Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
Luke 7:6-7
The Roman centurion was the backbone of the Roman army. Renowned for its organisation, the Roman military was divided into legions of 5000 men, with each legion under the command of a legate – a politician appointed to duty by Caesar. Being largely inexperienced and incompetent, legion commanders relied heavily on the advice of their centurions. But unlike these political commanders who generally received their commissions on account of social status, most centurions arose from the rank and file soldiers on account of their bravery and proficiency. And since centurions were invested with the authority of their superiors – who were themselves appointed by Caesar – to obey a centurion was to fulfil the will of Caesar himself. By the same token, to be insubordinate towards a centurion was to challenge the authority of the emperor of Rome.
This regimented mindset was the linchpin of the dreadful power of the Roman Empire. While enlisted in the service of the god of this world, the qualities of strict discipline, loyalty to superiors, and honourable service that actuated the Roman war machine were something in which the Jews of Christ’s day needed instruction. The Jewish leaders professed to be the supreme expositors of the word of Jehovah, yet they were insubordinate and disloyal to the Author of the word they claimed to uphold. So dim had their faith grown through sin, that when the Son of God appeared, they failed to recognise Him.
But a certain Roman centurion perceived the Light to which the Jewish leaders had blinded their eyes. This valiant man had been convinced of the superiority of the Jews’ religion over that of his own nation. Unlike the Jews, however, the religion of this gentile convert was not actuated by pride and bigotry. With the faith of a child, he made a petition for the miraculous healing of his servant who was at the point of death. ‘Say in a word,’ said the centurion, ‘and my servant shall be healed’. In total faith, this soldier perceived that the same discipline governing the temporal power he represented also governed the spiritual power represented by Christ:
For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. Luke 7:8
The centurion recognised that Christ was, like himself, ‘also a man set under authority’. As the word of the centurion carried the authority of the emperor of Rome, the word of Christ carried the authority of the King of Kings. The centurion’s recognition of Christ as one sent of God not only availed him the healing miracle he desired, but earned him a staggering commendation from the Saviour, to the nationwide shame of the Jews:
When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Luke 7:9
The Jews conceived of the Messiah as one who would appear at the head of an army to overthrow the Romans. Because Jesus did not fulfil these treasured hopes, the Jews could not believe in Him. But in the Roman centurion was a heart free from these preconceived ideas and selfish ambitions. He had heard of Jesus’ power to heal, and His teachings met the needs of his soul. The centurion’s faith was in the word of the Son of God. For him, no further evidence was needed. Christ’s word alone was enough.
Christopher Sparks