to demand what is rightfully ours or to fight for our rights.. …..
But it is easy to start to think that we deserve things that we actually don’t deserve at all. I’ve worked hard, so I deserve that vacation. I’ve managed my money well, so I deserve that new car. I’m a good husband, so I deserve my wife to…. fill in the blank.
And how easy it is to let that kind of thinking creep into our relationship with God. God, I love you. I’ve been faithful to you. I give to the church. I even gave to the Remodel Fund. I’m trying to do the things that you ask of me. I’ve done all these things for you. So I deserve… to be healed, to have a good marriage, to get that job I applied for, and on and on.
And always on like those religious leaders. “Jesus, this man is worthy for you to do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our Synagogue”.
But God does not give us things because we deserve them. He does not bless us in order to reciprocate the kindness that we have shown to him. Everything that God gives us is an overflow of his love for us. It is pure grace.
Jesus is not persuaded by the argument of the Jewish leaders. And yet, we are told, Jesus went with them”.
Note that by this time Jesus has already performed numerous miracles in Capernaum
(Luke 4:23, 31-41). Therefore it is likely that the centurion, a resident of the village, was already aware of, or had even seen, Jesus’ displays of power. In that case, ‘he heard of’ means something like, “he heard that Jesus was back in town.”
On the other hand, the language of this verse may mean that the man has merely “heard reports about” Jesus. In that case, the centurion’s faith is even more impressive, being based entirely on the testimony of others.
Verse 7. Note that we are now facing a situation of the then, general belief in Judaism which also exists today, that God’s favor was something one might earn. We see the parallel to this mindset in the church where big donors are given privileges (James 2:1-3). Luke tells us that the elders who had come to intercede for the Centurion behave like diplomats appealing to Jesus on the basis that the man this centurion had done great things for the people of Israel. The centurion they said had a good relationship with the leaders of the subjugated nation.
In yet another surprise, he genuinely loved the nation. His affection suggests that he was a devout Gentile. Such a person comes from a pagan background but believed in the one true God.
Often such individuals are attracted to the high moral code evident in Jewish law. However, they live outside of Judaism because they do not choose to go through all the rituals that are necessary to be fully incorporated into the nation (contrast “devout Greeks/persons” in Acts 17:4, 17 with “proselytes” in Acts 6:5; 13:43). … he hath built us a synagogue… as a tangible expression of his love for the nation of Israel, this centurion built … a synagogue, presumably in Capernaum. This does not mean he personally erected the structure. Instead, he financed the project, paying for the construction out of his own resources. Synagogues were essentially places of teaching and might suggests the centurion’s personal interest in learning about Judaism. But let us examine why this centurion might have done what he did.
We recall that in the first century the system of synagogues was the most important way in Judaism for spreading God’s truth through the known world so that Jews in the Diaspora would have a place to worship as they were spread out all over the world and lived among Gentiles. The Jews had barred Gentiles from the main services in the Temple in Jerusalem and from the rituals in which they participated.
It seems then that this centurion recognized that God had determined the history of the Jews, that He had spoken to them directly and also through their prophets, and that even though they were very disobedient and had frequently disobeyed God, they believed God and they still knew about the Lord and what God had intended to do and so he loved them.
He thus became excited and active in the work of God as he saw it.
Can you do anything less?
He obviously knew about God and that He was using the system of the synagogues to spread light in the world, and so he used his money and his influence and put his reputation at risk to build a synagogue to help spread the light of God through the area. This was a great sign that this man loved the Lord God of Israel despite his background and his circumstances. He was prepared to lay up treasures in heaven. Can we do anything less?
At the request of the centurion Jesus told him simply “ I will come and heal him”.
So Jesus went up knowing that this centurion was probably genuinely a man of faith who loved the people of God as well as loving his slave, caring and honoring his slave, thus crossing the barriers and showing evidence of faith and the right kind of love which indicates a right kind of response to the Lord.
