John 21:25 NKJV And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
Jesus’s miracle ministry has never ended!
Hebrews 13:8 NKJV Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
What Jesus did, He still does!
As we study these miracles of Jesus, I want us to remember that Jesus WANTS to move on our behalf. All He is looking for is FAITH.
Jesus always sought to move the people He was ministering to, to a place of faith where they could receive from Him what He desired to do.
God will perform a miracle custom designed for you!
He knows what will reach you!
(I want to acknowledge the source of most of the material for these lessons is found in: The Miracles of Jesus Christ by Rick Renner. These video lessons can be found on Renner.org and on YouTube.)
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant
SCRIPTURES
Matthew 8:5-13 | KJV — And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
GREEK WORDS
- “centurion” — ἑκατοντάρχης (hekatontarches): a captain over 100 hundred men; a centurion in the Roman army
- “beseeching” — παρακαλέω (parakaleo): to plead with someone by appealing to them; the tense means continually beseeching
- “saying” — λέγων (legon): saying repetitiously
- “servant” — παῖς (pais): a small child; a little boy
- “Lord” (vv. 6, 8) — Κύριε (Kurie): Lord; an absolute master or lord
- “lieth” — βέβληται (bebletai): a form of βάλλω (ballo): to throw; in context, thrown down, hurled down, unable to get up, perhaps even critically ill
- “sick of the palsy” — παραλυτικός (paralutikos): crippled; paralyzed; as a result, bedfast
- “grievously” — δεινῶς (deinos): terribly; horribly; from the word δειλός, which notably depicts fear
- “tormented” — βασανίζω (basanidzo): to torment or torture; the form used in this verse denotes unending torment and torture
- “heal” — θεραπεύω (therapeuo): therapy; a healing touch that requires corresponding actions
- “healed” — ἰάομαι (iaomai): to cure; to doctor; pictures a healing power that progressively reverses a condition; mostly denoted healing that came to pass over a period of time; for this reason, the word is often translated as a “treatment,” “cure,” or “remedy”; depicts one who is progressively healed rather than instantaneously healed
- “marvelled” — θαυμάζω (thaumadzo): to wonder; to be at a loss of words; to be shocked and amazed; to be bewildered
- “found” — εὑρίσκω (heurisko): to find or to discover; pictures a moment when one makes a surprising discovery; usually points to a discovery made due to an intense investigation, scientific study, or scholarly research
- “cast out” — ἐκβάλλω (ekballo): to forcibly evict; to throw out; to cast out; to expel; to drive out; to kick out; to cast out; historically used to describe a nation that forcibly removed lawbreakers from its borders
- “go” — ὕπαγε (hupage): literally, to go under
SYNOPSIS
Capernaum was known as the “city of Jesus.” Once word got out about Jesus’ supernatural power, people began swarming into Capernaum from all across the region to receive His healing touch and hear Him teach God’s Word. Peter’s home is where Christ stayed, and it became His base of operation throughout His ministry. Indeed, the people in and around Capernaum witnessed more signs, wonders, and healings than the people of any other city in Israel. One of these miracles was the healing of the centurion’s servant.
The Centurion Was Stationed in Capernaum
As we discovered in our first lesson, Capernaum was a very affluent and influential border town. It was located on the Via Maris, which was the main highway that ran from Damascus in the north to Egypt in the south. This international community had many tourists and travelers passing through, and as they entered the city, they were required to pay taxes. Thus, there was a tax-collecting office there — the same office where Matthew worked and where Jesus found him when He called him into ministry.
As a result of Capernaum’s international status and high level of wealth, there was also a strong military presence in the city. Many soldiers were stationed there for protection, including one particular centurion. His story begins in Matthew chapter 8: “When Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented” (vv. 5, 6).
First, notice the word “beseeching.” It is the Greek word parakaleo, which is a compound of two words: the word para, meaning to come alongside, and the word kaleo, meaning to call out. When these two words are put together to form parakaleo, it means to plead with someone by appealing to them. The tense here indicates something continual and ongoing.
This powerful centurion — a captain or commander of 100 soldiers — came right alongside Jesus and began to call out and plead with Him to come and heal his servant. This must have been shocking for the people of Capernaum to see — a military man of high status and great clout, coming alongside Jesus and pleading with Him to answer his request.
The word “saying” in verse 6 is the Greek word legon, which means to repetitiously say. Verse 6 would better be translated, “He kept saying and saying and saying.” This highly dignified officer was spilling his heart out to Jesus. His servant was in trouble, and he was willing to do whatever it took to see him get better.
Also note how the centurion addressed Jesus. Verse 6 says he called Him “Lord,” which is the Greek word Kurie, a form of the word Kurios, and it means absolute master or lord. The centurion recognized Jesus as Master and Lord over him and his situation, which is exactly what we need to do in every situation we face.
It Was His Son, Not His Servant That Was Sick
It is very interesting to note that in the King James Version of Matthew 8:6, it says that the military commander told Jesus, “…my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” The word “servant” is the Greek term pais, which actually means a small child; a little boy. A literal translation would be, “My small child lieth at home sick….”
This is significant because Roman soldiers were not permitted to be married. When a man enlisted in the Roman army, he was committed to service for 25 years and could not marry until his time was completed. When soldiers were dispatched, they were gone for a very long time. If they had been allowed to marry, they would have been greatly distracted on the battlefield by thoughts of their wife and family back home, which could have proven disastrous.
Another reason soldiers were not allowed to marry was the motivation it created. If a soldier died on the battlefield, he had no children to carry on his lineage. Therefore, he would fight much harder in battle to survive and finish his 25-year commitment so he could return home to marry and raise a family.
