Centurion's Servant

LUKE 7:1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go’, and he goes; and that one, ‘Come’, and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this’, and he does it." 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (SEE ALSO MATTHEW 8:5-13)

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One day Jesus was entering the city of Capernaum. Some of the Jewish leaders of the city came to meet Him. They told Him about a Centurion in the town whose servant was very sick. A Centurion was a Roman soldier, a person who was in charge of 100 soldiers and lots of servants. A servant that the centurion really liked was really sick. So the Jewish leaders begged Jesus to help the Centurion’s servant to get well. “Please help him,” they said, “He deserves your help because he is a good man. He loves our nation and he’s built our synagogue for us to worship in.

So Jesus went with the Jewish leaders toward the Centurion’s house. As they neared the house, a friend of the Centurion came out.

“My friend the centurion says that you shouldn’t trouble yourself to come to this house. He doesn’t feel worthy to have such a man like you, (Jesus) come under his roof, therefore say the word and his servant will be healed.”

“He has servants that go when he says, ‘Go;’ that come when he says, ‘Come,’ and that do it when he says, ‘Do this,’ but he realizes that you are a much greater man than he is and he knows that if you just say the word, his servant will be healed.”

When Jesus heard this, He was amazed! He turned to the people with Him and said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen such great faith even in Israel.”

When the Centurion’s friends returned to the house, they found the servant well! Jesus had healed the centurion’s servant even without going to the house.