We shall of course at this stage ask ourselves whether or not we love across barriers, loving others from different kind of backgrounds yet who is not a Christian, or from a different race or social strata from us, or whether we love people from a different place from where we are from.
What about how we treat people who are very different from us who might not even like us. Would we make friends with people who are out of jail or sick or in prison or uneducated? If we examine this Study carefully we will see that the kind of behavior, attitudes, and actions of the centurion brought accolades from Jesus.
Verses 8-9. …Jesus went with them.. Apparently, Jesus gave some kind of affirmative answer to the elders and began walking toward the centurion’s home.
… Lord… can be:
a). a title of respect like “sir”
b). a title for a superior like “master”
c). a theological affirmation of Jesus as God’s Messiah (Luke 7:13)
…I am not worthy .. The centurion showed his humility and ignored what the elders’ had likely witnessed about him, saying that he himself was not worthy to have Jesus visit him.
Some think the centurion may be sensitive to the Jewish law cited by Peter: that it is unlawful for Jews to enter Gentiles’ homes (Acts 10:28). But the centurion did not consider himself worthy to be in Jesus’ presence (see verse 7.)
but say in a word… still the centurion must have had a fair understanding and appreciation for the Jew’s religious beliefs and did not wish to put Jesus in the position to have to come into his house.
This was not because the official was unwilling to have Jesus, but, due to his contact with the Jews, he understood the Jewish reticence to have any intimate contact with a Gentile. Remember that to enter into a Gentile’s house made a Jew unclean. If a Jew came into contact with a dead body, and remember that this servant was about to die, the visit and contact would make any Jew unclean.
It appears the centurion rightly had a very lofty sense of Jesus’ person, more-so than even the Jews which accentuated his own sense of unworthiness.
a man set under authority… the centurion had a grasp of the meaning of authority. A man of authority need only speak the word.
Jesus, the centurion had concluded from the reports he had heard, was a man of the greatest authority. He even had authority over nature. Thus, He could order sickness to depart and it would do so, whether or not He was present. He also recognized that Jesus’ authority, like his own, was the result of a higher authority (“I myself am a man under authority,” v. 7). A man of authority, like the centurion, could quickly recognize and appreciate the superior authority of Jesus.
…Go, and he goeth… Jesus’ physical presence was not demanded. This man was used to delegating authority (Luke 7:8). This gesture shows this Gentile’s great faith in the power of Jesus. It also gives a precedent for trusting Jesus’ words, not only His presence.
As an officer, the centurion need not be personally present at every place a job needed to be done; instead, he commands his subordinates. In a similar way, he knew Jesus was able to command the spiritual powers over which He has authority to come to the man’s house and heal his servant.
The centurion’s analogy revealed a remarkable faith not only in God but also in Jesus Himself, specifically a faith that Christ had power over sickness and death. His was not some casual knowledge that Jesus could heal but the powers he recognized in Jesus were divine. Whoever taught this man, taught him well!
Clearly the centurion understood that Jesus could heal and that He had much more than a sort of magic power which required the presence of a magician. He knew that Jesus had real authority and could command things to be done and completed whether or not He was present there Himself.
Not only was the centurion showing great sensitivity to Jesus, sparing Jesus the awkward challenge of whether or not to enter a Gentile’s house as well as the time and trouble of traveling to his house,
But this pagan centurion was considerate about Jesus’s situation just as he had been concerned about his servant.
This centurion was an other- centered person. What an example for us who say we are people of faith!
Verse 10. …he marvelled at him… the only two instances of Jesus ‘marveling’ at people are here, on account of faith, and at Nazareth, because of unbelief (Mark 6:6). The centurion’s belief in Jesus’ authority was unusual, more so because it rested on reports of Jesus’ previous ministry alone. Jesus rewarded his faith by healing his servant.
