After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set 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.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. Luke 7: 1-10 ESV
Luke 7: 1-10
Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death- A centurion is an officer in the Roman army. As the name suggests, he is a man over at least a hundred men, a servant himself of Rome. He has a servant or slave, which was a common arrangement in this empire and at that time. There are some who are slaves from being conquered or kidnapped, and others who were slaves by choice, like salary contracts, but without the salary, paid with a place to live, food to eat, whatever was the agreed arrangement. Some slaves even had their own servants in Rome, but in general they suffered the fate of their class. They were considered property, and so when a slave was sick that would be a liability, for they came at a great expense.
Gaius noted that it was universally accepted that masters possessed the power of life and death over their slaves (Institutes, 1.52). The Roman writer Varro insisted that the only difference between a slave, an animal, and a cart was that the slave talked (Agriculture, 1.17). Slaves were often abused, young boys in particular, since pedophilia was not uncommon. This centurion was different than most Romans for he had a tender concern for his lowly servant! As an aside the NT mentions 3 centurions who seem to have given evidence of genuine faith (Mt 27:54; Acts 10:1-48). - Precept Austin
Who was highly valued by him - This is notable about the man, a man of war, of authority, a busy man, yet he values a sick slave. Certainly he understands business, and as a soldier he understands life and death, but he doesn't want to cut his losses and move on from here. He cares about his servant. In his society no one would look down on him for no longer wanting to care for someone whom he purchased to care for him. It would not go against his government to do so, no one would contest his desire to rid himself of such a burden. This is the way of the land, the way that those who govern have decided is fair, but the caring, the valuing that comes with integrity, sincerely wants the best for his servant. Why? I think it becomes more obvious the more we learn about this man from the text, and I do believe that this servant has become more like family, a friend. In the chapter before this we learned about discernment, about a tree being known by it's fruit, and so lets look more at the fruit of this man's life.
…14You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.… John 15: 14-16
…16But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you, 17then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way. 18Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.… Deuteronomy 15: 16-18
He sent to Him elders of the Jews - Jesus was born a Jew, and this centurion was a gentile, but a man of good reputation, even in an occupied state.
He is worthy to have You do this for him - The Jewish elders spoke highly of him, and brought his request before Christ. Now Jesus hasn't healed anyone who was worthy yet, but by their scale and reasoning, they held this man in such high esteem that they considered him worthy to receive such a miracle. It had become a part of their tradition to find value or worthiness in such places as heritage, being related to Abraham, in appearance, and in rituals. God only owes us one thing and that is death, because the wages of sin is death and we are all sinners. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that they, who are of the circumcision, children of Abraham, hold this occupying centurion in such high regard.
…8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. 9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.… Matthew 3: 8-10
For he loves our nation - He doesn't treat the Jews as enemies, and he holds the nation in high esteem though he is part of the occupying force, yet he seems to be a man of peace. There were groups among the Jews called Zealots, who hated Rome and it's soldiers, even to the extent of using acts of terrorism against the Romans. It would be easy, very human indeed, to hold these people who are much different then him, many opposed to his presence not only as a Roman but also as a gentile, in contempt. Instead, this nation holds a special place in his heart, and we have to be careful not to read too much into the text, but they use the word, love.
He is the one who built our synagogue - This is the fruit of his love for the nation, the proof that they put forth. This is what men can see, and really though how true is that which professes itself to be love, yet does not act? What kind of a tree is this? He builds their place of worship in a place where they profess that there is only One God and that all else are the idols and figments of men's imaginations. The synagogue was not the temple, but a place where one could go to pray and hear the daily reading of the word. It was a place where men met to discuss Judaism. We could say that he was making what he saw as good politics, winning over the favor of the people where he lived, and being a gentile he was probably a polytheist so it wouldn't go against his conviction to acknowledge another god, but I think the text will show that it was more than this. Look at the results of God's love.
15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.… John 3: 15-17
12This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are My friends if you do what I command you.… John 15: 12-14
…5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love. 7You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?… Galatians 5: 5-7
This centurion is a wonderful example to all us Gentile believers, that we too show sincere love to the nation of Israel (no, they are not a perfect nation), as it might just open a door for us to testify of our (their) Messiah! Do you love Israel? If you do not, then you need to ask God to give you a genuine love for His Chosen People, not because they are perfect (modern day Israel is far from perfect and is mainly secular), but they are still the "apple of His eye" and as Zechariah wrote "For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent me (MOST LIKELY THE MESSIAH) against the nations which plunder you (ISRAEL), for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye." (Zech 2:8, cf the blessing in Ge 12:3). Anti-Semitism has no place in the heart of one who is called a son or daughter of God!
In modern times “Righteous Gentiles” have been honored by trees planted along the road to Israel’s Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial, because they risked their own death to save Jewish lives. - Precept Austin
And Jesus went with them - In Matthew's account we were not made aware of the centurion's use of emissaries, but the mention of these particulars by Luke help us to look at the story from other angles, increasing the depths of our understanding, ever moving us towards awe.
The centurion sent friends - In Luke we find that the man was not with Jesus, that he sent others to meet Him, not for disrespect, but quite the contrary.
Lord - He gives honor to Jesus, this is the way a servant would address his master.
