Amazing Faith
Matthew 8:5-13
Today, as we come to another healing miracle of Jesus in Matthew 8, I want you to notice how Matthew carefully links Jesus’ miracles to the coming of the kingdom. Right before Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew records, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” (Matt. 4:23). Matthew repeats this statement at the end of the series of miracles that starts in Matthew 8 (Matt. 9:35). By bracketing Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry with these words, Matthew invites us to see the connection between Jesus’ teachings and His miracles. Both proclaim that Christ is king. His words and His works both bear His authority.[1]
Last time, we saw Jesus’ authority as He cleansed a leper with His word and His touch and we were reminded that Jesus’ power over sin is just as great as His power over leprosy. Jesus is willing and able to cleanse the unclean. Today, we see Jesus’ authority to heal a centurion’s servant. Both the leper and the centurion were outsiders from the traditional Jewish society and religion. The unclean leper was outside the camp; the Gentile centurion was outside the covenant. What grace and compassion! that the Lord responded to both.[2]
This miracle takes place in Capernaum, a town on the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Being fishermen, some of Jesus’ disciples lived and worked in Capernaum. Jesus adopted Capernaum as His new hometown and the center of His ministry in Galilee. It was a trading city that stood at a crossroads, so it was logical for the Romans to have a tax station there and to support it with a garrison of imperial troops.
The leader of the garrison would be a centurion, literally, “commander of a hundred”. Centurions commanded the basic fighting units of the Roman army. The most talented soldiers rose from the ranks to become centurions. They were the backbone of the army, maintained discipline, and gave orders.[3]
By the way, did you know that every centurion in the New Testament is mentioned favorably? And what’s more, they are often involved in important events in the Bible’s story. It was a centurion who stood by the cross as Jesus died and confessed, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54). A centurion confirmed Jesus’ death to Pilate (Mark 15:44-45). The Lord sent Peter to Caesarea to preach the gospel to the Gentile, Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Regiment (Acts 10:1). And centurions were often involved in key events in the ministry of the apostle Paul (Acts 21:32; 22:25; 23:17, 23; 24:23; 27:43; 28:16). They play a crucial role they in the New Testament.
Matthew doesn’t tell us any details about this centurion, but Luke does in his account of this same miracle (Luke 7:1-10). In Matthew, it appears as if the centurion spoke directly to the Lord; and as if the Lord spoke directly to him. But in Luke’s account, the centurion never appeared to Jesus at all. Rather, it was the Jewish elders who came on his behalf to Jesus and pleaded that He heal the servant. And when Jesus was on His way, Luke tells us that friends of the centurion stopped Him and suggested that He not even come under the roof of the centurion’s home. Even though the centurion, according to Luke, says that he didn’t feel worthy to come to Jesus (Luke 7:7), the Jews tell Jesus that he is deserving “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” (Luke 7:5). Clearly God was already at work in this centurion’s heart.
The differences between the accounts in Matthew and Luke do not mean they conflict with each other, they simply emphasize different details of the story. Luke is probably more literal at this point and Matthew more dramatic.[4] Luke wrote primarily to Gentiles, and perhaps he wanted to emphasize the respect the Jews had for this Gentile centurion who believed. Matthew wrote primarily to Jewish people and wanted to show that even a Gentile would be honored if He had faith in Christ.
The situation with this centurion was that he had a very important and precious servant who became dreadfully sick. When Luke tells us this story, he refers to the young man as a “servant” using the Greek word doulos, meaning slave (Luke 7:2, 3, 7, 8, 10). But the word that Matthew uses to describe this “servant” is pais and it basically means “child” or “boy”. Perhaps, he was a young servant that the centurion had come to love like a son. Luke tells us that his servant “was dear to him” (Luke 7:2).
The servant had become paralyzed and it was apparently a particularly desperate situation because, as Matthew tells us, he was “dreadfully tormented” (Matt. 8:6). And as Doctor Luke tells us, the boy was “ready to die” (Luke 7:2). And this is, perhaps, another indication of how God had already been working in the heart of this centurion. He clearly loved and cared deeply for this “boy” who was his “servant”. He was willing to go out of his way to save his beloved servant’s life. Although it is the servant who needs healing, the emphasis in the story is Jesus’ interaction with the centurion.
Matthew wants us to appreciate the faith of this Roman centurion, and to see his great faith that amazed our Lord. His amazing faith stands out because it was placed confidently and completely in Jesus’ authority as the Son of God.[5]
So, the first thing that I would like you to notice about this centurion’s amazing faith in Jesus is that it is,
1. A Faith in Jesus’ Authority (Matt. 8:5-7).
Matthew emphasizes the centurion’s faith in Jesus’ authority. Matthew 8:5 says, “Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him.” The centurion sought Jesus out and came to Him. He does not come commanding Jesus or demanding Jesus to come. Instead, the centurion seeks Jesus out on behalf of his sick servant, “pleading with Him.” The word “pleading” (parakaleo) means literally to call alongside, to call someone to oneself, to “call upon” in such a way as to urgently request or entreat or beg. The centurion was appealing to Jesus in supplication, begging Him, asking Him earnestly. I believe he did this not just because of the urgent need, but because he recognized Jesus’ superior authority.
