Centurion's Slave Healed

. . . my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” (NASB) Matt. 8:5

And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, . . . (NASB) Luke 7:2

Matthew used a general term, and Luke used a specific term. Luke’ wanted to be precise (Luke 1:1-4) in his writings and he was. DOULOS described the sick person as a slave, and PAIS revealed the emotion of the centurion’s heart for his slave. Luke tells us that the slave was highly regarded. He was like a son. The Greek word that is translated as “highly regarded” is ENTIMOS. It means “precious.” That is, the centurion had a very strong attachment to his slave. He was like a son to him. That is the reason he came pleading for his life.

Paralyzed or Near Death? Another apparent conflict is that Matthew tells us the centurion said his slave was paralyzed and fearfully tormented. Yet, Luke describes him as sick and about to die. The answer is found in the three Greek words that Matthew uses to describe the slave’s paralysis. First, the Greek word for “paralyzed” is PARALUTIKOS. The word refers to someone who was lame or paralyzed.

The next two words indicate that the slave was not just lame or paralyzed. The next two words reveal that the paralysis was the result of a disease that was causing great pain and torment.

The second Greek word is BASANIZO. It was used to describe someone who was in torment or who was being tortured. The third Greek word is DEINOS. It was used to refer to an extremely negative condition.

Together these three words reveal that the disease had been tormenting the slave. He was at the extreme point of the suffering. This past year I was having some pain in my left knee. So I went to a doctor for an evaluation. I was asked, “How strong is the pain on a scale of 1 to 10? Ten being the most severe.” It told the nurse that the pain varied from day to-day. According to the Greek, this slave’s pain was a “10.” It was at the extreme end. So the slave was being tortured and according to PARALUTIKOS it had resulted in him being paralyzed. So when Luke, the medical doctor, said that he was sick and near death, he had focused on a doctor’s immediate concern. The slave was near death. Jesus was being asked to heal someone who was extremely sick and near death.

Conclusion. Matthew and Luke recorded different aspects of this event. Matthew recorded the end of the event - the final moments - and the personal interaction between Jesus and the centurion while Luke emphasized the cold heart of the Jewish leaders. The centurion’s slave was extremely ill and near death. It is amazing that the Jewish leaders did not ask for mercy for the slave. Instead, they appealed to a sense of reward for one who had given much to Israel. It is clear that they were motivated by duty and not by their hearts. They were coldly orthodox.

Together Matthew and Luke paint an incredible story of cold orthodoxy contrasted to passionate love and a great faith. Cold orthodoxy is often without love and it is often missing true faith. A heart that lacks real love does not have true faith. It does not know God. That is the message of the following passage,

The centurion had great faith, and he had a great heart. So Jesus healed the slave from a distance because his owner loved him and believed that Jesus could heal him. Jesus did not heal the slave out of some sense of duty. There were no hands laid on, no prayers over the slave, no exorcisms, or healing service. Jesus just did it. He healed the slave because the centurion believed Jesus could heal and He did.

And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment. (NASB) Matt. 8:13

The slave was healed instantly - immediately. There was no waiting period for healing.

When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. (NASB) Luke 7:10

Luke tells us that when the centurion’s friends returned, they found the boy to be healed. They doubted. It is good that the slave’s healing did not depend upon the faith of the centurion’s friends.

Are you in need of healing? If so, Jesus asks, “Do you believe that I can heal you?” Do you have the faith of the centurion? That is, do you believe that Jesus can? Then ask Him for healing, and He will heal if it is His will.

The book of Daniel tells us that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego had refused to worship an idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. So he summoned them to his court and ordered them to bow down and worship his idol. He threatened them with a furnace of fire. Now listen to their response,

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. (NASB) Dan. 3:17-18

These men believed in God, but they also understood that God had a will too! Daniel 3 then tells us that God chose to rescue them. He honored their faith. Why did we talk about this Old Testament event? The point is simple. God asks us to believe that He can and not that He will.

May the Lord bless you.

Jack Shaffer. A Harmonization of Matt 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10. Master's Seminary Journal. Fall. 2006. p. 35.