The centurion answered and said, вЂњLord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.вЂќ Although he has great authority, he humbly submits himself before Jesus as Lord. He acknowledges that this is a Jewish custom, and he submits himself to its demands, though he may not have believed it himself. This humble man does not disdain this tradition nor debate it. When Jesus offers to come and heal his servant, the Centurion refuses, not wanting to bring any disrepute upon Jesus. The Centurion shows that he is sensitive to the traditions of the Jewish culture, who believed that a Jew who entered the house of a Gentile, would become defiled. Finding faith in the God of the Hebrews while being a Gentile and a leader amongst the soldiers of Rome was a truly amazing event. Perhaps he had compared JesusвЂ™ words and actions with the Hebrew scriptures and came to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah who was promised. It is certainly possible the he had a few Jewish friends who had told him about the prophecies of the coming Messiah. Where did he learn about the Messiah? Who taught Him? What was it that brought his heart to this place of preparation? It may be that he had studied Jesus and the works that He had done, for some time. This Roman citizen, who had grown up in a culture which worshipped a multitude of gods, believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Hebrew scriptures. This particular officer addresses Jesus as вЂњLord,вЂќ while the leaders of Israel do not.

The Centurion was a Roman officer who had authority over 80-100 men. The testimony of Matthew is that Jesus marveled at him and said: Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! It has always amazed me, the faith that the Centurion displayed before Jesus. The Centurion and Jesus: Great Faith or Evidence ofВ Contradiction? Home вЂє The Existence of God вЂє Atheists, Agnostics and Skeptics вЂє Common errors of Atheists вЂє The Centurion and Jesus: Great Faith or Evidence ofВ Contradiction?

Jesus and the centurion