Then notice what he calls Jesus (Matt. 8:6), “saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” He calls him “Lord”. In fact, he calls Him this twice in this passage—here in Matthew 8:6 and again in Matthew 8:8. I hope you can appreciate what a significant thing that is for a Roman centurion to say to a Jew! The Greek word is kurios, it is a term of respect that can be translated as “Sir”, “Master”, or “Lord”. It’s remarkable enough that a Roman centurion would have called a Jew “Sir” or “Master”. But keep in mind what this centurion is hoping Jesus will do—heal his poor paralyzed servant. Is that something you would expect a mere man to be able to do? Clearly, this centurion recognized Jesus’ authority as more than just a great rabbi. He saw Jesus as One who had the power to heal a paralytic (Matt. 4:24). Even though the centurion may not have fully grasped Who Jesus was yet, he was definitely recognizing His divine authority referring to Him as Lord.
Then notice also the way that he presented the need. He simply said, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” He simply presented the situation to the Lord and left it at that. He didn’t even ask for Jesus to heal the servant. Perhaps he had a hard time daring to think that the Jewish Messiah would give the time of day to a Roman commander; and he could only hope that, if he presented the need to Jesus, our Lord might condescend to do something for the servant.
The centurion recognized the superior authority of Jesus who could heal his servant. And what a marvel of Jesus’ grace that He said, “I will come and heal him.” In the original language, Jesus speaks emphatically; “I – even I, coming, will heal him.” Jesus shows no hesitation to go to the house of a Gentile. And Jesus shows complete assurance. He did not say, “I’ll come and see what I can do.” He said, “I will come and heal him.”[6]
So the centurion had a faith in Jesus’ authority. We see it in the way he approached Jesus. He came; not called for. He pleaded, not demanded. He addressed Him as “Lord”. And he simply stated the facts and left it to the Lord to choose what to do.
A second thing we should notice about the centurion’s amazing faith in the Lord Jesus is that it was . . .
2. A Humble Faith (Matt. 87-8a).
When Jesus condescended to go to the centurion’s house, the centurion sought to stop Him. Matthew 8:8 — “The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.’“
Not only did the centurion recognize Jesus’ superiority over him, he also recognized his own inferiority before Jesus. He says, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.”
There was a tradition in Judaism taught by the rabbis that a Jew would become ceremonially defiled if he were to enter the home of a Gentile. We can see this tradition hinted at during Jesus’ trial. The Jews led Jesus into the Roman Praetorium to stand before the Roman governor Pilate; but they themselves wouldn’t go in, “lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover” (John 18:28). In Acts 10, as Peter goes to the house of the centurion Cornelius, he says, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation” (Acts 10:28; also Acts 11:3). This was not commanded in the Old Testament law, but it was strictly followed by most Jews.
So, when the centurion sought to dissuade Jesus from coming into his house he may have been thinking of that tradition. But I think there is more to it than that. The man repeats the title “Lord.” He emphatically positions the word “my” in the Greek sentence to emphasize his subordination.[7]
The word “unworthy” here means “sufficient, enough”. It is the same word used in Matthew 3:11 when John the Baptist says about Jesus, “He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.” The centurion stresses his unworthiness in the face of Jesus’ divine authority. He knows Jesus owes him nothing, yet He has the power to give Him everything. He knows he is not enough, but Jesus is more than enough. He is asking for a blessing that first belongs to God’s people, not to him.[8]
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) The poor in spirit are those who know and confess their need for God. To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge your spiritual bankruptcy before God, your complete lack of spiritual resources, and your complete dependency on God.
And that’s what the centurion does here. That’s what the man with leprosy did. Neither the leper nor the centurion considered themselves worthy. Neither of them presumed upon Jesus to do what they asked.
The truth is none of us are worthy. No one has a claim on God to help them. Jesus is not here to do our will. We are here to do God’s will.
These are important parts of a faith that is distinguished in the sight of the Lord. But there’s one more aspect of it that, I believe, caught the Lord’s attention the most. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus “marveled” at the man’s faith. We see this in the fact that the man’s faith in Jesus was . . .
3. A Faith in the Word of Christ (Matt. 8:8b-13).
The centurion felt unworthy of having Jesus come to his house to heal the servant. But he had such a faith in the authority of Jesus that he didn’t see that as a problem. He said to Him (Matt. 8b-9), “But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go’, and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
This centurion is a Roman officer. He knows how authority works. He says that he himself is a man under authority, and he himself is an authority over others. As one in command, he simply spoke a word, and what he said was done. He was used to giving orders, and he knew that when the command was given, it must be obeyed.
As a Roman soldier, he knew that all military authority ultimately rested in the Roman Emperor. The centurion’s own authority was derived from the emperor’s authority. When he gave a command, people obeyed him; because to not do so would be the same as refusing to obey the emperor!