Strictly speaking, to marvel at someone or something does not require expressing surprise but only recognizing that person or thing as being worthy of admiration:
… said unto the people that followed him… Jesus frequently drew crowds wherever He went. Now He simply turned to the elders and the people who were following Him and pointed out the irony of the Gentile’s faith in the face of Jewish unbelief (Acts 13:46, 47). This dovetails with rejection Jesus has already faced (Luke 5:21, 30; 6:7, 11) and is yet to face in the months ahead (7:30; 9:22; 11:53, 54; 15:2; 16:14; 22:52).
When we look at Luke’s account we learn certain things about the elders of that town. These elders, for their part, acted unlike most other elders in response to Jesus’ ministry.
Their approach to Jesus showed that they too believed that He could heal the servant. This serves to highlight as well the centurion’s faith that Jesus need not even be present in order to heal the servant.
Note, Jesus’ healing of people did not necessarily depend on a demonstrated faith in Himself on the part of recipients, (Luke 7:11-18, et al).
When Jesus heard what the centurion said and saw the faith of the Centurion He marveled, for this centurion understood Jesus’ spiritual authority.
This understanding showed itself in his confidence in the ability of just the mere words of Jesus to heal. This faith was free of any superstitious reliance on merely external things and so it was truly great faith and worthy of praise.
We learned from this that we should be against all the hocus pocus of the so-called faith healers and people who teach you about the word of Faith doctrine which is quite erroneous and unbiblical.
… faith, no, not in Israel … Jesus’ pleasant surprise, however, is accompanied by an unfavorable comparison that reflected His ongoing frustration: Why will not His own people, the Jews, believe in Him?
On an earlier occasion, Jesus was almost killed by a mob in His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30).
He was already confronted by Pharisees and other experts on the Law of Moses for claiming to forgive sins and for breaking the Sabbath (5:17-26; 6:1-11),
He was criticized for fraternizing with publicans and sinners (5:27-32).
In the eyes of His own people, Jesus was only able to heal people. Yet here was a Gentile who understood the implications of Jesus’ actions!
And so we can look at the result. When the centurion reached home he found the servant whole … Jesus accomplished precisely what the centurion anticipated: He healed the servant.
Does Jesus even have to speak in order to heal the servant? The centurion would not be surprised to hear that Jesus never spoke a word after commending his faith.
The centurion’s belief in Jesus’ authority was unusual, apparently because it rested on reports of Jesus’ previous ministry alone. Jesus rewarded his faith by healing his servant.
Jesus did not limit His healing ministry to people who believed that He was the divine Son of God. He evidently healed some people who expressed no understanding of His true identity simply because He felt compassion for them and chose to bless them (John 9:11; Acts 10:38).
But let us look at the comment of Jesus in verse 11 to 12.
Jesus was very emphatic when he considered the faith of this Gentile centurion. This was greater faith than any faith he had seen among the people of Israel. There was none in Israel among the covenant people who were descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that had that kind of faith.
But note that Jesus still called them Israel. He knew the covenant promises to them were still alive.
Jesus addressed the firmly held belief among Israelites that there would be a great Messianic Banquet and that this great Banquet would have no Gentiles but all Jews would be there.
This was a mistaken idea and Jesus corrected it right away telling us what heaven is going to be like and what the prophecy of Isaiah meant in Isaiah 24 and 25.
There would be a great Messianic Banquet and there the veil would be removed from over the face of all people. It would be a place with many people from all over the earth from east and west and north and south.
Jesus said this Messianic Feast would happen.
So note that Jesus is not telling us that the new era when He ruled would be a dreary and a dull place. Spurgeon commented on this as follows:
“But ye shall hear those voices again; ye shall hear those sweet voices once more, ye shall yet know that those whom ye loved have been loved by God. Would not that be a dreary heaven for us to inhabit, where we should be alike on unknowing and unknown? I would not care to go to such a heaven as that. I believe that heaven is a fellowship of the saints, and that we shall know one another there”.
