061. Chapter 2 - The Centurion of Capernaum

Chapter 2 - The Centurion of Capernaum Matthew 8:5-13;Luke 7:1-10 An army of occupation in a conquered country is vulnerable to a great degree to temptations of greed, oppression, and riotous living. This is true even today. General MacArthur issued the most solemn warning to the American soldiers being stationed in Japan at the close of the Second World War. He reminded them of what usually happens to an army of occupation.

Rome and the Provinces

Rome did not have enough citizens to furnish armies to occupy all the vast stretch of countries that had been conquered and were now held as provinces of the Roman Empire. By enlisting or drafting the eligible men of the various countries into the Roman army, Rome was able to secure the forces necessary. Of all the nations conquered by the Romans, only the Jews proved absolutely impossible to draft into the Roman army. They resolutely refused to serve, and after many attempts Rome finally abandoned the effort to apply the draft to Palestine. They used recruits from Greece and Samaria to police Palestine. But the Romans were careful to keep these battalions, which were in the provinces, officered by Romans. The great men of Rome sought from their years of service in the troublesome provinces of the Empire to secure the fame and fortune of a triumphal march through the streets of Rome. Lesser officers in the Roman armies would face the opportunities to seize ill-gotten wealth or “waste their substance in riotous living.” It is significant that the Jewish soldiers of the personal army of Herod Antipas, when they had been won to the new life of preparation for the coming of the Messiah and asked John the Baptist what they must now do to live true to their new life, were told by John, “Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrongfully; and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14).

Roman Centurions The Roman centurions who appear on the pages of New Testament history are a remarkable group. They bear witness to a high degree of valor, good judgment, and honesty among this stalwart second line of officers in the Roman army. Cornelius, the centurion of Caesarea, immediately comes to mind as the most famous of these officers appearing in the New Testament. The centurion of Capernaum occupies a place almost as high. Among the centurions who enter into the narrative with great credit is the centurion who had charge of the crucifixion of Jesus and who declared at the close of the day of horror and tragedy that he accepted as true the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God. Captain Lysias, who rescued Paul from the mob in Jerusalem and managed to send him safely to the governor at Caesarea, and the centurion who had charge of Paul on the voyage to Rome both show strong character. The political governors of the provinces stand out in contrast with an evil record as examples of Rome’s greed, oppression, and vile living. The Centurion of Capernaum

There can be no doubt that many centurions sought and found worldly treasure and pleasure in their terms of service in the provinces. The centurion of Capernaum found God. It would seem that he had been in charge of the garrison at this important commercial center for a number of years. He had evidently been won to the belief in the one God and had been led to pattern his life after the noble teaching of the Old Testament. It was in some such manner as this, without actually becoming a proselyte to the Jewish faith, that Cornelius had been praying to God and seeking to serve Him. The Synagogue The centurion of Capernaum had achieved the extraordinary by winning the devoted friendship of the religious leaders in his section of this conquered land. He must have been a man of wealth in his own right or else he had the opportunity to devote a certain amount of the tax money to local improvements, for he had built a Jewish synagogue in Capernaum which had won for him the favor of the people. When the elders (Pharisees, rulers of the synagogue) were sent by the centurion to make his first appeal for help, they told Jesus, “He is worthy that thou shouldest do this for him; for he loveth our nation, and himself built us our synagogue (Luke 7:4).

Amid the ruins of the black basalt buildings of Capernaum, the remains of a beautiful white limestone synagogue have been unearthed and carefully reconstructed. It is a most remarkable building. The pillars that supported the roof were beautifully carved in a heart shape. The stone from which the building was constructed evidently was imported from a distance. There is a high degree of probability that this is the very synagogue which the Roman centurion erected. At their best, the Romans were wise, benevolent administrators and great builders. A large portion of the taxes collected in a province was expended in improvements in that province — improved roads, harbors, water supply for cities, erection of public buildings, maintenance of law and order and the courts of justice. One of the most violent riots Pilate faced during his governorship in Palestine resulted from his move in taking the money from the temple treasury to build for Jerusalem an ambitious aqueduct some distance to the east of the one Solomon had built from the Wady Urtas, south of Bethlehem. The Jews wanted the improved supply, but they resented Pilate’s raid on the temple treasury. The faith and devotion of this centurion would lead one to picture this synagogue in Capernaum as a gift from his own private fortune rather than from wise, generous expenditure of public funds. But whether this was the gift of a rich man or the devotion of a public servant resisting the constant temptation to graft, the Jewish leaders felt profound gratitude. The brevity of the records leaves us without knowledge of how many times this centurion had heard Jesus preach or had observed His mighty miracles. Since Jesus’ campaign was centered here in Capernaum, it is evident that the centurion did not have to depend upon secondhand reports for his information about Jesus. It would have been his immediate duty to investigate the cause of such vast, excited crowds assembling here in the very region where he was responsible for law and order.

