“When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go, let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.”

Matthew 8:5-13 ESV

As I sat down with God this morning, a hot cup of coffee in hand, I decided to dig deeper into Matthew 8:5-13. As I read, the Holy Spirit stopped me at the word “centurion.” Despite having read this verse countless times, for some reason, I couldn’t go on until I explored its meaning further. So here we go, let’s dive into a little explanation of what a centurion was so we can get an idea of his role in society back in the day.

Not every version of the Bible uses the word “centurion.” The versions that do include it are the NKJV, KJV, ESV, NIV, AMP, and NASB. Some scholars believe these versions are closest to the original Hebrew and Greek texts. In contrast, other versions like the NLT use “officer,” and the MSG uses “captain.” Centurions were officers in the Roman army, around 63 BC through the first century AD. The Romans were the occupying force over the Jewish people at the time. The word “centurion” originates from the word “century,” which explains why they typically commanded an army of about 100 men. This glimpse into the role of a centurion helps us understand that these were men of power. Surprisingly, there are about 20 different references to centurions in the Bible. Some of the most notable centurions include:

- The Centurion with Great Faith in Matthew 8:5-13 (the verse we are discussing) and Luke 1:1-10

- The Centurion at the cross in Mark 15:39 and Luke 23:47.

- Cornelius, who became one of the first Gentile converts to Christianity in Acts 10:1.

- Julius, who escorted Paul to Rome and treated him kindly in Acts 27:1-3.

From my research, centurions are generally portrayed as soldiers who understood both command and surrender.

Now that we have a better idea of what a centurion was, and what they did, let’s talk about our verse and some of the qualities the man in Matthew 8:3-13 possessed.

Authority, Humility, Faith and Unwavering Conviction, A Winning Combination

As a Roman soldier, he boldly stepped out and approached Jesus, which showed a little bit about him right away. He explained his authority: “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” He was a disciplined leader who was not going to let this opportunity pass him by. Also, this Roman soldier understood the authority of Jesus. Military command and rank wasn’t new to him. He knew that Jesus had rank over the demon spirits of sickness. He clearly recognized the immense power Jesus possessed and was willing to approach Him. Jesus the man whom the Pharisees wanted to stone was the One who had all authority, and he knew it. This demonstrates authority in a way that is different than worldly authority, it had a special ingredient that made all the difference, purity & humility.

He was a gentile who approached Jesus with humility. He unassumingly acknowledged his inadequacy, saying, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But simply say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Leadership can be abused; a few individuals wait their entire lives to gain authority & once they do, they often become cold-hearted and indifferent to others. This man wasn't like that; he understood the power He posessed and who had true authority. He knew he could not demand his healing in an arrogant way; he was lowly before Him. It wasn't a show. It was really in his heart- a purity of heart. Matthew 5:8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." You can't fool God- He sees your heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

This purity was a rare and precious quality. Jesus expressed his astonishment, saying, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. Many will come from east and west and will be seated at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This is the kind of faith that Jesus desires. Hebrews 11:1-25 says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen." He had not seen his servant be healed but he believed that Jesus has the power heal him. He trusted Him without seeing the miracle yet. Jesus has the ability to heal, deliver, and restore anyone. When Jesus saw his faith He said, “Go, let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed right there and then. This illustrates the significance of unshakable faith.

Where it says, “the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness,” Jesus was primarily referring to many of the Jewish people—especially those who assumed they would automatically inherit God’s kingdom because they were descendants of Abraham. Jesus blessed this gentile man because of his faith, not because he was born into a certain denomination. Unity as believers in Christ is very important. Jesus loves all people—He accepted both Jews and Gentiles. He was not afraid of the naysayers who whispered "follow us" from all different directions. He did what he knew the Lord was calling him to do. He wasn't afraid of the boos. He wasn't afraid to be unfollowed. He was dogged in the midst of the Jews & Gentiles because he knew Jesus had all authority. Anytime a leader is condemning someone in public, "exposing" especially "exposing" on steroids (i.e. they make business on YouTube where they "expose" people) a 🚩 should go up. True God fearing humble leaders don’t spend time tearing other people down, they spend all their time building people up and creating unity between people. He went to Him in humble faith and I am sure he left overflowing with thankfulness after seeing his servant healed.

Throughout the Bible, I found that most of the centurions I researched possessed leadership, discipline, integrity, humility, faith, & purity. This centurion genuinely believed in Jesus’ authority and His power. The centurion didn’t follow the crowd, he had authority & could make decisions that were best for the well being of the people. He had compassion, humility & faith & he did everything he could to get his servant healed and he was HEALED!!

Lord, thank you for Your Word. Help us have the kind of faith & integrity this centurion had. Help us be unshakable & unmovable against the enemy's attacks. You alone hold all power. If we or someone else we know needs healing, help us boldly seek You for it today. If someone hasn't accepted You as their Savior, help them confess You as the Lord of their life today.

In Jesus’ Name.

I pray this inspires you today to be a little more like this centurion— to God be the glory!