Bible Study series: Luke 7:1-10. He had greater faith than anyone among God’s people. He amazed Jesus.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 7:1-10
1 And when he finished speaking his words in the hearing of the people, he went to Capernaum. 2 A servant of a centurion, having an illness, was about to die, and he was important to him. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And the ones who approached Jesus urgently pleaded with him and said, “He is worthy for you to do this, 5 for he loves our nation and he himself built the synagogue for us.” 6 So Jesus went with them. While he was already not far from approaching the house, the centurion sent friends who said to him, “Lord, don’t bother, for I am unqualified that you would come in under my roof. 7 Therefore I considered myself unworthy even to come to you. Instead, speak the word and my servant will be healed, 8 for I myself am also a man placed under authority and have soldiers under me. And I say to this one ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another one, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does.
9 When Jesus heard this, he marveled at him, turned to the crowd following him, and said, “I tell you that not even in Israel have I found such faith!” 10 The ones who were sent turned back to the house and found the servant healthy. (Luke 7:1-10)
Comments:
To see how to resolves the differences between Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels, click here:
Did the Centurion or His Emissaries Approach and Speak to Jesus?
Bock says that this is the third example of great faith: Mary in 1:45; the four men lowering the paralytic (5:20), and the centurion here (p. 630).
Morris says that this story would encourage the Gentiles coming into the Christian communities (p. 155).
1:
This passage contains a great lesson of faith for Renewalists. Jesus can command a word from a distance. He does not need to be in the room. It is the structure of the human world that orders and commands can be given, and the underlings have to obey. Disease is under Jesus, and he commands it to go. The centurion’s basic insight is the lesser-to-greater. If a centurion (lesser) can command soldiers, then Jesus (greater) can command diseases, even at a distance, with one word.
“spoken words”: The noun here is rhēma (pronounced rhay-mah), and the rhē– stem is related to speaking, and the –ma suffix means “the result of.” So combined, the noun means a “spoken word” (though it does not always mean that in every context). Jesus had just finished speaking the Sermon on the Plain / Plateau.
2:
“servant”: The word servant here is doulos (pronounced doo-loss) and could be translated as slave, but I chose servant because in Jewish culture a Hebrew man who sold himself into servitude to his fellow Jew was like an indentured servant whose term of service had a limit; he was freed in the seventh year. But then the indentured servant could stay with his family, if he liked his owner (Exod. 21:2-6; Lev. 25:38-46; Deut. 15:12-18). So there was a lot of liberty even in servitude, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
Slavery and Freedom in the Bible
It is a sure thing, however, that Luke’s Greek audience would have heard “slave” in the word doulos. So if you wish to interpret it like that, then that’s your decision. But culturally at that time slavery had nothing to do with colonial or modern slavery.
In v. 7 Luke uses a different word for servant, pais, which speaks of youth, though in that verse it is probably just a synonym for servant. In any case, the Greek says that the servant was honored by the centurion.
“illness”: Matthew’s Gospel says it was paralysis, which caused him great distress (Matt. 8:5).
“about to die”: the paralysis and distress were about to “finish him off,” one could say from the Greek.
3:
“elders”: These are not the high-level elders of Jerusalem, but local ones. They still had high local status. For the elders of Jerusalem, please see this post for more information about them:
Quick Reference to Jewish Groups in Gospels and Acts
“heal”: this comes from the verb diasōzō (pronounced dee-ah-soh-zoh), and it literally means “save through,” to bring someone through to the other side, safely and soundly (see the verb in the context of Paul’s journey to Rome in Acts 23:24; 27:43, 44; 28:1, 4). Its related verb sōzō is standard for “save,” as in people being saved and healed through Christ. The verb (and noun) is very versatile. See v. 50 for more comments.
