When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” 7 He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” 8 The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, 12 but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour [his] servant was healed.
After healing a Jewish leper, Jesus enters Capernaum and is approached by someone unexpected: a Roman centurion. A man of authority, wealth, and status—yet also a Gentile—this soldier becomes one of the most striking examples of faith in all the Gospels. His request and Jesus’ response reveal the heart of divine mercy and the universal reach of salvation.
When Jesus enters the city, the centurion approaches and pleads for the healing of his paralyzed servant. It is striking that a Gentile—and a Roman military officer, no less—would seek help from a Jewish teacher. Roman officials typically avoided involvement in Jewish religious matters, yet this man sees in Jesus something far greater than national or religious boundaries. He recognizes divine authority and approaches with both respect and compassion.
Jesus’ response is immediate and unexpected: “I will come and cure him.” This may surprise the reader, especially in light of Jesus’ later statement, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 15:24). Yet here, Jesus responds not to the man’s background, but to his faith. The centurion’s plea anticipates the Gospel’s universal call and the Church’s mission to all nations (cf. Mt 28:19).
The centurion then offers a response that echoes through centuries of Christian faith: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed.” He acknowledges his unworthiness and yet expresses absolute trust in the power of Christ’s word. This remarkable act of faith—confidence not in signs or touch, but in the spoken word—so moved the early Church that it became part of the liturgy. To this day, the Catholic faithful echo these words at every Mass before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, recognizing that we, too, are unworthy, but that Christ comes to us in mercy.
Jesus marvels at the man’s faith. “In no one in Israel have I found such faith,” He says, highlighting not the centurion’s rank, but the purity of his trust. While many within Israel sought signs, this Gentile believed without demanding proof. His faith foreshadows the spread of the Gospel to the Gentile world, even as some within Israel would harden their hearts (cf. Rom 9:30–33).
Finally, Jesus speaks the healing: “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant is healed in that very hour. No touch is needed. No ritual is performed. The word of Christ alone accomplishes the miracle. This affirms that Jesus’ authority transcends space, race, and religious custom—His divine power reaches wherever faith receives Him.
This encounter not only reveals the boundless reach of Christ’s authority but also sets a pattern for how God responds to sincere faith, wherever it is found. It is a turning point that looks beyond Israel to the full horizon of salvation history—where healing, restoration, and communion with God are offered to all who believe. In this way, the faith of the centurion complements and deepens the lesson of the leper’s healing that came just before (Mt. 8:1-4).
This passage fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy that God’s salvation would extend to the nations (Is 49:6; cf. Mt 12:18–21). It also anticipates St. Paul’s teaching that Gentiles are “grafted in” through faith (Rom 11:17). The Church Fathers saw in this text a foreshadowing of the Eucharist and the authority of Christ’s word in the sacraments.
The term “Eucharist” (from the Greek for “thanksgiving”) was used by the early Church Fathers, including St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–107 A.D.) and St. Justin Martyr (c. 100–165 A.D.), to describe the sacramental celebration of Christ’s Body and Blood. It expressed both their gratitude and their awe before the real presence of Christ in this sacred meal—a belief held by the faithful from the very beginning of the Church. Some, like the young martyr St. Tarcisius (c. 3rd century A.D.), even gave their lives rather than surrender the consecrated Eucharist, attesting to their belief that it was not mere bread, but Christ Himself.
Lord Jesus, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, yet You draw near in mercy. Speak Your word into my life. Strengthen my faith, that I may trust not in signs, but in Your promises. Amen!
Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Bernard Orchard et al. (1953).
- The Navarre Bible: Matthew, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al. (2018).
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Raymond E. Brown et al. (1990).
- St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, c. 107 A.D.
- St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, chs. 65–66, c. 155 A.D.
- St. Tarcisius, martyrdom tradition from 3rd century A.D., during the persecutions under Emperor Valerian (c. 253–260 A.D.).
- Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 8:1–13; 12:18–21; 15:24; 28:19; Romans 9:30–33; 11:17.
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