J. Healing the centurion’s slave (7:1–10)
J. Healing the centurion’s slave (7:1–10)
For a writer with an interest in the Gentiles this is a significant story. Luke does not say that the Gentile officer saw Jesus, but that he approached him through intermediaries and that he was commended for his faith. Clearly this would encourage members of the Gentile churches who had not seen Jesus, but had received the gospel through Jewish messengers. Matthew also tells this story, though with some differences. Some hold that the healing of the nobleman’s son (John 4:46ff.) is a variant of the same story, but the evidence scarcely supports this.11
1–2. His sermon ended, Jesus returned to Capernaum. Luke proceeds to tell of a centurion with a sick slave. Originally a centurion was an officer who commanded a hundred soldiers, but in time the number varied. Josephus speaks of a gradation of officers, with the decurion below the centurion (like the NCO below the captain) and the chiliarch and the hegemon above him (like the colonel and the general) (Bellum v.503). Moffatt translates ‘army-captain’ and this is probably our nearest equivalent. Barclay cites the historian Polybius for the qualifications looked for in centurions: they must not be so much ‘seekers after danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable; they ought not to be over anxious to rush into the fight; but when hard pressed they must be ready to hold their ground and die at their posts’. Men of fortitude and integrity were clearly required. It agrees with this that each of the centurions of whom the New Testament gives us knowledge is a man of character (cf. 23:47; Acts 10:22; 22:26; 23:17, 23; 24:23; 27:1, 43). This centurion was a Gentile (3, 9), possibly a Roman seconded to serve with the forces of Herod Antipas. This is not certain for some centurions were of other races, and again, there may have been a small detachment of Romans in Capernaum. The story shows this man to have been humane, wealthy and pious. Matthew tells us that his slave was paralysed. Luke does not say what the illness was, but he makes it clear that it was serious. The slave was at the point of death. The centurion was concerned, for the slave was dear to him (entimos means ‘honoured’, ‘esteemed’).
3–5. The centurion heard of Jesus. While the content of the report is not given, it must have included something about the cures Jesus had performed. So the centurion sent some Jewish elders with the request that Jesus would come and heal the sick slave. It is at first sight surprising that a centurion should have been able to command Jewish elders in this fashion, but the reason becomes evident when they speak to Jesus. This was no ordinary centurion. The elders argue that he is worthy to have Jesus help him. They specify two things: the centurion had goodwill for the conquered people, he loves our nation, and he had given expression to that goodwill by aiding local worship, he built for us our synagogue. It is not said that he was a worshipper of the true God, but a man would scarcely have undertaken all that is involved in building a synagogue without some interest in the God who was worshipped there. It is true that some Romans helped religion out of a cynical regard for the best interests of the State; but this centurion was a man of faith (9), not a cynic. Some have conjectured that he was a ‘Godfearer’, one who worshipped God but declined to become a proselyte to Judaism, which is not improbable.
6–8. Jesus responded to the request and went with them. But before he got to the house the centurion sent friends to stop him. This is a little curious, since the earlier request had been for Jesus to ‘come’ (3). In Matthew’s account the man spoke to Jesus direct and there is no mention of elders or friends. There are different ways of handling the difficulty. Some think of irreconcilable differences in the two accounts, while others harmonize them by thinking of the man as sending messengers first and afterwards going himself. But it is better to see Matthew as abbreviating the story and leaving out details inessential to his purpose. What a man does through agents he may be said to do himself. So Matthew simply gives the gist of the centurion’s communication to Jesus, whereas Luke in greater detail gives the actual sequence of events. Perhaps we can discern something of the differing purposes of the two Evangelists in their treatment of the messengers. Matthew was concerned primarily with the centurion’s faith and nationality; to him the messengers were irrelevant, even a distraction. But Luke was interested in the man’s character and specifically in his humility: to him the messengers were a vital part of the story.
The centurion’s message began, Lord (perhaps, ‘Sir’), do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. The centurion was plainly a humble man. He had not met Jesus but knew enough about him to accord him a high place. Probably also he realized that a religious Jew might have scruples about entering the house of a Gentile. He went on, therefore I did not presume to come to you, where presume renders a verb meaning ‘count (sc. myself) worthy’ (it is a different word translated ‘worthy’ in v. 6). The elders had already affirmed that he was worthy (4), but in his modesty he would not claim so much.
He went on to make it clear that he did not see it as necessary for Jesus to be present in person in order to effect a cure. All that was necessary was that he should say the word (lit. ‘speak with a word’; he is regarding the word as the instrument whereby Jesus’ purpose would be effected). The power was in the word Jesus spoke. Nothing more was needed. The man can illustrate from his own experience. He did not have to be present to have his command accomplish what he willed. He could say Go or Come or Do this and know that in each case his word would be obeyed. He does not say, ‘I am a man with authority’ as might have been expected, but I am a man set under authority. The humility of the man comes out in his reference to his place in a graded hierarchy, when he might well have spoken only of his superiority to those beneath him. His words may imply that Jesus, like himself, drew his authority from a higher source. There is probably no great significance in his referring to soldiers as people who go and come at his bidding, and of his slave as the one to whom he says Do this. The point is that in more than one way, with soldiers and with slaves, the centurion’s commands are obeyed.
9. Jesus marvelled at him. Twice only is Jesus recorded as marvelling at people, here on account of faith and in Nazareth because of unbelief (Mark 6:6). Jesus shared his astonishment with the crowd. He turned, perhaps to make sure they got the message. He prefixed his statement with I tell you, which appears to serve the same purpose. This was a most unusual situation and Jesus did not want this group of Israelites to miss the full impact of his commendation of the military man. He went on, not even in Israel have I found such faith. This is not a criticism of Israel, for the implication is that Jesus did find faith there, though not as great faith as that of the centurion. The surprising thing was that this Gentile should have such great faith, faith surpassing that among the Israelites, the people of God. An intriguing question is the nature of the faith the man had. Clearly he had faith that his slave would be healed. But is that all? In a Christian context to speak of faith without any qualification normally means more than that. It means trust in Jesus and acceptance of him as Lord (cf. V. 6). It may be that what this man had heard about Jesus had brought home to him more than the certainty that he could cure sickness. It must always remain possible that the centurion had no more than a conviction that Jesus could heal and that to say more is to introduce the developed meaning of faith that became common among Christians. But the suspicion remains that Luke’s emphasis on faith means more.
10. Luke does not say that Jesus spoke any word of healing (Matthew tells us that Jesus said, ‘Go; be it done for you as you have believed’, Matt. 8:13; but even this is scarcely a ‘word of healing’). He simply says that when the centurion’s messengers got back to the house they found the slave well. Matthew says that the healing took place while the men were with Jesus, but Luke leaves us to infer this; he puts no stress on it. His emphasis is on the centurion’s faith. And he leaves us with the question, Did Jesus go beyond even that great faith and heal without so much as a word?