Luke 7: The Healing of the Centurion Servant

Luke 7: The Healing of the Centurion Servant

v1-10: Healing Of The Centurion Servant (Matt 8:5-10)

Jesus went to Capernaum. A centurion servant, who was dear to the centurion was sick and about to die. The centurion sent elders of the Jews to Jesus, pleading to Him to come and heal his servant. The Jews told Jesus that this centurion loves Israel and had built a synagogue for them, and so he deserve the visit. (v1-5)

A centurion is an officer of the Roman army who commanded a "centuria", that is 100 legionaries. He reports to a senior centurion who looks after a cohort. Each cohort has six centurias. 

Note that in the parallel story in Matthew 8:5-6, it said: "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.”  

In Mathew account, it says the centurion came and ask Jesus personally, while Luke said that he asked the Jewish elders to meet Jesus. Please see appendix for possible reasons. 

When Jesus was near to the centurion's house, the centurion sent his friends to tell Jesus that he is not worthy for Jesus to come all the way to his house, which is why he did not meet Jesus personally. He asked that Jesus just need to say the word, and his servant will be healed. He further said: "For I also am a man placed under authority, having 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.” (v6-8)

The centurion compassion for his servant, and his faith in Jesus ability to heal from a remote location was exemplarily. He understood that Jesus has the authority over the illness, just as he had the authority over his soldiers and servants. He may also have understood that if Jesus comes into his house, he may be considered unclean (John 18:28), which is why he said he is not worthy. He believed that if Jesus give the command, the servant will be healed. 

Jesus marveled at him and said to the crowd: “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”.  In Matthew 8:11-12, it gave a more detailed speech from Jesus: "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. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Jesus use this opportunity to remind the crowd that the kingdom of heaven is for all nations, races, and tongues, but many of Jews will be rejected and thrown into a place of suffering. 

When the centurion's friends went back to the house, the servant had already been healed. (Luke 7:10). Note that in Matthew 8:13, it said: "Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Observation & Application. In this passage, the centurion (a gentile) showed more faith in Christ than the people of Israel. Even today, we can see that pre-believers can be more kind, more generous, and help strangers more than Christians. Christians should catch up and be the salt of the world, and to attract pre-believers to Jesus. 

Appendix

1. Did the Centurion see Jesus or not?  Matthew 8:5-6 v,s, Luke 7:3

Matthew 8:5-6: "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.”  

Luke 7:3 : So when he (the centurion) heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.

There are many interpretation about this apparent contradiction. You can read the opinions by googling it. However, most believe that this is a different way of writing by Matthew. In other words, Luke's account is correct. Matthew, however, wrote in a perspective of the owner of the message, who conveyed it through other people. Some examples in the bible include: 

Mark 15:15 “So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”  This did not mean that Pilate scourged Jesus with his own hands. Obviously, his soldiers were the ones doing it. 

John 4:1-2 “Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples)."  This did not mean that Jesus baptized all his disciples. In fact John clarified that Jesus' disciples had conducted the baptisms. 

v11-17: Jesus raises a Widow's Son (unique)

Once Jesus travelled to Nain, and was followed by his disciples and a great crowd. At the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was the son of his widowed mother. Jesus had compassion on her, and told her not to weep.  Jesus touched the bier, where the body was laid on top, and the bearers stood still. He said "Young man, I say to you, arise."  And the man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  (v11-15)

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying a great prophet has arisen among us, and that God has visited his people. The news spread through the whole of Judea and surrounding country. (v16-17)

v18-35 Messengers From John The Baptist (Matt 11:2-9)

The disciples of John reported these things to John, who was in prison. John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus, is He the one who is to come, or should we look for another.  Jesus said, tell John what they have seen and heard - the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. (v18-22)

Why did it appear that John had some doubts about Jesus, and needed to confirm with Him, if He is the messiah? I believe that, as a Jew, he still believe that the Messiah will save the Jews from their occupiers. However, what he heard was miracles that Jesus is doing, instead of activities to free the people from the Romans.  But Jesus reminded him that the miracles that He was doing were prophesied by Isaiah, in chapters 61:1, 35:5-6, 26:19. I believe Jesus knows John will understand. His last word to John's disciples was "blessed in the one who is not offended by me" (v23) was a humble way of saying to John not to be offended if He is doing something he is not expecting, for that is His purpose for his first coming. 

Jesus continued to speak to the crowd concerning John. He asked them what did they expect to see when they go out to the wilderness? (That is where John was.)  Was it a reed shaken by the wind? Or a man dressed in soft clothing? Only those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  (v24-25) 

Jesus was describing John's character to the people, that he was steady and not shaken easily like a reed, and that he lived a humble life and not in luxury or comfort of this world. Jesus stated that if they think John is a normal prophet, then they underestimated him. For he is the one who was prophesied: “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ (v26-27), citing from Malachi 3:1. 

