Jesus Heals the Centurion's Servant
A Roman centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus marvels at his faith—greater than any He has found in Israel.
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 'Lord,' he said, 'my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.'
Jesus said to him, 'Shall I come and heal him?'
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. 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.'
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. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.'
Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.' And his servant was healed at that moment.
The centurion was a Gentile, a Roman soldier—an outsider. Yet he understood something profound about Jesus' authority. He didn't need Jesus to come physically; he recognized that Jesus' word alone carried power. Just as his own commands were obeyed instantly by soldiers, he believed Jesus' command would be obeyed by sickness and even death.
Jesus was amazed—a rare response recorded in the Gospels. This pagan soldier had greater faith than anyone in Israel.