But in making this statement, the centurion also recognized that Jesus is One who possessed an authority greater than even the emperor! Here was a Man who clearly had authority over diseases, illnesses, and leprosy. Here was a man who was vested a power and authority like no other man.
And so, this centurion recognized that as a subordinate authority, his own mere command got results, how much more, then, would this be true of Jesus who possessed ultimate authority! If all the centurion had to do was simply speak the word and it was done, how much more can Jesus simply speak a word and heal his servant! D. A. Carson comments, “This analogy, though not perfect, reveals an astonishing faith that recognizes that Jesus needed neither ritual, magic, nor any other help; his authority was God’s authority, and His word was effective because it was God’s word.”[9]
This was enough to cause the Son of God to marvel! Did you know that the New Testament records only two times for us that Jesus “marveled”? One was at the amazing faith of this centurion. And the other was at the remarkable lack of faith of His own townspeople in Nazareth. Mark 6:5-6 tells us, “Now He could do no mighty works there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.” Jesus is astonished by faith in those who shouldn’t have it and by the lack of faith in those who should.
When Jesus heard this expression of the faith that the centurion had in Him, a faith so great that he trusted Jesus to simply say the word and his servant would be healed, the Lord turned to those who followed and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” This centurion’s faith in Him was greater than any faith He had ever seen, even from among His own people. The implication is that Jesus had again and again found great faith “in Israel,” among the Jews who had been prepared for His coming. But this Gentile’s faith was greater still.[10]
The greatness of his faith did not rest in the mere fact that he believed Jesus could heal from a distance but in the degree to which he had penetrated the secret of Jesus’ authority.[11] He understood that Jesus spoke with God’s authority.
This Gentile’s amazing faith leads Jesus to utter a prophecy concerning the hosts of future Gentile believers who will come to his kingdom.[12] Jesus says (Matt. 8:11), “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” The Old Testament often prophesied that the Gentiles would come to God. Indeed, from the beginning, God told Abraham, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3). Isaiah predicted a feast for all people when God would remove the shroud that covered the nations. He would remove the darkness and disgrace that covered the earth:
… The LORD of hosts will make for all people
A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees.
… And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations..…
And it will be said in that day:
“Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the LORD;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” (Isa. 25:6–9; cf. 43:5; 56:3–8; Ps. 107:3)[13]
Jesus says that a multitude of Gentiles, those who would come from “east” and “west”, who will have the privilege of feasting in heavenly glory in His kingdom. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs to whom the promises of Israel were given.
Isn’t this a description of what God has done for us through faith in Christ? Paul wrote; “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:11-13).
But Jesus then goes on to say (Matt. 8:12), “But the sons of the kingdom” Who are these? Jesus means the Jewish people, those who expected salvation based on their descent from Abraham (Matt. 3:9). The Jews thought that Gentiles were children of Gehinnom, who could not possibly share in the feast with the Messiah. They thought only Jews were children of the kingdom. What does Jesus say about them? “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This is a horrible picture of the judgment of hell: “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It’s an expression that Jesus frequently used to describe that destiny (cf. Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:20; Luke 13:28). In order to describe the unusually intense nature of eternal suffering, He uses the definite article: “THE weeping, and THE gnashing of teeth.” It will be sorrow and anguish like no other!
Those are harsh words, but Jesus speaks them to us because He loves us. True love is willing to say harsh things to us, so that we can be warned in advance, and not suffer eternal loss.
Jesus has seen amazing faith in this centurion—and it is this kind of faith that is found in those who are in the kingdom of heaven. It is saving faith. The New Testament makes it clear that it is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that saves, not simply being a Jew in the line of Abraham or trying to follow the Old Testament law. Paul writes in Romans 4,
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. … Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Rom. 4:13, 16).
And again in Romans 9, Paul writes,
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Rom. 9:30-33).
In Galatians 3, Paul writes,
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:26-29).
What is Jesus saying here? You are saved by faith, not by your bloodline, your family heritage, law-keeping, or religious works. The children of Abraham are those who believe. Those who feast in the kingdom of heaven have faith like this centurion. Faith alone saves.
In response to the centurion’s faith, Jesus said to him, “Go your way; and as you have believed so let it be done for you ” – that is as if to say, “. . . as you have believed Me to have the authority from My Father over all things; and as you have trusted that I can simply speak the word, and your servant will be healed – it will be done” And we’re told, “And his servant was healed that same hour.”
Here, at the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, a Roman centurion teaches us how to believe in the authority of Jesus. He teaches us to have a faith in Him that recognizes His authority, that is humble before His person, and that trusts in His word. This centurion demonstrates the saving faith of those in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His power and His word. May God help us to have the faith in Jesus of this believing centurion!
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[1] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 323.
[2] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 8:5–7.
[3] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 324.
[4] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 141.
[5] Greg Allen, The Faith that Amazed the Lord, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/071705.htm#f3. I adapted Allen’s outline and drew from some of his points in this sermon.
[6] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 8:5–7.
[7] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 141.
[8] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 326.
[9] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 201–202.
[10] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 328.
[11] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 202.
[12] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 329.
[13] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 329.
