When the centurion pleaded with the Lord Jesus Christ about his sick servant, the centurion said to Jesus I am myself in authority and I will tell my soldier go and he will go or come here and he will come, speak the same Lord and my servant will be healed. The exact verse is (Matthew 8:5-13)
“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
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. 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.”
Now as you notice this is the sick servant of the centurion NOT the centurion’s son, brother, mother, father or cousin in sickness but a man not his own blood in his house helping him and his family about chores and probably some of the centurions work at home. We felt different if our maid or assistant is sick compared to our son or daughter in sickness we have this feeling of a bit distant to those who are not on same blood as we are, we felt different with somebody that worked with us as long as he/she is compensated with his job. But the centurion’s character is far different he loved his servant just like his own son. Not only that the centurion confessed to Lord Jesus that he is a sinner and not worthy to have Jesus in his home. The heart of the centurion is indeed shining compared to many individuals in Rome and even in the entire Israel during that time as proven by the Lord in Matthew 8:10; “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!”
When Jesus spoke about the centurion’s faith not even comparable to anybody in Israel and that includes even his apostles close to him. The Lord Jesus commended the centurion far high.
We can learn from that verse that our heart need to change at least close to that of the centurion’s heart.
By: Admin Jules J.