Notice therefore that Jesus stressed that the racial identity of Gentiles was not an automatic barrier to enter into the Kingdom.
At the same time the racial identity of the people of Israel was no guarantee of the Kingdom. Though Jews were sons of the kingdom they might end up in hell, and outside of the messianic banquet. The children of the kingdom would be cast out into outer darkness where they would be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This was indeed the nature of God’s plan of salvation. There would be a darkness beyond a darkness and a dungeon beyond and beneath the prison, says one writer. Notice also what another writer stated:
“The definite articles with ‘ weeping’ and ‘ gnashing’ (cf.Greek) emphasize the horror of the scene; the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Weeping suggests suffering and gnashing of teeth despair”. (Carson).
Charles Spurgeon warns:
“What is it that the lost are doing? They are ‘weeping and gnashing their teeth’.
Do you gnash your teeth now? You would not do it except you were in pain and agony. Well, in the hell there is always gnashing of teeth.”
Verse 13, In this latter verse Jesus sent the centurion home since he believed Jesus then told him that he would do to him exactly as he had requested and the sick man was healed at the same hour.
CONCLUSION
It is very important that we notice what the faith of the Centurion was. We know very well what one old writer said,
“He that believeth on the Lord Jesus shall be saved, be is since never so many. But he that believeth not on the Lord Jesus must be damned, neither is since be ever so few.”
We must stress that faith is based on three things. It has three elements:
First, there must be knowledge for there can be no faith that is not grounded in truth or knowledge. It is therefore a very important to understand that it’s impossible to have faith in Jesus Christ in a saving way without knowledge.
Second, there must be assent, which means conviction of the truth of something here this is conviction of the truth of a message.
Third, in faith there must be “trust”. True biblical faith is made up of knowledge, conviction of the truth of that knowledge, and finally, reliance on upon it.
So the Apostle Paul teaches from the heart that there must be reliance upon the gospel message, our reliance on someone else. So when a person comes to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,, one writer states that he renounces all trust in himself or in anything that he does and relies upon what someone else has done. That’s faith.
In the Sermon preceding our Text (Matthew 5-7) Jesus pronounced blessings on those who grieve (as the centurion was doing; compare (Luke 6:21b) and are hated (as the centurion would have been hated by many Jews.
Jesus also taught people to love their enemies and do good for them, because this is how God Himself treats all people (note the love of the centurion for Israel as described by the Jewish elders;
Jesus noted that people, like trees, define themselves by the “fruit” (behavior) they produce and the centurion revealed his true nature through his actions; (Luke 6:43-45).
Jesus went on to instruct that the wise person builds life on His teaching, just as a wise builder lays the foundation of his house on rock rather than sand and as the centurion placed trust in Jesus,
Luke 6:45-49).
As a leader of the occupation force in Judea, the centurion faced hatred and resentment from the Jewish people who did not know Him. The easy and typical response would be to return the sentiment. But this centurion loved the Jewish nation. He trusted Jesus before and better than many in Israel ever would. His life experiences made him humble in the face of the true authority and more that he recognized in Jesus. For this reason, his faith was simply marvelous.
Under pressure from difficult and dangerous circumstances this centurion trusted the word of God and the power of Christ. So the Study climaxes with Jesus’ statement,
“Not even in Israel have I found such great faith”.
It is interesting to note how Matthew tells us that the servant was healed. It was in an almost by the way matter of fact statement as one writer puts it, “Oh yeah, by the way, when they got home they found the servant healed”. This was a brief statement after Jesus’ climactic statement about the kind of great faith that He had found.
We should stress as we close the kind of love relationship with people centurion had. He had an enthusiasm for synagogues knowing that these synagogues spread the word of the true and Living God. This must have impressed Jesus.
God will be impressed when you are godly, mature, faithful men and women who see the need for spreading the light of the Word in the world, showing great faith despite the pressures and dangers of a world which is steadily darkening.
The Lord help us to have a similar faith in Jesus.