Jesus added that among those born of women, none is greater than John; yet, the one who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.  (v28) Jesus was drawing a contrast to those who lived before his redemptive sacrifice, versus those who had the chance to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. John, unfortunately, was killed by Herod before Jesus was crucified, and did not enjoy the benefits of the New Covenant. 

Spurgeon said: "The least in the Gospel stands on higher ground than the greatest under the law.” 

Luke explained that those who have been baptized by John, including tax collectors, accepted what Jesus said. However, the pharisees and lawyers, who rejected John and the purpose of God for themselves, also rejected Jesus. (v29-30)

Jesus made another analogy - what can the people of this generation like? They are children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, "we played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep."  (v31-32)

Jesus and his disciples represent those who played the flute, bringing in the good news; John and his disciples were the one who sang a dirge (a somber song or lament, usually performed at funerals or memorial ceremonies), bringing in the doctrine of repentance. Those who refused to dance and did not weep, and the pharisees and people who rejected both Jesus and John. 

Jesus explained his analogy - John the Baptist did not drink and did not eat, yet they call him demon possessed. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say that He is a a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Jesus concludes by saying "yet, wisdom is justified by all her children." (v33-35). This means that God's truth is proven by it's outcome, or the fruits of the wisdom. 

Application: When we follow the pathways and wisdom of God through the Word and the Holy Spirit, we will bear good fruits that are attractive to others and bring them to Christ. Like John the Baptist, we are all people who prepares the way to the Lord for pre-believers.

(v36-50) A Sinful Woman Forgiven

(v36-38) One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 

Exp: While hosts typically offered water for feet, a kiss of greeting, and oil for the head (John 13:5; Gen 18:4; 29:13). But her lavish gesture of tears, hair, kisses, and costly ointment went far beyond normal hospitality. 

Some people guessed that this is Mary of Bethany, though there's no evidence of this. There was another time when Jesus feet was anointed with oil by Mary of Bethany (Lazarus' sister) in John 12:3. 

(v39-40) Now when the Simon saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."

Exp: Meals like this were semi-public, when outsiders like neighbors, townfolk, even the poor can stand along the walls and observe. It was not difficult for someone to approach the host or the guests. Simon allowed the woman to stay, though she was considered an "unclean" woman, and Pharisees always stay at a distance from them. The reason is he wants to test Jesus to see what he will do or say to this "sinful woman" - likely known for sexual immorality. Jesus knew what Simon was thinking and asked him a question. 

(v41-43) "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for who he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

Exp: A denarii was a Roman coin made of ~4g of silver. In the New Testament, it is often equated with a day’s wage for a laborer (Mat 20:2). In today’s terms, fifty denarii would be roughly equivalent to about USD $2,500, and five hundred denarii about USD $25,000, if we use the common scholarly estimate that one denarius equaled a day’s wage (≈ $50).

When both the debtor couldn't pay, the moneylender cancelled their debts. Jesus asked Simon, "which of them will love him more?".  Simon answered that the first one who owed a larger debt would love him more. Jesus said that Simon has judged rightly.  

(v44-47) Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman, I entered your house, you have me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You have me no kiss, but from the time I come in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint me head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven - for she loved much. But he who is  forgiven little, loves little."

Exp: Jesus told Simon, that he hasn't gave Him the normal courtesies, even water for his feet. But the woman has provide tears for his feet, and kissed and anoint his feet with ointment, surpassing far above the usual courtesies. Since she love Jesus to that extent, it proves that her large debt of sin has already been forgiven. As the parable said, the person whom you cancel larger debt will love you more than those whom you cancel a lower debt. No one will love Jesus so much if they have not yet been forgiven.

Even in the modern times, he who had committed many terrible sin (eg: murder, rape, drugs, etc.) will likely love Jesus more than those who has smaller sin, after they accepted His forgiveness. This doesn't mean that those who has done smaller sins cannot love Jesus as much; it's a matter of realizing how our little sins still requires Jesus to die to save us. 

Remember the adulterer who was about to be stone to death in John 8:3-6? Jesus said to the accusers: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one, the accusers leave, convicted by their conscience that they are sinners too. In other words, there is no small sins or large sins - sins are sins - they will all lead us into eternal death. 

Praise God that He loved us so much that He provide a holy sacrifice in our place, so that we can have eternal life.

(v48-50) And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" And He said to the woman, "You faith has saved you; go in peace."

Exp: Jesus told the woman that her sins are forgiven through her faith. To the Jews, only God can forgive sins. That's why they wonder who Jesus is - is he God? Or is he a false prophet and committing a blasphemy? Instead, they should reflect on their love for Jesus, whether they have been forgiven or not. Unfortunately, they still think they are better than the woman.

Actual translation - Your faith has saved you; go into peace.