Today's text took place during the fall of the year. The Galilean ministry of the Lord Jesus had begun in the summer of that year, so He's just been in His Galilean ministry a few months. By now the Lord Jesus had a huge crowd of people following Him. Today's story took place immediately after the Sermon on the Mount. This story is a perfect example of what the Lord Jesus had just preached, it illustrates that God is gracious to give a living, breathing example of the Sermon on the Mount.
Here, in v.2, we learn of a man with compassion: a Centurion who loves his servant. In those days a slave was considered a tool to be discarded if it didn't function. And, here is a a Centurion who loves his enemy. In fact, he not only loved the Jews but was generous enough that he built their synagogue.
So, here is a Roman Centurion soldier who calls the Lord Jesus, "Lord." Everything the Lord Jesus had just taught in the Sermon on the Mount is manifest in this Centurion.
At the end of v.1 we learn that the Lord Jesus went to Capernaum, a city which was well aware of the Lord Jesus and His ministry at the time. The Sermon on the Mount was delivered on a hillside which was walking distance from Capernaum which was the main city on the north shore of the city of Galilee.
In v.2 we read, "There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die." Centurion is a title given to what was essentially a captain in the Roman army. They were the highest ranking officers. They received their rank by moving up through being battle tested. Before becoming an officer, this man was a soldier's soldier. He knew how to lead, he knew how to set an example, he knew how to fight, he knew how to command. At the same time, he knew what it was to be submissive to those that were over him. He was among the best of the best in the pagan environment.
Every time the New Testament mentions a Centurion, it does so with respect. Every time they appear on the pages of the New Testament, there is an affirmation of this kind of manhood, character, and integrity as a soldier. Three of the Centurions mentioned in the Bible are believers in the Lord Jesus. This Centurion is unnamed.
So, the content of the Sermon on the Mount is being illustrated in this story that begins with a servant who was about to possibly die due to a sickness.
According to v.2, this Centurion looked at his slave who is about to die with high regard. The word "valued highly" is entimos in the Greek meaning “precious” or "honored." It is also used in Luke 14:8 describing the distinguished guest at a banquet. It is also used of Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:29 to refer to him as one who is held in the highest regard, with the greatest honor, very valuable. So, this very valuable young boy is sick. He's the object of concern and affection by this rough, tough soldier.
Matthew fills in some information in the diagnosis in Matthew 8:6, "Lying paralyzed at home, suffering great pain." He is a paralytic. He is in severe pain and the agony causes the heart of the compassionate Centurion to help him. The Lord Jesus had taught, "Blessed are they who mourn..."
According to v.3, the extent of the Centurion's love takes him to the Lord Jesus. Somehow this man knew about the Lord Jesus. And Matthew says he asked Him to heal his servant. But, according to Luke 7:3, he didn't ask Him directly. "The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant." He didn't go himself to Jesus. We learn later that he didn't go himself because he felt unworthy.
So, the Jews responded in v.4, "When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." They don't say to this Roman, "Well, you know, we're going to go because if we don't go you're going to make it hard on us. You're going to raise our taxes or you're going to inflict some injury on us or you're going to...you're going to notch up the oppression."
These Jews considered the man worthy. No animosity. And they say he is worthy for the way he has loved their nation. Herein, we see their bad theology which was to earn favor and to reward good behavior. By the way, this is the only time in the New Testament where any Jew advocates on behalf of a Roman soldier.
In v.5 we further understand why these Jews thought so much of this Centurion. We read, "because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." This Centurion was wealthy and generous, but it was more than that. This man had a great desire for the truth. He wanted to know the Word of God. That's why he built a synagogue, because that's the place where the Word of God was taught. He had literally become a proselyte to Judaism. He built the synagogue where we can be certain he went to hear the Word of God. This is a man of great humility and great love and great faith.
The disposition of this centurion was magnanimous because between the Jews and the Romans there was great animosity. It wasn't that he loved a few Jews, he loved the people of God which means that he had come to understand not only the true and living God, but that he had come to understand that these were the people of the covenant of God.
By the way, the word "loves" is agapaō, the deepest word for love in the Greek language. He loved his servant and the nation with a God kind of love, the love of the will, commitment love. So, here is a man who, against the grain of normal Roman attitude, loves his slave and the Jewish nation. And, in a transcendent way, he loves his enemies which the Lord Jesus had just taught was a definitive mark of a child of God.
Remember what the Sermon on the Mount begins with? Blessed are the poor, and the meek, and the mourning, and the hungry. That's all talking about humility. People in the kingdom see their spiritual bankruptcy. This is the case of this man.
In v.6-8 we read, "6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 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."
The Jews said the Lord Jesus, "You've got to heal because this centurion is worthy." This is the typical self-righteous approach, isn't it? The Centurion's attitude was, "I'm not worthy." The contrast is clear. The system says, "You're worthy." The Centurion says, "I'm not worthy." This is true humility. Self-righteous pride is not of God and humility marks one the son of God.
In Luke 7:9, we read, "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." The Greek word used here for amazed is thaumazō meaning astonished. This Centurion's faith amazed the Lord Jesus. This Centurion is the only person who amazed the Lord Jesus with his faith. The Lord Jesus was amazed at people's unbelief, according to Mark 6:6, but only here was He actually astonished at someone's faith.
In v.10 we read, "Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well." The servant's paralysis and pain not only left, but the disease as well. Great faith in great promises lead to great results. If we want results, we first must know God's promises. Faith by itself does nothing. Faith must be based on the promises of God.