Thus, the centurion who sought out Jesus was not married according to Roman law. The fact that he had a small child (pais) and he wasn’t married meant his child was illegitimate. He obviously had an immoral relationship with someone. Yet when he came to Jesus for help, Jesus never rebuked him for it. He never said, “What do you mean, asking Me to heal your illegitimate child… You’ve been involved in a sinful, immoral relationship.” On the contrary, Jesus listened and was willing to help.
Understanding the Severity of the Child’s Condition
Looking again at Matthew 8:6, the centurion said, “…Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” The word “lieth” is a form of the Greek word ballo, which means to throw. In context, it means thrown down, hurled down, unable to get up, perhaps even critically ill. In other words, the centurion’s son had been thrown into bed and was unable to get up.
He also said his child was “sick of the palsy,” which in Greek is the word paralutikos, and it means to be crippled or paralyzed. The child had lost his ability to function. Something had happened to his muscles, his nerves, or his sinews that left him paralyzed, and as a result, he was “grievously tormented.” The word “grievously” is the Greek word deinos, which means to be terribly, or in this case, horribly, tormented. It is a derivative of the word deilos, which notably depicts fear.
When a person is sick, they are often also plagued with fear. Many times they are afraid that they will never feel normal again or that they will never again live a normal life. This type of fear is “grievous” — it is a horrible, terrible “torment.”
The word “tormented” is the Greek word basanidzo, which means to torment or torture. The form used in this verse denotes unending torment and torture. The word basanidzo is the word commonly used in the gospels to describe people who are grievously vexed by demon spirits.
How Did Jesus Respond?
Matthew 8:7 says, “And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.” Jesus heard that this child was thrown into bed; he was sick, paralyzed, and grievously tormented by fear. Moved with compassion, Jesus immediately said, “I will come and heal him.”
The word “heal” is the Greek word therapeuo, which is the term most frequently used in the gospels to describe the healing ministry of Jesus. It is a healing touch that requires corresponding actions, and it is where we get the word “therapy.”
When Jesus healed a person with a withered hand, He required him to stretch out his hand. If someone was lame and lying on a mat, Jesus would require him to pick up his mat and walk. In the same way a physical therapist requires patients to cooperate with the recovery process, Jesus required those who received healing to cooperate with the power of God.
The Centurion’s Faith Was Unprecedented
When Jesus said that He was willing to go and heal the boy, “the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it” (Matthew 8:8, 9).
Notice the word “healed.” It is the Greek word iaomai, and it pictures a healing power that progressively reverses a condition. It mostly denoted healing that came to pass over a period of time. For this reason, the word is often translated as a “treatment,” “cure,” or “remedy.” It depicts one who is progressively healed rather than instantaneously healed. The use of this word reveals the centurion’s level of faith. He wasn’t asking for an instantaneous miracle; he was believing for a progressive healing once Jesus spoke the Word.
What is also interesting about the centurion’s faith was his understanding of authority. He told Jesus, “You don’t need to come to my house. Just speak the word of healing, and I know it will happen.” Matthew 8:10 says, “When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
The word “marvelled” is the Greek word thaumadzo, which means to wonder; to be at a loss of words; to be shocked and amazed; to be bewildered. Jesus was absolutely stunned at the centurion’s level of faith. He said He had not “found” anyone with such great faith out of all the people in Israel.
The word “found” in the Greek is the word heurisko, which means to find or to discover. It pictures a moment when one makes a surprising discovery, usually as a result of an intense investigation, scientific study, or scholarly research. This tells us that Jesus had been studying and looking for a high-quality faith among the Jews, but He didn’t find it. Instead, He found it among the Gentiles — in a pagan Roman soldier.
The Significance of Jesus’ Statement About Outer Darkness
As Jesus marveled at the faith of the centurion, He said, “…Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).
To understand Jesus’ statement, we need to examine a practice in the ancient world that is mostly unfamiliar. In that day, large cities had very tall protective walls, and often they would dump their garbage and unused food over the top of those walls. During the night, when it was dark, the lions outside of the city would come and pillage through the garbage looking for something to eat.
Why is this important? Well, the presence of the lions outside the city was used to help determine whether or not a person was truly innocent. In those days, if a person was tried but could not be proven guilty of a crime it was believed he committed, the city authorities would tie him up and place him outside the city walls for the entire night. They called this “outer darkness.” The officials believed that if someone survived the lions and was alive the next morning, they were not guilty.
However, there was a problem. When they went out to find the suspect the next morning, even if he survived the lions, his teeth were totally ground away. This was the result of being totally stricken with fear at the presence of the prowling lions. These people were put into outer darkness — a place of torment where they literally had weeping and gnashing of teeth.
By using this phrase, Jesus was saying, “There’s going to be a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth when people realize what they could have had but missed out on because they would not believe. This includes people in Israel, people in the Kingdom, and people who should have known how to use their faith but didn’t. They may get through life, but they’re going to miss so much because they never really used their faith.” That’s really what Jesus was teaching here.
What You Believe Is What Will Be Done
Matthew 8:13 goes on to say, “And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” The word “go” here is the Greek word hupage, and it literally means to go under authority.
Essentially, Jesus said, “I have spoken the word of healing, and your son is taken care of. You have come under My authority, and now I’m sending you away under the power of My word. Go! The healing is released exactly as you have believed.” The centurion left, and when he returned home he discovered that his small child had been healed at the exact same time Jesus had spoken it.
Like the centurion, you must believe and embrace the words of Jesus. Accept and respond to what He has said in His Word and what His Spirit speaks to you in your heart. What you believe and act on is what will take place.
The emphasis of this lesson:
Jesus miraculously healed the child of a centurion who lived in Capernaum, and He did it without laying a hand on him. He simply word, and the Centurion believed and received the healing for his son. No one in all Israel had exhibited such great faith.