…8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.… Romans 10: 8-10
For I am not worthy (hikanos) for You to come under my roof - "This non-commissioned officer knows he needs help, he knows Jesus can give it, and he comes with nothing but a humble heart." (Holwick) Note that "Luke again represents the centurion himself as doing the speaking, which fully justifies Matthew’s account which omits mention of the friends." (Lenski) The centurion's statement I am not worthy is an amazing expression of his humility especially in light of the Jewish elders assessment that "He is worthy (axios) for You to grant this to him." NIV has "I do not deserve to have you come under my roof." BBE has "for I am not important enough for you to come into my house." More literally it could be read "I am not fit (which is the meaning of hikanos)". This recalls the line below from Joseph Hart's "Come Ye Sinners" which speaks of our "fitness" for Jesus to come to our house -- truth be told ,NONE of us are "worthy" for Him to come! And so our words echo those of the centurion "Lord I am not worthy!" And yet just as Jesus healed the centurion's servant with a WORD, He has healed our "sin sick" souls with His Gospel WORD! This truth should cause us all to fall on on our faces before Jesus with hearts filled with overwhelming gratitude for healing us! Thank YOU LORD JESUS!!!
Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of him.
This he gives you, this he gives you;
’Tis the Spirit’s glimmering beam.
Lowell Johnson - This man measured his worth against the absolute standard of Jesus and he said, “I am not worthy.”
Augustine commented that "By saying that he was unworthy, he showed himself worthy of Christ's entering, not within his walls, but within his heart." It is clear that the centurion's heart was tender toward the Lord. He was unlike so many today who feel they deserve to go to Heaven. Beloved, we don't deserve Heaven, but we do deserve Hell, for the wages of our continual sin against God is eternal death (cf Ro 6:23+). No one is good enough or righteous enough to get to Heaven on their own merit, for as Paul writes "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE." (Ro 3:10+) Isaiah said "all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." (Isa 64:6) - Precept Austin
For I am not worthy to have You come under my roof - It would appear that the man not only built the synagogue but also listened to the words that were read. To go into a gentiles house would make one ceremonially unclean. This also defines his definition of the word, "Lord", it is not like, Sir, Mam, Buddy etc., this man's words are prostrate.
…18I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ 20So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.… Luke 15: 18-20
…8And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth. 9For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.… 1 Corinthians 15: 8-10
Therefore I did not presume to come to you - This and what follows lends even more to this soldier's definition of Lord. You don't just walk into the palace and demand the presence of the king. He doesn't even find it proper to ask for an audience. This man doesn't stay home because he is too important to go to Jesus, no, he sees himself as unworthy.
…16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. 18In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.… Psalm 51: 16-18
But say the word, and let my servant be healed - This is some great exposition here. Just say the word, don't even bother coming to look at my servant, no need to diagnose my servant like a physician, someone like Luke would do. Jesus is the eternal Word of God, God Who spoke the world into existence. This gentile is undoubtedly in my mind being drawn of the Father. His recognition of Christ puts no earthly constraints upon His ability. The man sees his own weakness, inability, frailty in the matter, and he also acknowledges his unworthiness. He is not asking from entitlement, but from a plea of mercy. He is asking for grace, and in total recognition of Jesus' ability to do so.
13children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ ”… John 1: 13-15
For I too am a man set under authority - He does what he is told to do by those in authority over him.
With soldiers under me - He has been given authority over other men. Now keep in mind this is all in comparison to Jesus' authority over sickness, death, and the spiritual, things outside this man's wheelhouse. This also takes us further into this gentlemen's understanding of Lordship.
I say to one, "Go", and he goes - When the centurion tells one of his men to do something it is with the authority of Rome behind him. He is their boss. I have bosses and I have to do what they tell me within moral reason, and if it is not morally right then I have to decline because I have a Higher Authority, the Creator of the Universe. He is appealing to the highest authority, the One that says, "let there be light", and there was light. Let this man's servant be well, and he must be.
15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.… Colossians 1: 15-17
When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him - Look, there is not much written about this man, but in this short span of paragraphs I can tell you from my own experience with bosses and authorities, that this is an exceptional manager. He cares about his servant, he cares about Israel, he cares about Who Christ is and is concerned over the perception that people would have, not of the centurion, but of Jesus if He were to come into his house. This is a servant leader, and I can fairly say that I have had one such boss, at the most maybe one more, the exception being that the latter did not seem to fear God so much as his own ideal, the companies good values. I wonder what he would be like if the companies ideals changed? I believe the Centurion feared God, and there is no higher standard than God.
I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith - Faith is a gift from God, it is believing the God we believe in. It is not that the man had anything worthy in himself or of himself, though the elders thought him worthy he held that he was not. I come with faith to Christ, given to me of the Spirit, drawn by the Father, recognizing Who Jesus is to the degree of light which I have been granted. It is like the song, "Just as I am", and so faith brings me to the cross of the One Who was worthy. It is His life, not mine, and so faith ask for grace, unmerited mercy, hopeful because God does not turn away the broken and contrite. I have nothing to offer but my sins, but I know that Christ came to die for sinners. Jesus recognizes this man's faith and heals his servant.
…2This is why the ancients were commended. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.… Hebrews 11: 2-4
…7in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not by works, so that no one can boast.… Ephesians 2: 7-9
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