Evidently the Roman occupiers were not always on bad terms with the Jews of Israel. I wonder where the centurion got the money. It says, “he himself” built the synagogue. Does that mean he paid for it out of his own money? Probably not. Too expensive. He must have asked Rome or a local Roman official higher up in the hierarchy. The Romans wanted peace and order above all else. When peace and order prevailed, business and farming went on as usual, and then no destruction happened during riots and protests. Peace and order meant maximum taxes could be collected. And building a synagogue was good for peace and order, for public relations.
“elders”: they are much ignored nowadays, even in the church, less though than in the world. I don’t consider myself old, but I have several decades of experience walking with the Lord, and I hear his voice by his grace and know his Word (and I am learning), by his grace. I have some things to say.
Reports about Jesus’s healing ministry went on ahead of the Lord. The centurion summoning Jesus was an act of faith. It seems the centurion was desperate, because the disease was about to finish off the servant. Desperation breaks down social barriers and personal hesitation. Too proud to go to a meeting held by a flashy, white-suit-wearing healing evangelist? Just ask Naaman the Syrian ruler who had a skin disease (2 Kings 5). He had to humble himself and dip in the Jordan, an insignificant river. You may have to humble yourself, if you are a Christian doubter. Or just go to a subdued, updated charismatic church and ask around for anyone who seems to flow often in the gifts of healing (1 Cor. 12:7-11).
4. Gifts of the Spirit: Gifts of Healings
4-5:
The leaders call the centurion worthy for Jesus to come, because he had performed a mighty good work for the nation of Israel. In a sense, the elders were right. Doing good deeds gets God’s attention (Acts 10:4). But in another sense, the centurion, who professed his unworthiness, was also right (v. 6). Jesus was a healing teacher and holy. The centurion was probably not Jewish, though he may have been interested in Judaism, as a God fearer, if this term is defined as a God-fearing, monotheistic Gentile.
“loves our nation”: Gen. 12:2-3 says God will make Abraham a great nation, and God will bless those who bless Abraham (and his descendants). Honoring Israel with a synagogue or refurbishing a synagogue is a good thing for this centurion to do.
The centurion was not a Jew, and probably not a Roman; he as a Gentile drawn from the larger area of Syria Palestine.
6:
“And Jesus went with him”: it is amazing to me that he does not second-guess himself. In the parallel passage Jesus said, “I will come and heal him” (Matt. 8:7), (which can be turned into a question, “Shall I come and heal him?”). He seems so calm. If I were called to a house to pray for a sick man, I would continually ask myself, “Am I sure? How did I get roped into this? I’m about to make a fool of myself! How can I back out of this?”
The Gentile centurion may have felt unworthy for a holy man, a “holy Teacher” to come in under his roof. He was not worried about his unclean Gentile status. Rather, Jesus was sacred; he was not. Remember Peter, who had said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8).
“don’t bother”: implied is “don’t bother (coming to my house)” or “don’t troubled yourself (to come to my house).”
“unqualified”: it can mean, depending on the context, “sufficient, adequate, large enough … fit, appropriate, competent, able, worthy.” With the negative “not,” I translated it as “unqualified.”
7:
The centurion did not consider himself worthy to come to Jesus, so he sent emissaries. Matt. 8:5-13 says the centurion approached Jesus himself. How do we reconcile the two versions? When Jesus got close to the house (Luke’s version), the centurion may have approached him then (Matthew’s version). Or Matthew has the direct approach, while in Luke’s version emissaries in the ancient world spoke for the sender, as if the sender was there in person.
Luke has the centurion not come in person. Let’s look into this issue. Luke already introduced Naaman in 4:27. And here is another parallel.
|
Luke 7 |
2 Kings 5 |
| The centurion: a well-respected Gentile officer (vv. 2, 4-5) | Naaman: a well-respected Gentile officer (v. 1) |
| Intercession of Jewish elders in the healing (vv. 3-5) | Intercession of Jewish girls in the healing (vv. 2-3) |
| A centurion does not meet Jesus (vv. 6-9) | Naaman does not meet Elisha (vv. 5-10) |
| The healing takes place at a distance (v. 10) | The healing takes place at a distance (v. 14) |
| Green, p. 284 | |
Green’s purpose is not apologetic, necessarily. But I see that in the third and fourth rows, neither Naaman nor the centurion meet Jesus, and the healing takes place at a distance. (Jesus, however, heals with a word, while Elisha told him to dip in a river.)
