Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 8:8-9

"And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it." — Matthew 8:8-9 (ASV)

The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof: but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.

From his own power over his soldiers and servants, he argued that Christ must have at least equal power over all the forces of nature; and, as a centurion did not need to go and do everything himself but gave his orders to his servant, and he did it, so, surely, there could be no need for the great Commander, to whom he was speaking, to honor the sick man with his own personal presence. He simply had to utter the command, and it would be obeyed, and the centurion's servant would be healed. Do you think this is an ingenious argument? It is so, certainly, but it is also a very plain and very forcible one.

I have read or heard many ingenious arguments for unbelief, and I have often wished that half the ingenuity thus vainly spent could be exercised in discovering reasons for believing so; I am pleased to notice that this commander of a hundred Roman soldiers merely argued from his own position, and so developed in his mind still greater confidence in Christ's power to heal his sick servant. Is there not something about yourself, from which, if you would look at it in the right light, you might gather arguments concerning the power of the Lord Jesus Christ?

But speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority,

He was, therefore, only a subordinate officer, for he was subject to his superiors.

The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority,

Here was a great point – here was a man commissioned, a man authorized, girded with authority; and he looked upon Christ in the same manner, sent by God, under divine authority, girded with a heavenly commission.

He would not put the Lord Jesus to so much trouble as to come to his house. He felt unworthy to be served at such a cost by such a Lord. He argues that a word will accomplish everything.

He himself was under authority and therefore had the power to exercise authority over others. He believed that the Lord Jesus also had a commission from the supreme power, and that this would invest Him with command over all the minor forces of the universe—a command He could exercise from a distance with a single word.

If soldiers would come and go at a centurion’s bidding, much more would diseases fly at the word of the Lord Jesus. It was a thoughtful, fair, and conclusive argument.

May we also know Jesus under authority, Jesus with authority, and ourselves under authority to Jesus! May we also believe in the omnipotence of the divine word and go forth and prove its power in the hearts of men! O You, who are our King, display Your royal power!