From: Matthew 8:5-17
The Centurion's Faith
[5] As He (Jesus) entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him,
beseeching Him [6] and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at
home, in terrible distress." [7] And He said to him, "I will come and
heal him." [8] But the centurion answered Him, "Lord, I am not worthy
to have You come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant
will be healed. [9] For I am a man under authority, with soldiers
under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes, and to another, `Come,'
and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,' and he does it." [10] When
Jesus heard him, He marvelled, and said to those who followed Him,
"Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.
[11] I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, [12] while the
sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth." [13] And to the centurion Jesus
said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And the servant
was healed at that very moment.
A Number of Cures
[14] And when Jesus entered Peter's house, He saw his mother-in-law
lying sick with fever; [15] He touched her hand, and the fever left
her, and she rose and served Him. [16] That evening they brought to
Him many who were possessed with demons; and He cast out the spirits
with a word, and healed all who were sick. [17] This was to fulfill
what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and
bore our diseases."
Commentary:
5-11. "Centurion": an officer of the Roman army in control of one
hundred men. This man's faith is still an example to us. At the
solemn moment when a Christian is about to receive Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament, the Church's liturgy places on his lips and in his heart
these words of the centurion, to enliven his faith: Lord, I am not
worthy...".
The Jews of this time regarded any Jew who entered a Gentile's house as
contracting legal impurity (cf. John 19:28; Acts 11:2-3). This
centurion has the deference not to place Jesus in an embarrassing
position in the eyes of His fellow Israelites. He shows that he is
convinced that Jesus has the power over disease and illness; he
suggests that if Jesus just says the word, He will do what is needed
without having actually to visit the house; he is reasoning, in a
simple, logical way, on the basis of his own professional experience.
Jesus avails of this meeting with a Gentile believer to make a solemn
prophecy to the effect that His Gospel is addressed to the world at
large; all men, of every nation and race, of every age and condition,
are called to follow Christ.
14-15. After his body--or soul--is healed, everyone is called to "rise
up" from his previous position, to serve Jesus Christ. No laments, no
delays; instead one should make oneself immediately available to the
Lord.
16-17. The expulsion of evil spirits is one of the main signs of the
establishment of the Kingdom of God (cf. Matthew 12:8). Similarly, the
healing of diseases, which ultimately are the result of sin, is one of
the signs of the "works of the Messiah" proclaimed by the prophets (cf.
Isaiah 29:18; 35:5-6).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.