Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 8:6

"and saying, Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented." — Matthew 8:6 (ASV)

My servant—The Greek word used here can mean either “servant” or “boy.” The first meaning is more common and is confirmed by Luke, who uses a word that specifically means “slave.” He is described as paralyzed, but the words grievously tormented point to more acute suffering than is typical for that disease. This implies something like rheumatic fever, tetanus, or a specific kind of paralysis that both numbs the muscles and afflicts the sensory nerves with sharp pain. A similar case of paralysis with agonizing pain is found in 1 Maccabees 9:55–56.

The fact that this suffering moved his master to pity was a sign of the centurion’s exceptionally good character, as this was not how wealthy Romans typically treated their sick slaves. Luke does not specify the nature of the disease, perhaps because he could not determine its precise nature. Instead, he simply describes the slave as ill and at the point to die, adding that he was dear (literally, precious) to his master.

Luke’s narrative further states that the centurion sent the elders, having heard of Jesus. The report had obviously led him to view the Teacher as someone endowed with supernatural power. It may have come from the elders of the synagogue themselves, but the facts of the case make it probable that he had heard specifically of the healing of the “nobleman’s son” at Capernaum, recorded by John (John 4:46–54). In that event, he found a precedent that determined his own course of action, showing him that a word from Jesus’s lips could be enough to heal without touch or even physical presence.