Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 8:5

"And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him," — Matthew 8:5 (ASV)

In Luke, the narrative immediately follows the Sermon on the Plain; in Matthew (with the healing of the leper in between), it follows the Sermon on the Mount. The placement in both cases seems to imply a connection between the teaching and the miracle that had fixed itself on people's minds. The miracle was, indeed, primarily memorable for the teaching to which it led. A comparison of the two narratives suggests that Matthew records the miracle more in reference to its associated teaching, while Luke does so after a closer inquiry into the details and circumstances. For example, Matthew states that the centurion came to our Lord himself, but from Luke’s report, we learn that he never came in person at all, but first sent the elders of the Jews, and then his friends.

A centurion—The presence of a centurion (a word originally meaning the commander of a hundred soldiers, but, like most words of its kind, later used with a broader meaning) implied a garrison was stationed at Capernaum to preserve order. Thus, we find a centurion with his soldiers at Caesarea (Acts 10:1). In Jerusalem, it appears it was considered necessary to station a chiliarch, or “chief captain” of a thousand soldiers (Acts 21:31). We encounter the same word in connection with the birthday feast of the Tetrarch Antipas (Mark 6:21).

Here, as in the case of Cornelius, the faith and life of Judaism had made a deep impression on the soldier’s mind. We may well believe that this faith was seen to greater advantage in the villages of Galilee than amid the factions of Jerusalem. He found a purity, reverence, simplicity, and nobility of life that he had not found elsewhere. Therefore, he “loved the nation” (Luke 7:5) and rebuilt the town's synagogue. As mentioned previously, it is probable that among the ruins of Tell-Hûm, identified as Capernaum, we have the remains of the very structure he built.

In the same way, he had made a favorable impression on the Jews of that city. They felt his love for them and were ready to go on his errand, support his prayer with all earnestness, and attest to his worth. For someone like Luke, whose work was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, these incidents would have been precious. They were early signs of the breaking down of barriers and the brotherhood of humanity in Christ—a message that his companion, the Apostle Paul, was the great preacher of.