Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 8:8

"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." — Matthew 8:8 (ASV)

Both here and in the story of the Canaanite woman (15:21–28), faith triumphs over the obstacle Jesus erects. The centurion’s reply again opens with “Lord” (v.8), implying tenacity and deference. As John the Baptist felt unworthy to baptize Jesus, so this centurion felt unworthy to entertain him in his home. This feeling of unworthiness did not arise from an awareness that the centurion might render Jesus ceremonially defiled; rather, the man felt unworthy in the face of Jesus’ authority. Here is someone who illustrates the truth of the first Beatitude (5:3).

The centurion’s words presuppose an understanding of the Roman military system. All “authority” belonged to the emperor and was delegated. Therefore, because he was under the emperor’s authority, when the centurion spoke, he spoke with the emperor’s authority, and so his command was obeyed. A foot soldier who disobeyed would not be defying a mere centurion but the emperor, Rome itself, with all its imperial majesty and might. This self-understanding the centurion applied to Jesus. Precisely because Jesus was under God’s authority, he was vested with God’s authority, so that when Jesus spoke, God spoke. To defy Jesus was to defy God; and Jesus’ word must therefore be vested with God’s authority that is able to heal sickness. This analogy reveals an astonishing faith on the part of the centurion.