Christ heals the Centurion's servant

St Luke Chapter VII : Verses 1-10

Contents

• Luke vii. 1-10.  Douay-Rheims (Challoner) text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Douay-Rheims 1582 text
• Annotations: from the Great Commentary
• Notes on St Matthew's account (from Madame Cecilia's Scripture Manual, 1906)

Luke vii. 1-10.

He sent unto him the ancients of the Jews, desiring him to come.
J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

1 And when he had finished all his words in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capharnaum.

Cum autem implesset omnia verba sua in aures plebis, intravit Capharnaum.

2 And the servant of a certain centurion, who was dear to him, being sick, was ready to die.

Centurionis autem cujusdam servus male habens, erat moriturus : qui illi erat pretiosus.

3 And when he had heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the ancients of the Jews, desiring him to come and heal his servant.

Et cum audisset de Jesu, misit ad eum seniores Judaeorum, rogans eum ut veniret et salvaret servum ejus.

4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him earnestly, saying to him: He is worthy that thou shouldest do this for him.

At illi cum venissent ad Jesum, rogabant eum sollicite, dicentes ei : Quia dignus est ut hoc illi præstes :

5 For he loveth our nation; and he hath built us a synagogue.

diligit enim gentem nostram, et synagogam ipse ædificavit nobis.

6 And Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent his friends to him, saying: Lord, trouble not thyself; for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof.

Jesus autem ibat cum illis. Et cum jam non longe esset a domo, misit ad eum centurio amicos, dicens : Domine, noli vexari : non enim sum dignus ut sub tectum meum intres :

7 For which cause neither did I think myself worthy to come to thee; but say the word, and my servant shall be healed.

propter quod et meipsum non sum dignum arbitratus ut venirem ad te : sed dic verbo, et sanabitur puer meus.

8 For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it.

Nam et ego homo sum sub potestate constitutus, habens sub me milites : et dico huic, Vade, et vadit : et alii, Veni, et venit : et servo meo, Fac hoc, et facit.

9 Which Jesus hearing, marvelled: and turning about to the multitude that followed him, he said: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith, not even in Israel.

Quo audito Jesus miratus est : et conversus sequentibus se turbis, dixit : Amen dico vobis, nec in Israel tantam fidem inveni.

10 And they who were sent, being returned to the house, found the servant whole who had been sick.

Et reversi, qui missi fuerant, domum, invenerunt servum, qui languerat, sanum

Douay-Rheims : 1582 text

1. AND when he had fully ſaid: al his words into the eares of the people, he entred into Capharnaum.

2. *And the ſeruant of a certaine Centurion being ſick, was readie to die: who was deare vnto him.

3. And when he had heard of IESVS, he ſent vnto him the Ancients of the Iewes, desiring him to come and heale his ſeruant.

4. But they being come to IESVS, beſought him earneſtl, ſaying to him, That he is worthie that thou ſhouldest doe this for him.

5. For he loueth our Nation; and he hath built a Synagogue for vs.

6. And IESVS went with them. And when he was now not farre from the houſe, the Centurion ſent his frends vnto him, ſaying: Lord, trouble not thyſelf. For I am not worthie that thou ſhouldest enter vnder my roofe.

7. For the which cauſe neither did I thinke my ſelf worthie to come to thee; but ſay the word, and my ſeruant shal be made whole.

8. For I alſo am a man ſubiect to authoritie, hauing vnder me ſouldiars: and I ſay to this, goe, and he goeth: and to an other, come, and he commeth; and to my ſeruant, doe this, and he doeth it.

9. Which IESVS hearing, marueled; and turning to the multitude that followed him he ſaid: Amen I say to you, neither in Iſrael haue I found ſo great faith.

10. And they that were ſent, being returned home, found the ſeruant that had been ſick, whole.

Annotations from the Great Commentary

    1. And when he had finished all his words. Now when he had ended (or fulfilled), all his sayings.

    2. ready to die; nigh unto death, Syriac.

    3. he sent unto him the ancients of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. S. Luke ascribes the request of the Jews to the Centurion himself, because they asked in his name; but the Centurion sought not that Christ should come unto him, but only that the Lord should be told, “my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented.” S. Matt. viii. The Jews asked therefore that which they knew the Centurion desired, although he was too humble-minded to seek it.

    “desiring him to come” i.e., that He would give up everything else, and apply himself to the healing of the servant. An expression equivalent to the Hebrew word נא, ba, come.

    Thus God came to Abimelech, Gen. xx.; to Balaam, Num. xxii.; and to the Hebrews, Deut. xxxiii., when He appeared to them and gave them the Law. So it is said of the Baptist. John came, shewed himself, neither eating nor drinking. The force of the passage lies therefore in the word “heal,” that he would heal his servant, whether he came—went down—to his house or not.

    6. Lord, trouble not thyself, do not incur the fatigue (Syriac) of such a journey, but speak the word only, and heal my servant.

