The Great Faith of the Centurion - Matthew 8:5-13

The Great Faith of the Centurion - Matthew 8:5-13

    How was it possible for a Gentile to have such great faith so as to believe that Jesus could heal his servant with a mere command? How did he, as an idolater, have such humility to recognize his unworthiness before Christ, not even wanting Him to enter into his house?

    It is marvelous to ponder on the fact that our Lord publicly recognized the centurion's faith while He criticized the general lack of faith found among the Jews. Even the Lord's closest friends did not exhibit such faith as the centurion. Two of our Lord’s closest friends, Martha and Mary, exhibited some of the greatest faith in Jesus’s ability to heal the sick. They believed that the presence of the Lord would have prevented the death of Lazarus. But this centurion had faith that at the words of our Lord, his servant would be healed.

    St. Nikolai Velimirovich says, "for when God works one work, He does it in such a way that His action is not just of service in one area, but in many. Christ desired that this event should be of help to many: to heal the sick, to reveal the centurion's great faith, to reprimand the Jews for their unbelief and to give expression to a great prophecy about the Kingdom... What a vast difference between this burning faith and the cold legalistic beliefs of the Pharisees. When one of the Pharisees invited Christ to his house for supper, he thought, in his legalistic arrogance, that he was doing the Lord honor by inviting Him into his house, and not that the Lord was honoring him and his house by entering under his roof. In his arrogance and overweening pride, the Pharisee neglected even the customary expression of hospitality: he neither brought his guest water to wash His feet nor greeted Him with an embrace, nor anointed His head with perfumed oils."

    St. Nikolai explains how it is that he was able to have such faith saying, "See how humble and repentant this 'pagan', to whom it was not given to know Moses and the prophets, and who had his natural mind as the one light for the distinguishing of truth and falsehood, good and evil, was before the Lord."

    "To peoples who had moved far from God's primal revelation, God left nature and the mind: nature as a book and the mind as a guide to the reading of this book. To Christians, though, in addition to nature and the mind, God's primal revelation has been restored, and a new revelation of truth has been given in the Lord Jesus Christ. As well as this, Christians have the Church, that is the guardian, interpreter and guide in both Revelations; and finally, Christians have the power of the Holy Spirit, who has given life from the Church's beginning, and teaches and guides it." (St. Nikolai)

    Bishop Augoustinos Kantiotes relates this powerful illustration that distinguishes the difference between those that claim to represent Him and those that while not official representatives of His, learn to practice virtue, saying, "Let us put forth an example. Someone was given a thousand gold coins. Instead of using this amount of money well, the sluggard and lazy recipient of the money buried it deep in the earth. Someone else was given only a thousand drachmas. This man was a hard worker, diligent and energetic. He increased his investment and produced results. The great treasure of immeasurable value is the Christian faith. Most Christians are not interested and do not use it as they should. They are indolent and lazy, indifferent and of little faith, or unbelievers and atheists who bear only the name of Christian and nothing more. While you see those of other faiths and creeds, who from tradition or conscience, cultivate increase, and multiply, bringing forth virtues that are admirable. The so-called Christians are engaging in scandalous deeds and ugly crimes. These pseudo-Christians are slandering and blaspheming the most beautiful religion in the world."

    We saw a great lack of faith recently when many Churches closed out of fear of disease. Instead of running to Christ in His Life-giving Mysteries (both physical and spiritual life), we saw that physical life free from suffering was prioritized.

    We were shamed much like the Jews in the account when many of other faiths were willing to be put in jail rather than close the doors to their churches; churches where the Mysteries of Christ are not even present.

    Instead of asking our Lord to not enter into our house because of our unworthiness out of humility, we demanded that He not do so out of fear of bodily death and with no concern for spiritual life. We effectively told Him that He was not worthy to enter into our bodies because He could transmit disease to our flesh, which we have made idols of.

    St. Gregory Palamas asks, "Who are those children of the kingdom expelled into darkness? Those who confess the faith, but deny God with their works, 'being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate'(Titus 1:16). Who are those who sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the heavenly kingdom? Those who, with sincere faith, order their lives according to the law and the teaching of the Spirit, and demonstrate their faith through their works."

    St. John Chrysostom tells of God's Love for all mankind saying, "He profits us by opening His discourses about His kingdom and drawing all men towards it. For those even whom He was threatening to cast out, He threatened not in order to cast them out, but in order that through such fear, He might draw them into it by His words."

    We can also learn a great lesson in how to approach God in prayer by the words of the Centurion. We notice that the Centurion only laid the concern before the Lord, fearful of even asking for his servant's healing because of his unworthiness, but with full faith that He could do so if He so willed.

    Similarly, we should lay our concerns before the Lord, trusting that God's will be done; whether He takes away a painful situation or not. We know that He is the great Physician and will apply the proper remedy to any given ailment.

    We recognize like the Centurion the mastery that Jesus Christ has over all things. He is able to overcome and command death just as a master commands a slave. For in saying, 'come, and he cometh,' and 'go, and he goeth; he shows that if He should command his end not to come upon him, it will not come.

    St. Gregory the Theologian comments on our need to approach God with humility especially mindful of our sinfulness saying, "Let each one of us also speak so, as long as he is still uncleansed, and is a Centurion still, commanding many in wickedness, and serving in the army of Caesar, the World-ruler of those who are being dragged down; 'I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof.'"

    Our Lord showed that the Centurion was indeed worthy to have Him enter into his house and did much greater things, marveling at him, and proclaiming him, and giving more than he had asked. For he came indeed seeking for his servant health of body, but went away, having received a kingdom. We see how the saying had been already fulfilled, 'Seek ye the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you.' For, because he showed great faith, and lowliness of mind, He both gave him heaven, and added unto him health.

    May we strive to attain such faith and humility as the centurion, and be counted worthy as vessels of our Lord and God. To whom be Glory now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.