Christ and the Roman Centurion

The healing of the centurion’s servant is a remarkable story, the profoundness of which it is likely difficult for us to grasp today. Even more so than the leper who boldly breached custom when he drew near to Jesus to ask for healing, this centurion showed bold faith in his request. To appreciate why Jesus commented on the faith of the centurion, it is helpful to reflect briefly on the character of this Roman soldier. This will also allow us to draw in the additional comments that Luke makes in his telling of this story, comments that help to fill out the depth of the character of this man.

To begin, Luke tells us that the centurion himself did not come to Jesus but rather appealed for Jesus’ help through the intercession of the Jewish elders in Capernaum. Matthew’s account does not contradict this but rather contracts the narrative to highlight the centurion and his faith. Then, these elders remarked to Jesus how well-regarded the centurion was among the Jews of Capernaum, not least because that man had funded the construction of their place of worship (Luke 7:4-5). That these Jews commended a Gentile man as worthy of Jesus’ intervention should not be undervalued. J.H. Bavinck imagines what it would have taken for these Jewish leaders to feel so warm toward a Gentile:

This centurion in Capernaum was a remarkable man. Though he was a Gentile and remained such, he lived on good terms with the Jewish population. With endless patience and great dedication, he had made a way for himself through the wall of distrust which the suspicious Jewish leaders had built up around him from the beginning. By many generous deeds, through great righteousness and honesty, he had slowly captured their hearts and even obtained their general sympathy. This sympathy had grown considerably when he had more clearly shown that he, too, feared and served the God of Israel. While he had yet to be received as a proselyte in the Jewish community—and was thus still considered “unclean”—there was no one among all the elders and leaders of the people who did not think of and speak about him with great respect.[1]

This expansion on the gospel testimony helps us to guard against a hermeneutic of suspicion. While the Jewish elders cite the centurion’s work to build their synagogue, that is a fruit of his love for the people of Israel. But note that this Gentile had remained one and thus had remained distinct from the people of Israel. It is all the more remarkable then, that these elders commend him to Jesus. It is all the more remarkable that Jesus extends his healing power beyond the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Greek, for elsewhere Jesus remarks that he had come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But great was the faith of this Gentile, faith that had worked itself out long before Jesus entered Capernaum.

Reflecting on the character of the Roman centurion, J.H. Bavinck continues, “He did not remain a stranger in the “colony,” to which his imperial master had sent him, but he attached himself to the country and to the people and promoted the interests of that country, as well as he could. That is a practical example for all who have been placed in a country not their own yet must live there. Do not remain a stranger; become beloved!”[2] To be sure, the specifics of the centurion’s situation are not transferrable to our own situation, but the abiding character trait of seeking the welfare of those among whom you live, of investing in relationships and projects that promote the worship of the one true God—that is a character trait worth emulating today. Even more so today, the followers of Christ ought to be those who show patience and dedication in building up that which is lasting. After all, there is a sense in which this Roman centurion embodies kingdom living as taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, for he set his heart on acquiring treasure in heaven and sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness so that when he asked that Jesus might heal his servant, that good gift was freely given by the Father. May we all endeavor to such great faith and strong character.

[1] J. H. Bavinck, Geschiedenis der Godsopenbaring: Handboek voor de Kennis van de Bijbelsche Geschiedenis (J. H. Kok, 1938), 2:182.

[2] Bavinck, Geschiedenis, 2:185.