“Instead”: this is strong contrast to Jesus coming under the centurion’s roof. It could be translated as “But speak the word.”
“speak the word”: the word is logos (pronounced loh-goss), and here we see another nuance of this rich noun. It is the word of command.
It is possible to detect, by the Spirit, faith surging in someone. Paul saw faith in a man crippled from birth, and the crippled man was healed (Acts 14:9). I believe Jesus saw extraordinary faith in the centurion.
Now do we believers today have authority to command diseases? Jesus gave authority to his disciples. Mark 16:17-18 says:
And these signs shall accompany them who believe: in my name they shall expel demons and speak in new tongues. 18 With their hands they shall pick up snakes and may drink anything deadly, and it shall in no way harm them. They shall place their hands on the sick, and they shall be well. (Mark 16:17-18)
Even if some do not believe this section of Scripture is reliable or based on the best manuscripts, it still reflects the beliefs and practice of the early church. In fact, Luke 10:19 says of the seventy-two who were sent out: “I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions and upon all the power of the enemy, and nothing will in no way harm you.” In this verse serpents and scorpions are clearly symbols of demons. (Don’t take them literally as the snake handlers do!) Mark 11:23 says we are supposed to say to the mountain blocking our way. “Say” in Mark 11:23 is the same verb as “speak” in v. 7 here. So a strong case can be made for speaking to diseases and commanding them to go. Don’t command God! But command the disease.
“healed”: this verb means, unsurprisingly, “healed, cure, restore.” The noun, incidentally, is iasis (pronounced ee-ah-seess), and it means “healing, cure.” The noun is used three times: Luke 13:22; Acts 4:22, 30. In other words, only Luke uses the noun.
8:
“authority”: it is the noun exousia (pronounced ex-oo-see-ah), and it means, depending on the context: “right to act,” “freedom of choice,” “power, capability, might, power, authority, absolute power”; “power or authority exercised by rulers by virtue of their offices; official power; domain or jurisdiction, spiritual powers.”
Here is how Jesus used his authority:
24 Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Cor. 15:24-28, ESV)
Jesus gladly submits himself to the authority of his Father, after the Father enabled him to conquer death by the resurrection. He will have destroyed every rule and every authority and power at the very end. The last enemy is death, which he conquered, but it has yet to end its effect. When the new kingdom comes, which vanquishes the final enemy, he will hand over everything to the Father and submit to him. You have to submit first, go out and conquer in the Father’s name, second, and resubmit to him, third. This process is ongoing throughout your life.
Here is Jesus humbling himself and then given all authority:
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:5-11, ESV)
Jesus took on the form of a servant, lived life in ministry and authority, and then went through death. Since he submitted to the Father’s authority, he was exalted and given the name that is above every name. All of us will bow our knees and confess with our tongues that Jesus Christ is Lord. Submit to Jesus’s authority first, and then he will give you authority under him. (Phil. 2:5-11).
That’s the principle that the centurion learned and now teaches us.
The difference between authority and power is parallel to a policeman’s badge and his gun. The badge symbolizes his right to exercise his power through his gun, if necessary. The gun backs up his authority with power. But the distinction should not be pressed too hard, because exousia can also mean “power.” In any case, God through Jesus can distribute authority to his followers (Matt. 10:1; Luke 10:19; John 1:12). Jesus will give us authority even over the nations, if we overcome trials and persecution (Rev. 2:26). And he is about to distribute his power in Acts 2.
Never forget that you have his authority and power to live a victorious life over your personal flaws and sins and Satan. They no longer have power and authority over you; you have power and authority over them.
