In the city of Capernaum lived a Roman centurion. A captain is an important soldier who commands many other soldiers. This captain had a servant whom he loved very much. But the servant was seriously ill and could not get up. The captain was very worried about his servant and wanted to help him at all costs.
The centurion heard about Jesus and knew that Jesus could heal the sick. Although he was an important man, the centurion had great faith in Jesus and his powers. He decided to ask for help. But instead of going to Jesus himself, he sent some of his friends to talk to Jesus.
The friends came to Jesus and said: “Lord, our centurion is asking you for help. His servant is at home and is very ill. The centurion loves his people and even helped build us a synagogue. Please don’t forget him.”
Jesus was ready to help and said, “I will come and heal him.” But before Jesus could go far, the centurion himself came and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come into my house. Speak just one word, and my servant will be healed.” The captain explained, “I understand what it means to give orders. If I say to a soldier, ‘Go!’, he leaves. And if I say to another, ‘Come!’ then he comes. Say just one word, and my servant will be healed.”
Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith. He turned to the people who followed him and said, “I have not found such faith in all Israel!” Then Jesus said to the centurion: “Go! Just as you believed, it shall be done.” And just at that moment, the centurion’s servant was healed!
The centurion went back full of joy and saw that his servant was healed, just as Jesus had said. All of this happened because the centurion had such a strong faith in Jesus.
Message of history
God sees our heart and our faith. When we trust Him, He hears us and can do great things in our lives.
Bible passage
The story of Jesus and the healing of a centurion’s servant is found in Matthew 8:5-13.
Matthew 8:5-13 (Schlachter 2000): “But when Jesus came to Capernaum, a centurion came to him, and begged him, saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great torments.’ And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; but speak only one word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man who is under [der] authority, and I have soldiers under me, and I say to this man, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. But when Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those who followed, “Truly I say to you, I have not found so much faith in Israel.” But I tell you that many will come from the east and from the west, and will sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom will be cast out into utter darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; let it be done to you as you have believed. And his servant was healed in that hour.”
