Matthew 8:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But some say that he says these things in excuse of himself, as reasons why he did not bring the sick man himself. For it was impossible to bring one in a palsy, in great torment, and at the point to die. But I rather think it a mark of his great faith; inasmuch as he knew that a word alone was enough to restore the sick man, he deemed it superfluous to bring him.

He asserts that as a servant of a king, if I can give orders to the soldiers beneath me, then it stands to reason that You can command death and illness, directing them to leave one person and affect another. This is because physical ailments act as instruments of divine justice. Consequently, Christ expresses His surprise, declaring, ‘I found no such faith among Israel as I found in this Gentile.’

By declaring himself unworthy, he shewed himself worthy, not indeed into whose house, but into whose heart, Christ the Word of God should enter. Nor could he have said this with so much faith and humility, had he not borne in his heart Him whom he feared to have in his house. And indeed it would have been no great blessedness that Jesus should enter within his walls, if He had not already entered into his heart.

The Lord seeing the centurion’s faith, humbleness, and thoughtfulness, straightway promises to go and heal him; Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

Through his own actions, he demonstrates that healing can occur with just a command. When he stated, ‘Speak the word,’ the centurion—a man who is under the command of a higher authority and has soldiers and servants beneath him—illustrated that what he instructs is carried out without delay. With this, the centurion revealed that if he, being limited by his own authority, can command with a single word, then much more so can Christ, who encompasses all in His divine authority and omnipotence. Thus, if He instructs death to depart, it will indeed flee; and if He bids it to come forth, it shall arise. Furthermore, death is not merely under command but is, in fact, a servant, representing the ultimate form of submission.

Also he therefore says that it needed only a word to heal his son, because all the salvation of the Gentiles is of faith, and the life of them all is in the precepts of the Lord; therefore he continues saying, For I am a man set under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

The ideal mindset is vividly illustrated through the figure of the Gospel centurion. His unwavering strength enables him to remain undistracted by fleeting thoughts, allowing him to discern what is good and to effortlessly reject the contrary. This is encapsulated in his words: "For I am also a subject man; but having soldiers in subjection to me, I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does." If we, too, courageously confront our disturbances and vices, bringing them under the sway of authority and reason, we can suppress our carnal passions. By submitting the erratic nature of our thoughts to the control of reason and invoking the saving sign of the cross, we can expel the fierce forces of opposition from our hearts.

For Capharnaum, which is interpreted, The town of fatness, or, The field of consolation, signifies the Church, which was gathered out of the Gentiles, which is replenished with spiritual fatness, according to that, That my soul may be filled with marrow and fatness, (Ps. 63:5.) and under the troubles of the world is comforted concerning heavenly things, according to that, Thy consolations hare rejoiced my soul. (Ps. 94:19.) Hence it is said, When he had entered into Capharnaum the centurion came to him.

Conscious of his gentile life, he thought he should be more burdened than profited by this act of condescension from Him with whose faith he was indeed endued, but with whose sacraments he was not yet initiated.

Or, in the centurion are figured those of the Gentiles who first believed, and were perfect in virtue. For a centurion is one who commands a hundred soldiers; and a hundred is a perfect number. Rightly, therefore, the centurion prays for his servant, because the first-fruits of the Gentiles prayed to God for the salvation of the whole Gentile world.

God holds in His hands both existence and demise, wellness and affliction, joy and sorrow. "The Lord Almighty is His name. For in His hand are all the ends of the earth, and the heights of His mountains. For He is the sea, and He made it, and His hand made the dry land" (Jer. 48:15; Ps. 94:4-5). Just as a monarch dispatches soldiers for protection and to enforce order, so too does God bestow life upon some, as expressed, "and life in His will" (Ps. 29:6), while to others He grants death: "and I will send upon them sword and destruction" (Jer. 24:10). Similarly, as rulers entrust their servants with various duties, God allocates health or illness, joy or hardship in accordance with His divine wisdom.

For I am both divine and human; you embody the divine, while I embody humanity. I exist under authority, yet you are beyond any authority. Thus, if I, a mere man who is subject to authority, can accomplish such great things, how much more can You, being God and free from any limitation? I, being fully human like my subordinates, have authority over them, and with even a small measure of authority, I command them to act, and they obey without question. I can command a soldier, "Go," and he will go; or tell another, "Come," and he will comply; I instruct my servant to perform a task, and he does it. Is not Your power vastly superior? You can command death itself, just as a ruler commands a servant. If You declare that death should not approach my servant, it will indeed stay away.

From the Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus made His way to Capernaum. There He encountered a centurion who deeply valued his ailing servant, who was gravely ill. Upon hearing that Jesus had arrived in the city, the centurion resolved to seek healing for his servant. However, as a Gentile, he felt unworthy to approach Jesus directly. Instead, he sent Jewish elders as intermediaries to advocate on his behalf. They implored Jesus, emphasizing the centurion's kindness towards the Jewish people and his numerous good deeds.

As the procession neared the home of the ailing man, the centurion, feeling unworthy to welcome Jesus into his residence, dispatched his friends to meet Him. He instructed them to relay this message: "Do not trouble Yourself, Lord, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; that is why I deemed myself unworthy to approach You; simply speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers at my command; I tell one, 'Go,' and he goes; to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." The accounts of the centurion's servant being healed are provided by the Evangelists Matthew and Luke, though their narratives differ.

Christ promptly responded to their plea, stating, "I will go and heal him." However, on the way, they encountered additional messengers from a humble and devout centurion. Through these messengers, the centurion conveyed his request for Jesus not to come under the unworthy roof of a Gentile but to heal his afflicted servant with just a word of power, similar to how He had healed the king’s son. Just as a centurion, despite being a subordinate, has servants ready to follow his commands, could it not be possible for Christ to command unseen forces to fulfill His will without needing to undertake this task personally?

A man under authority demonstrates that even a single word from Jesus can effect healing (Eph. 3:19). The centurion believes that just as he, by adhering to the commands of his superiors, has the power to direct those under him, so too should Jesus, the all-powerful miracle worker, be able to command the ailment to release his servant with just a word. In ancient Roman and Greek thought, illnesses and even death were often viewed as entities capable of entering a person and causing various afflictions. It is possible that the centurion held a similar belief, perceiving that at the command of the Lord Jesus, the sickness afflicting his servant would be compelled to depart (cf. Chrysostom and Theophilus).

As the Lord approached the house, the centurion, deeply aware of his own unworthiness and firmly believing in His limitless might, sent his friends to convey a message. He instructed them to tell the Lord not to take the trouble to visit, but rather to utter just one powerful word: Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof; yet, I am unworthy to come to You, but speak the word only and my child shall be healed. I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers at my command. I say to one, Go, and he goes; to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. By entrusting the healing of his servant to a single word from the Lord, the centurion demonstrated profound faith in His divine authority.