Servant or Son? The Greek word pais can mean either child or servant. Thus the account of Matthew would leave us uncertain as to whether this one who was so desperately ill was the son or the servant of the centurion. But Luke makes it quite clear by using the word doulos, which means bond-servant or slave. Luke adds the information, “A certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick and at the point of death” (Luke 7:2). It would not have been necessary to inform the reader that the son of the centurion was dear to him. Both the a.v. and the a.s.v. generally translate douos by the word servant, but it is a question as to how often it should have been rendered bluntly “slave.” Slavery was well-nigh universal in the ancient world. Often an ignorant master would have a highly educated slave (formerly a noble or high official of some conquered nation) who would do his correspondence for him. Many times the relationship of master and slave was one of devoted friendship, as in the case of the centurion of Capernaum and this servant. Instead of starting a bloody revolution to right the wrong of slavery, Jesus gave forth the grand principles of love for one’s fellowmen and of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, which proved to be the leaven which gradually leavened the entire social structure. The generosity of the centurion was matched by his humility. Where others could have sought worldly grandeur and luxury for themselves, this man had built a house for God in Capernaum. His manner of approach to Jesus shows at once great reverence and great humility. The Elders

Matthew summarizes in his brief account of this miracle. He reports the centurion as saying, “My servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented” (Matthew 8:6). Luke gives the additional information that this chronic ailment of paralysis has now taken a critical turn and the servant is at the point of death (Luke 7:2). It is Luke who tells the detail of the centurion’s sending elders of the Jews to intercede for him and persuade Jesus to come and heal the servant. The word elders means either rulers of a synagogue or the national leaders in Jerusalem who were members of the Sanhedrin. It is plain that these are rulers of the synagogue in Capernaum from the familiar manner in which they speak of their indebtedness to this centurion and his beneficence in building a synagogue for them.

Current Hostility This raises and acute problem as to the identity and attitude of these rulers. The bitter arguments and attacks upon Jesus which had taken place in this synagogue had reached such a furious pitch some months before that the Jewish leaders had actually joined hands with their old enemies, the Herodians, to plot the murder of Jesus (Mark 3:6). Although they had hesitated to make their charge openly, they had “reasoned in their hearts” that Jesus was a blasphemer when He had shocked the multitude by saying to the paralytic who had just been lowered through the roof of the house, “Son, thy sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). Jesus had answered their unspoken charge with a devastating reply. Now we have rulers of this synagogue in Capernaum coining to Jesus with the earnest plea that He perform a prodigious miracle and heal the centurion’s servant. What a blow to their pride! How they must have had to swallow their prejudice! But if the centurion had come to them asking this favor of them, their indebtedness to him was so great, they could not refuse. Perhaps they even seized the opportunity to give a tremendous test to the power of Jesus. It was thus that they later demanded a sign from heaven (Mark 8:11-13). But Luke says, “And they, when they came, besought him earnestly” (Luke 7:4).

Division of Opinion

There may have been, however, a division of opinion among these rulers at Capernaum, as there was later in Jerusalem. Nicodemus made a heated attack upon the hypocrisy and murderous plots of the members of the Sanhedrin because they had condemned Jesus without a trial, which was contrary to the law, and yet claimed to be putting Jesus to death as a lawbreaker. Their furious reply was like the snarl of a wild beast that had been cornered (John 7:50-52). Joseph of Arimathea later revealed that he was of this minority opinion. On the great day of questions the scribe who asked the question as to the greatest commandment and received such a gracious reply from Jesus can probably be counted of the same attitude as Nicodemus (Mark 12:28-34). The scribe who proposed to follow Jesus and received such a challenge from Jesus in reply is another example (Matthew 8:18-22). Jesus talked of the scribes who had become disciples (Matthew 13:52). Luke does not say that all the rulers of the synagogue came. These elders who made the appeal to Jesus may have been ones who were more fair-minded and friendly. At any rate, this brief record Luke gives of the elders making the appeal to Jesus for the centurion is packed with exciting drama. If we knew the ideas, motives, and earlier attitude of these elders, we could probe the background with more assurance. Jesus answered their appeal with a ready, calm assent.

