Matthew 8:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When the centurion expressed such faith and acknowledged the authority of the Savior, not only did Christ refrain from condemning him, but He also commended him profoundly. The Evangelist emphasizes that Christ did not merely praise the centurion's words; He marveled at his faith and presented him to the crowd as a model to emulate. This highlights how those who recognized His authority received acknowledgment. The people were astonished by His teachings (Matthew 7:28) since He spoke with divine authority. Rather than condemn those who spoke out, Christ descended from the mountain alongside them and validated their beliefs by cleansing a leper. The leper implored, "If thou wilt, thou canst cleanse me," and rather than rebuke him, Christ honored his request by healing him.

This individual was a Gentile, specifically a centurion. At that time, a Roman military presence existed among the Jewish people, and he was in command of the soldiers there, having achieved the rank of centurion. His position granted him authority, yet his role also involved submission, as he guided those under his command. Although the Lord was present amongst the Jewish community—something that should draw our affectionate focus—He had already anticipated the formation of the universal Church to which He would later dispatch the apostles. The Gentiles did not recognize or believe in Him, while the Jews had the opportunity to see and encounter Him.

The Lord was astounded by the individual’s faith. He remarked, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (cf. Lk. 7:9), intending for the Israelites to feel a sense of shame for their lack of belief, contrasting with the faith displayed by the outsider.

Upon hearing this, Jesus was astonished and shared this with those accompanying Him. He was astonished because He recognized that the centurion grasped His magnificence. Truly, both through God's word and the ministering of angels, the forces of opposition and human frailty are to be driven away, which often leads to exhaustion for mankind. Truly I say unto you, I have not found such faith in Israel. - This remark pertains to His contemporaries and not the ancient patriarchs and prophets; at least in the case of the centurion, it seems the faith of the Gentiles is highlighted in contrast to that of Israel.

He was astonished that, as a non-Israelite who lacked familiarity with the Jewish Scriptures concerning Him, he was able to believe so readily. Furthermore, he openly professed his faith so that others could follow his example. He remarked that he had not encountered such faith in Israel, where the Scriptures bear daily witness to Him. As we have previously stated, the phrase Amen I say signifies Truly and faithfully I declare, and it requires no further elaboration.

What remarkable faith the centurion had! It astonished the Lord Himself. At its core, his faith was a confession that the Lord is the sovereign God of all, the omnipotent ruler over everything. Consequently, he said, “Just say the word, and my son will be healed.” His belief was rooted in the understanding that all things are under His authority and that everything complies with His command. The Lord expects the same faith from everyone, and we, too, are called to possess this faith. Those who hold such faith lack nothing, and all that they seek, they receive. This is the assurance given by the Lord. Oh, when might we be able to possess even a fragment of such faith! Yet, it is also a divine gift, and this gift must be sought earnestly and faithfully. Let us pursue it, at least with an awareness of our need for it, continuously and fervently, while nurturing its growth within us through fitting reflections and, above all, by adhering to God's commandments.

The root of astonishment is ignorance, as we tend to be amazed only by those matters for which we lack understanding. It is clear, therefore, that our Lord Jesus Christ was not surprised upon hearing the centurion's faith. As both God and man, through the profound unity of His divine nature, He comprehended the innermost thoughts of humanity and the reasons behind all events. The Evangelist noted that He ‘marvelled’ to highlight the extraordinary nature of a Gentile, like the centurion, possessing such complete and perfect faith.

Indeed, the situation stands as it is now: the centurion bore witness to the power of the Savior, who not only refrained from condemning him but instead commended him. Furthermore, the evangelist emphasizes the significance of Christ’s praise by stating, Hearing this, JESUS WAS AMAZED, which indicates that He regarded the centurion's faith as remarkable, even exceptional among the believing Israelites. Throughout the Gospel, there are only two occasions in which Christ expresses astonishment: He marveled at the faith of the Gentile centurion and at the unbelief of those from His own town, Nazareth.

Jesus was profoundly touched by the humility and steadfastness of the Gentile's faith, prompting Him to address the crowd following Him, saying, 'I have not encountered such faith in Israel.' Here, Jesus referred to the entire Jewish community.

The Savior encountered a faith so extraordinary that He remarked it was absent even among His own people in Israel. He discovered within the wild olive tree something lacking in the cultivated olive tree, from which He derived a lesson that was met with discomfort and resistance by the Jews: many of the current heirs of the kingdom will be cast into the outer darkness, while individuals from the east and west will come and share in the fellowship of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

"And in Israel I found no such faith": Israel was the designation given to the God-fearing ancestor Jacob (Gen. 32:28-29). From this lineage, the Jews or Hebrews were referred to as Israelites, or simply Israel, retaining this name until the division of the kingdom of Judah into two following Solomon's reign. Thereafter, the Israelites were often known as the separated tribes, likely because they constituted the majority of the Jewish people. Following the Babylonian exile, this name was once again applied to all Jews without distinction (cf. Matt. 10:6, Acts 7:42, Heb. 8:8). The essence of this statement is that no instance of such faith was found even among the Jews, 'who had the testimony of the writings concerning Me' (Eph. Zig.).