Luke’s account of the interaction between the centurion and Christ has two notable additional details. Firstly, that the centurion himself was not actually with Jesus during it, but speaking through proxies. Luke writes, “The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.” And when Jesus does go with those proxies, Luke records, “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. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
Secondly, Luke adds that the centurion was known to be a kind and gracious man. Though he was obviously not a convert to Judaism, the elders plead with Jesus, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”
Luke’s additional details make the story of the centurion even more compelling. For though it is a great act of faith to ask for an extraordinary blessing personally, it is a greater act of faith that he sends others to ask Jesus on his account, expecting that the reported answer will be enough. Moreover, though it is astonishing that a Gentile would have faith to see Jesus as Lord, it is even more astonishing that this man exercises that faith before even hearing about Jesus by being kind, compassionate and generous to those who would’ve considered him a foreigner (at best).
So it is with every fact of Scripture and with every miracle of God. There is something of God’s transcendent nature that gets transposed into what He is doing and into whom He is working through. The result is that the more you dig into the matter, the more it is revealed as deeper and more magnificent than you first thought it to be. God Himself is never less than you suppose He is, and neither is His Word or His action. They are always more, never less.
That fact means that our faith in Him is always surpassed by His grace to us. Indeed, our faith in Him cannot be greater than He is, for He is both the answer to our faith and the source of our faith.
Understood as such, it is almost not a surprise that Matthew writes at the conclusion of the centurion’s account, “Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.”
For the centurion, the moment Jesus spoke, it was. He did not have to wait to see the result, as Abraham did to see Isaac born in response to the promise, or Isaac did to see Jacob born in response to prayer. He did not have to go and do something first, as Naaman the Syrian did after speaking to Elisha or the servants who needed wine needed to do in filling jugs and taking some to the banquet master. The centurion believed God was able to do even from a distance what only God could do, and he found that Jesus was even greater than that.
Never live for the rare moments, they are surprises. God will give us touches of inspiration when He sees we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never make our moments of inspiration our standard; our standard is our duty.
Oswald Chambers
APPLICATION: Intentionality
If such was the centurion’s faith, what of yours? Do you believe God will do what He has promised you? Wait then for it. Be assured He is greater than your faith in Him.