SUCH GREAT FAITH

Passage: Matthew 8:5-17

Key verse: 10b

NIV

The Faith of the Centurion(A)

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed,(B) suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.(C) 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.(D) 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west,(E) and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.(F) 12 But the subjects of the kingdom(G) will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”(H)

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.”(I) And his servant was healed at that moment.

Jesus Heals Many(J)

14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.(K) 17 This was to fulfill(L) what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities
    and bore our diseases.”[a](M)

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Footnotes
  1. Matthew 8:17 Isaiah 53:4 (see Septuagint)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Faith of a Centurion

5 (A)When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but (B)only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too 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 servant,[a] ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, (C)he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with (D)no one in Israel[b] have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, (E)many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 (F)while the sons of the kingdom (G)will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place (H)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you (I)as you have believed.” (J)And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

14 (K)And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw (L)his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He (M)touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were (N)oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits (O)with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 (P)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: (Q)“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

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Footnotes
  1. Matthew 8:9 Or bondservant
  2. Matthew 8:10 Some manuscripts not even in Israel
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

A Roman centurion came to Jesus to ask him to heal his sick servant. As Jesus was willing to go and heal the servant, the centurion said something remarkable, “Lord…just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” He recognized Jesus’ authority. As a soldier, he understood command; he knew that if he told his soldier to go, he would go. Likewise, he believed that when Jesus told the sickness to leave, his servant would be healed. So, he did not ask Jesus to be physically present in his house. Faith trusts in the authority of Jesus’ word. Seeing the centurion’s faith, Jesus was amazed. Jesus was amazed on only two occasions: once at the unbelief in his hometown (Mk 6:6), and once at the centurion’s faith. Although the centurion was a Gentile, he had greater faith than many Israelites who had the privilege of possessing the Scriptures. He was fit for God’s kingdom. Jesus healed the servant by the power of his word. What brings people into God’s kingdom is not background, ethnicity, religious tradition, but faith in Jesus’ authority.

Jesus visited Peter’s house and healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. She recovered instantly and began to serve Jesus. True healing overflows into service. That evening, Jesus healed many who were sick, fulfilling the prophecy of suffering Christ.

Prayer: Lord, help me trust in your word that extends over my problems and troubles.

One Word: Just say the word