For nearly all the references of that word and a developed theology, please click on:
What Are Signs and Wonders and Miracles?
Here is the principle of authority. As noted, it is the lesser-to-greater argument. If the centurion (lesser) can command his soldiers and servants, then Jesus (greater) can command diseases with a word. The centurion is under command, and he commands those under him. The centurion recognized that Jesus had authority over a disease, even paralysis. But then the centurion went a step further with his insight. All Jesus had to do was command the disease from a distance. Something would then happen in another realm. The word gets communicated to the disease. Here is an imperfect illustration. The spoken word is like an invisible sound wave from an explosion hits everything around it and blows out windows, and possibly knocks down houses. We cannot see the sound wave, but we can feel its effect. The analogy is weak because we can hear it. But imagine a wave that we cannot see or hear. If such a thing exists, that would be a better comparison. So it is in the other realm. It is as if Jesus’s word of command blows out the disease. The paralyzed servant couldn’t see or hear it reach his body, but he can feel its effect. He is about to get up and walk. This is amazing.
9:
Jesus marveled at people in two instances: Here he marveled at the centurion for his faith, and the Nazarenes because of their unbelief (Mark 6:6) (Morris, comments on v. 9).
It is no wonder Jesus turned to the crowd following him and announced that he had never seen such faith even in Israel, whose people were supposed to be taught in the Scriptures to know God. But the Pharisees and teachers of the law did not know the living and loving God. Their version of God was only and merely a law-giver. Yes, he was that, but he wanted to restore his people—and this Gentile centurion’s servant here.
“faith”: Believing (verb) and faith (noun) is very important to God. It is the language of heaven. We live on earth and by faith see the invisible world where God is. We must believe he exists; then we must exercise our faith to believe he loves us and intends to save us. We must have saving faith by trusting in Jesus and his finished work on the cross.
Word Study on Faith and Faithfulness
Bock:
The unique faith recognizes Jesus’ authority and the power of his word, not only over illness but also in the face of his physical absence and distance. Magical presence or touch is not required for healing, only the power of Jesus’ command and will. The centurion recognizes that God’s power works through Jesus without spatial limitations. Jesus is entrusted with great authority. It is clear that entrusted power is in view, because of the illustration of 7:8, where Jesus, like the centurion, is a man under authority. In addition, there is the resultant recognition of personal unworthiness. Humility mixed with deep faith describes what Jesus praises. The soldier approached the man of God on the proper terms (pp. 642-43).
10:
This is the right and expected result. They found the servant healed or healthy.
“healthy”: it means “healthy,” as here, but the NIV mostly translates it as “sound.” In 3 John 2, it is translated as “enjoy good health.” It speaks of soundness in body and mind (Luke 5:32; 7:10; 15:27), but also sound doctrine (1 Tim. 1:10, 6:3; 2 Tim. 1:13; 4:3; Tit. 1:9, 13; 2:1, 2). It is interesting that Dr. Luke sees it exclusively as healthy in body and mind, while Paul transforms the verb into sound doctrine (though the adjective is translated as “healthy” in body throughout the NT).
Garland: “First the elders say that the centurion is worthy. Then, the centurion says he is not worthy” (p. 297). Consider the prodigal son who said that he was not worthy (15:19, 21). Both are beggars in search of grace.
Bock:
Above all, what is clear from this account is that Jesus has authority from God that extends over space, distance, and diseases. He is gifted by God to a high degree. The healing he gives reveals the authority that he has to reverse the condition of those in need. He need not be physically present to respond. And anyone can share in the benefits that Jesus offers, if faith is exercised. The centurion’s faith is an example that should not stand alone. Luke asks his reader to have the faith of the centurion. (p. 644).
GrowApp for Luke 7:1-10
1. How has the principle of authority worked in your life?
2. The centurion had great faith, greater than anyone else in Israel. How do you build up your faith in Christ?
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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