David W Palmer
Today, we follow and observe the Master in an on-the-job training session about great faith. In it we will see something that made Jesus “marvel.” And we will learn from a man whose faith successfully worked in intercession:
(Matthew 8:5–10 NKJV) Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, {6} saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” {7} And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” {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. {9} 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.” {10} When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
I can only imagine how perplexing Jesus must have seemed to his disciples that day. When they heard of another opportunity for a healing, they were probably excited to get to the man’s house to see another spectacular miracle; they undoubtedly expected to see Jesus lay his hands on the servant and raise him up. However, what unfolded was surprising; life with Jesus is full of revelations and learning opportunities.
First, we note that the centurion wasn’t a Jew; he didn’t have a covenant with God. So his success in receiving from God is available to anyone who will do what he did. Next, we see that he simply laid out before Jesus the need of another: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” He wasn’t coming for his own need; he was interceding for another. We can all do this; we can all come to God in prayer for other’s needs.
We don’t see from Matthew’s account of this event whether the “servant” had any faith of his own, and we certainly don’t read of him releasing any; so that is probably not relevant for what we need to learn from this training session. But, we see that the “centurion” did have and release faith.
Note also how the centurion began his prayer: “Lord.” Because he operated in authority structures and respected lines of command; and because he was lord over his own servant, he fully understood what the word “Lord” meant. So when addressing Jesus, the centurion knew that he was talking to the ultimate authority, the boss of all bosses—especially in matters that require spiritual solutions. What’s more, his next statement showed that he understood with whom the authority over sickness resides, and exactly how it works. (See: Mat. 8:9 below.)
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion’s response is both instructional and timeless; it is now part of God’s eternal word—instructing Jesus’s disciples for all time. He began with “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.” He knew that the answer to his servant’s need did not depend on his worthiness to ask. His faith potentially gave him right standing with God, but he didn’t come with a proud, demanding attitude despite his title, authority, and influence. He came humbly acknowledging that Jesus is Lord—the one who has all authority—and that in himself he wasn’t deserving.
What’s more, the centurion’s next statement demonstrated his faith: “But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” He only needed to hear Jesus speak in his favor, and he knew he would have the full provision for his petition. He went on to explain that he knew about authority and how it works. He understood that spoken words carry authority; they originate from the person with the power, and convey empowerment to those who need to enact the words:
(Matthew 8:9 NKJV) “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.”