Critical Decisions The sudden, menacing turn in the illness of the servant had caused the centurion to go to the elders with his appeal for help in persuading Jesus to come and heal the servant. Like the leper who had boldly approached Jesus for miraculous help, he had more faith in the power of Jesus than in His love and mercy: “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Mark 1:40). But any doubt the centurion may have had that he was imposing upon Jesus’ goodness to expect Him to come into the home of a Gentile and heal a Gentile was quickly dispelled. The very rulers who were so insistent upon their traditions being kept and upon separation from the Gentiles were the ones now appealing to Jesus to go into the home of this Gentile! What a mixed-up situation these elders found themselves in whether they were playing a political game for favor with the Roman authority or were actually humbling themselves to express their deep gratitude to the centurion. The emotional stress which controls the centurion in this crisis is seen in his sudden reversal of his position and plans. At first, he had decided that the best hope would be to have these elders go and make an appeal to Jesus to come to his house and heal the servant. But after further reflection he decided that such a course was unnecessary. He could obviate the whole difficulty about a Jew entering the home of a Gentile; he could show reverence and faith toward Jesus and at the same time save the life of his servant by asking Jesus to heal the servant at a distance — to speak the word out on the highway. He undoubtedly had heard how Jesus had healed the nobleman’s son here in Capernaum while Jesus was more than twenty miles away at Cana (John 4:43-54). Why had he not thought of this before? He could have saved the elders all this trouble. It would not even have been necessary for Jesus to have interrupted His ministry further by making this journey. The centurion hurried out the highway to meet the procession of people surrounding Jesus (Matthew 8:7, Matthew 8:8). But before he was so bold as to make this personal appeal to Jesus, he sent other friends to make this suggestion to Jesus that it really was not fitting or necessary that He should come into the home of a Gentile. All that was necessary was for Jesus to speak the word and the servant would be healed. It seems from the two accounts that the centurion changed his mind the second time in his excitement and, after having sent the second group of friends to appeal to Jesus, came himself and humbly made his petition. The Centurion’s Faith The declaration of the centurion is most remarkable. He humbly declares his unworthiness to have Jesus come into his home. He boldly states it is entirely unnecessary. He further says that he understands that the entire matter is one of authority — a field in which he himself has had some small experience: “For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it” (Matthew 8:9). He is saying, “I understand this whole matter is one of authority. I have had some small exercise of authority in my experience. I realize you have authority over all things. You can do whatever you deem is right and good. It is not necessary for you to come into my house. All that is necessary is for you to decide whether this is a proper thing for you to do and then speak the word.” We are told the impression this declaration made upon Jesus. It is not hard to imagine the impact of the declaration upon the various groups present — the apostles, the elders, the second group of friends, and the omnipresent crowd. The Two Accounts

It is possible that Matthew is summarizing throughout; and, upon the ground that what a person does through an agent lie does himself, he omits entirely the account of the two delegations. It is also possible that Luke is giving a summary in which he omits the fact that at the very last the centurion himself came out on the highway and talked to Jesus as they had approached the house.

Both Matthew and Luke declare that Jesus “marveled.” This delivers a deadly blow at the Two-source Theory structure, which supposes that Mark is the one who tells of human reactions of Jesus, while Matthew and Luke carefully avoid stating that Jesus experienced such an attitude as surprise or amazement. Jesus was both God and man. He shared our experiences so far as it was possible. It was possible for Him to feel and declare amazement because there was nothing sinful in such a reaction. We cannot comprehend the union of the human and the divine in Jesus, but we continually see evidence of the one side or the other as it is expressed. The Centurion’s Confession

Joy was paramount in the ringing declaration of Jesus: “Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” Here was the grand purpose of Jesus’ coming from heaven to earth — that He might bring men to faith in Him that men might thus be redeemed from sin. Here was a grand example of this faith. The centurion, as he made his “good confession,” did not use the Scriptural language “the Christ, the Son of God,” but how wonderfully his great declaration covers the whole field. He says, as it were, “Lord, I surrender all. I believe all.” Whatever Jesus decides to do — He can do. Mere physical limitations do not impede Him. Whatever He decides to do will be right.

Both Matthew and Luke record that this tremendous declaration by Jesus was made to the entire multitude that followed. We are so accustomed to looking for all possible intimations in Luke of the world-wide nature of the gospel, since he was writing to the Greeks, that we are surprised to find it is Matthew alone who records here the thrilling prediction of the salvation of many of the Gentiles in the final day and also the doom of the unbelieving Jews: “Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11, Matthew 8:12). The whole wide world is included in that phrase “from the east and the west.” How the soul of the centurion must have been exalted as he listened to this prediction of the part Gentiles would have in the final redemption in heaven. There is something chilling and fearful about the phrase the outter darkness. Looking up into the sky flooded with sunshine, we had imagined that, as far as one might see, all is light. One of the shocking discoveries which the space age has brought to us is the fearsome darkness that enshrouds the astronaut being hurled through space — toward the sun and in its rays, light; but in the outer reaches of the visible universe, terrifying darkness. It is thus that heaven and hell will stand in awesome contrast.

Exceedingly gentle and loving is the final word of Jesus to the centurion: “Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it unto thee.” Matthew records that the servant was healed in that hour; Luke tells that the elders and friends who had been sent became witnesses to the fact that the miraculous cure had taken place. Verily, “Galilee of the Gentiles, the people that sat in darkness saw a great light, And to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, to them did light spring up” (Matthew 4:15-17).