Commentary - Luke 7:1-10

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, Luke presents us with a striking contrast between two kinds of religion, two kinds of approaches to God. One is the religion of merit, quid pro quo, and transactional worthiness. The other is the religion of grace, which is received by a faith that understands true authority. Jesus has just come down from the mountain where He delivered the Sermon on the Plain, a radical manifesto for the Kingdom of God. Now, He immediately puts that Kingdom's authority on display. This is not just a feel good healing story; it is a profound lesson on the nature of the faith that pleases God. It is the story of a Roman centurion, a Gentile and an agent of an occupying power, who demonstrates a clearer understanding of who Jesus is than the religious leaders of Israel. This event is a powerful foreshadowing of the gospel breaking out of its Jewish cradle and going to the ends of the earth.

Outline

Context In Luke

This incident occurs immediately after the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-49). In that sermon, Jesus laid out the ethics and principles of the Kingdom, turning worldly values on their head. He spoke with an authority that was self-authenticating. Now, Luke shows us that this authority is not merely verbal or ethical, but extends over sickness, distance, and the very fabric of creation. The sermon was the theory; the healing of the centurion's slave is the practical demonstration. It shows that the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed is not an abstract ideal but a present power. Furthermore, this story serves as a crucial pivot point in Luke's narrative, highlighting the theme of Gentile inclusion and the surprising nature of where true faith is to be found.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Luke 7:1-2

When He had completed all His words in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

Jesus' actions are always tethered to His words. He finishes His teaching, and then He acts. The Word becomes flesh, and the words of the Teacher become the deeds of the Lord. He enters Capernaum, His adopted hometown and the headquarters for His Galilean ministry. The stage is set with a problem: a man is about to die. This man is a slave, but a slave who is precious to his master. The master is a centurion, a commander of about one hundred Roman soldiers. He is a man of power, discipline, and authority, a cog in the mighty machine of the Roman Empire. Yet for all his worldly authority, he is helpless in the face of this sickness. His power has reached its limit, which is precisely where the power of God begins to work.

Luke 7:3-5

Now when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. And when they came to Jesus, they were earnestly pleading with Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.”

The centurion, hearing the reports about Jesus, does not approach Him directly. He sends a delegation of Jewish elders. This shows a certain cultural sensitivity and perhaps a sense of his own status as an outsider. But look at the argument the elders make. Their entire appeal is built on a foundation of merit. They tell Jesus that this centurion is worthy. Why? Because he has a good track record. He's a friend to the Jewish people, and he even financed the construction of their local synagogue. This is the essence of works righteousness. It is an attempt to put God in our debt. Their plea is, in effect, "Jesus, you owe this man. He has earned this miracle." They see grace as a reward for the deserving, a transaction to be completed.

Luke 7:6-7

Now Jesus was going on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not good enough for You to come under my roof. For this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Jesus graciously starts to go, meeting them in their faulty understanding. But the centurion has had a profound change of heart, or rather, a deepening of his understanding. He sends a second delegation to intercept Jesus with a message that is the polar opposite of what the elders said. The elders said, "He is worthy." The centurion says, "I am not good enough." He recognizes the immense gap between himself, a Gentile sinner, and the holy presence of the Lord Jesus. He understands that his house is no place for the Son of God to enter, not because of ritual cleanliness laws, but because of his own fundamental unworthiness. This is the starting point of all genuine faith. It is not a declaration of our merit, but a confession of our need and an acknowledgment of His holiness. And from this place of humility, he makes his great request: "just say the word."

Luke 7:8

For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

Here is the genius of the centurion's faith. It is a faith rooted in a clear understanding of authority. He reasons from his own limited, human experience of command. As a centurion, he is part of a hierarchy. He has men under him, and he is under the authority of his superiors. When he gives a command, his word carries the full weight of the Roman Empire. The soldier obeys not because of the centurion's personal charisma, but because of the authority he represents. The centurion looks at Jesus and sees a man who operates in a similar, but infinitely greater, chain of command. He recognizes that Jesus's authority is not His own, but comes from God the Father, and that this authority extends over the natural world. Sickness is just a disobedient soldier in the presence of the great Commander. Jesus does not need to be physically present to exert His authority. His word is sufficient. His word carries all the power of the Kingdom of Heaven. To say "be healed" is the same as to have it done.

Luke 7:9-10

Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him. And He turned to the crowd that was following Him and said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

This is one of the few times in the Gospels where Jesus is said to have marveled. The Creator of the universe was astonished. What astonishes God? Not great buildings, not moral resumes, not religious piety. What astonishes God is a simple, robust faith that takes Him at His word because it understands who He is. Jesus uses this Gentile's faith as a teaching moment, and it is a sharp rebuke to the insiders. "Not even in Israel," among the covenant people who had every advantage, "have I found such great faith." The very people who should have understood authority, who had the law and the prophets, were trying to bargain with God. This outsider, this Roman, understood the gospel. The story concludes with beautiful simplicity. The word was spoken, and the healing was accomplished. The centurion's faith was honored, and Christ's authority was displayed for all to see.

Application

We are constantly tempted to approach God in the same way the Jewish elders did. We bring our good deeds, our church attendance, our donations, and we lay them before God as if to say, "See? I am worthy. You should bless me." We treat God like a cosmic vending machine that dispenses blessings in exchange for the currency of our righteousness. This story calls us to repent of such a bankrupt religion.

True faith, the kind of faith that marvels Jesus, begins where the centurion began: with a profound sense of our own unworthiness. It is only when we see that we have nothing to offer that we can truly receive the grace He offers freely. And this faith is not a vague, sentimental feeling. It is a rugged, clear-eyed confidence in the absolute authority of Jesus Christ. It believes that His word is enough. It is enough to save us, enough to heal us, enough to sustain us, and enough to see us home. We are to stop trying to impress God with our resume and instead learn to trust in His rank.