Notes on St Matthew's account (from Madame Cecilia's Scripture Manual, 1906)

    1. into Capharnaum. His own city, where He had already wrought such great miracles, notably the healing of the paralytic, and of the man with the withered hand (see St Luke v. 18-26 and vi. 6-11).

    2. centurion. One in charge of a hundred soldiers. This centurion was the Roman officer in charge of the garrison at Capharnaum, or he may have been in the army of Herod Antipas, for the Herodian princes modelled their armies on Roman lines, and often employed Roman soldiers. From the fact that the centurion had built a synagogue for the Jews, it has been conjectured that he was a proselyte to the Jewish faith.

    There are two other believing centurions mentioned in the New Testament: the one who was in charge of the soldiers on Calvary, and Cornelius (see Acts x.).

    Note. — In St Luke’s account we read : When he had heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the ancients of the Jews, desiring him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him earnestly, saying to him ; he is worthy that thou shouldst do this for him. For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue, and Jesus went with them (vii. 3-6). This difference in the two narratives can easily be reconciled. St Luke gives more details than St Matthew, who omits the coming of the ancients and of the friends. The events probably took place as follows : —

    1. The centurion sent the ancients to Jesus, who set out with them for the centurion’s house.

    2. The centurion then sent other friends to meet our Lord.

    3. He finally came Himself.

    The ancients does not necessarily mean the officers of the synagogue ; the term was also applied to leading citizens. 

  4. they besought him earnestly, St Luke gives the motive of his earnestness — the servant (or slave) was dear to him, and being sick was ready to die. The words “was dear” signify literally “held in honour” (ἒυτιμος).

    Elsewhere it is so translated. Cf. Lest perhaps one more honourable than thou be invited (St Luke xiv. 8). Receive him .... and treat with honour (Phil. ii. 29). This statement is borne out by —

    1. The earnest desire of the centurion for his servant’s cure.

    2. The intercession of the ancients of the Jews.

    7. my servant. From St Luke’s account we find that he was a slave (δοῦλος), but he only once calls him thus ; elsewhere he agrees with St Matthew in speaking of him by the more affectionate term “ my boy ” ( ὁ παῖς μου).

   6. for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof. Compare these words with the testimony of the ancients : He is worthy that thou shouldst do this for him.

    We have here an illustration of our Lord’s words : He that humbleth himself shall he exalted (St Luke xiv. 11).

    In confessing himself unworthy, the centurion shewed that he was worthy of receiving Christ, not within his walls, but in his heart, for he would not have said this with such great faith and humility, if he had not borne in his heart Him whose entrance into his house he feared (St Augustine).

    In general, Gentiles were not actuated by kindly feelings towards the Jews, possibly on account of the exclusiveness of the latter and their contempt for Gentiles. This centurion was evidently on very friendly terms with the Jews, since he had erected a synagogue for them. The Emperor Augustus had once published an edict by which he encouraged the building of synagogues, and praised them as “schools of science and virtue.” If the ruins of a synagogue, recently excavated at Tell Hum, are those of the building erected by this centurion, it must have been beautiful and costly.

    The words I am not worthy, etc. are used in the Holy Mass as part of the preparation for Holy Communion.

    In St Luke, the centurion’s reply is given more fully : For which cause neither did I think myself worthy to come to thee, hut say the word, and my servant shall he healed (vii. 7).

    that thou shouldst enter, etc. A Jew would not enter the house of a Gentile for fear of legal defilement.

    7. but say the word. A Hebrew idiom signifying “ only command it.” “ The centurion had a just notion of Christ’s power, and our Lord greatly commended him ; whereas Martha, who said, I know that whatsoever thou shalt ask of God, God will give it thee (St John xi. 22), was reproved as having spoken amiss ; and Christ thus teaches that He Himself is the Source of Blessings, which proves that our Lord was God.”

    8. For I also am a man subject to authority, etc. These words mean that if the centurion, a man who himself was under authority, could command obedience, much more could Christ command disease and it would obey Him. These words shew the strong faith of the centurion, since he believed firmly that the cure did not depend on Christ’s presence, but on His will.

    9. Which Jesus hearing, marvelled. Not according to His divine knowledge, but according to His human knowledge. “Jesus really and interiorly marvelled, owing to the experimental knowledge of the fact, just as an astronomer who predicts an eclipse, expresses his admiration and astonishment on witnessing it ” (MacEvilly).

    The only other occasion when Jesus is said to have marvelled is given by St Mark, who, speaking of the Nazarenes, says. He wondered because of their unbelief, and he went through the villages round about teaching (vi. 6).

Further Notes from the Catena Aurea

    Mystically, by the centurion’s servant is signified that the Gentile people who were enthralled by the chain of worldly bondage, and diseased with deadly passions, are to be healed by the mercy of the Lord. AMBROSE.

   The soldiers and servants who obey the centurion, are the natural virtues which many who come to the Lord will bring with them in great numbers. BEDE.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.