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The Centurian's Great Faith

The Roman army is a study in efficient leadership. During the time of our Lord, there were 25 legions in the Roman army. Ordinarily each legion consisted of 6,000 men. Those men were divided into 10 cohorts. Each cohort contained 3 maniples, and each maniple contained 2 centuries. In each province the governor was the commander-in-chief of all the troops within his jurisdiction.

An officer from the senatorial rank of Roman society was entrusted with the command of each legion, and under him were 6 tribunes. Over the centuries, each containing 100 men more or less, were the centurions. Under the centurions were the principales, or non-commissioned officers. This organization functioned like a well-oiled machine.

The Capernaum Centurian’s Character

In this study, let us focus our attention on the Capernaum centurian (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). This man was apparently in charge of the garrison at Capernaum, a very important commercial center. He had occupied this position long enough to show the people of the city his true character. He had won the friendship of the religious leaders of the town. He had even constructed a synagogue for the Jews (Luke 7:5). In his first appeal for help, the centurion sent the elders of the Jews to Jesus asking that He would come and save his servant.

Luke tells us that this servant was “dear” unto the centurion, and Matthew informs us that he was “sick of the palsy, grievously tormented” (Luke 7:2-3; Matthew 8:6). Indeed, he was “at the point of death”. The Jews’ assessment of this centurion and his request was, “That he was worthy for whom he should do this.”

There is a difference in the two narratives of this event that may appear to present some difficulty until we consider how this man felt about his servant and the emotional stress he was enduring. By combining the two accounts, we can see that the centurion first thought that the best thing to do was to send the elders of the Jews to Jesus with his request.

Next, he sent some of his friends. Out of respect for Jesus, he had his friends ask the Lord to heal his servant from a distance, merely speak the word and his servant would be healed (Matthew 8:8). By healing his servant in this manner, Jesus would not even have to come into his home. Finally, the centurion went to Jesus personally.

The Centurian’s Example Of Faith

What he said is such a marvelous example of faith. When Jesus heard it, He said:

“I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matthew 8:10 ASV).

The centurion first declared his own unworthiness to even come to Jesus, much less to have Jesus actually come and enter into his house. He also recognized that such a thing was totally unnecessary, for Jesus had only to say the word and his servant would be healed. Notice that the centurion understood the whole thing to be a matter of authority, and authority was a field in which he had some experience. He said:

“For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it” (Matthew 8:9 ASV).

This man’s statement was truly amazing. To paraphrase his words, he was saying, “I understand that this whole matter is one of authority. I know about authority in my own life. I have a certain degree of authority and people under my authority respond to it. But you have authority over all things. You can do whatever you think is right and proper. You don’t have to come to my home. All that is necessary is for you to speak the word and it will be done.” Even Jesus marveled at this man’s faith and understanding. What an example of faith! What depth of understanding!

In Matthew’s account, we see recorded the application that Jesus made for the people present of this Gentile’s magnificent faith. Jesus said:

“And I say unto you, that 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” (Matthew 8:11-12 ASV).

The whole world is included in that statement and it was a prophesy of the part that the Gentiles would have in the final redemption to come. How thrilling it must have been to have heard Jesus’ final words of love, compassion, and kindness to this centurion when He said, “Go thy way; and as thou has believed, so be it done unto thee.” In that very hour, the centurion’s servant was healed (Matthew 8:13 ASV).

Conclusion:

Brethren, all spiritual authority resides in Jesus ( Matthew 28:18). He is the head of the church, (Ephesians 1:22) and we are to be subject unto Him (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:23). It only takes one generation of people who do not know what the Bible teaches about authority, to open the doors of apostasy (cf. Hebrews 3:8-12; Psalm 95:7-11; Exodus 17:1-7). One step outside of the realm of what is authorized, and acceptance of that step, and the floodgates are opened. Once a person begins to reason that we do not need authority for all we do in religion, that person has effectively left the Lord’s church, and begins establishing his own religion and church.

This is exactly why we need to examine all teachers and their teaching by the inspired standard of God’s Word (1 John 4:6; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20). This examination can only be effectively accomplished through our own personal study of the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15; cf. Deuteronomy 4:9).

Only by using the above criteria, are we able to, “come in the unity of the faith …. no longer tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine ….” (Ephesians 4:13-14).