Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew

Matt. VIII. 5.

“And when He was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him, and saying, Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.”

The leper came unto Him “when He had come down from the mountain,” but this centurion, “when He was entered into Capernaum.” Wherefore then did neither the one nor the other go up into the mountain? Not out of remissness, for indeed the faith of them both was fervent, but in order not to interrupt His teaching.

But having come unto Him, he says, “My servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” Now some say, that by way of excuse he mentioned also the cause, why he had not brought him. “For neither was it possible,” says he, “paralyzed as he was, and tormented, and at his last gasp, to lift and convey him.” For that he was at the point of expiring, Luke says; “He was even ready to die.” But I say, this is a sign of his having great faith, even much greater than theirs, who let one down through the roof. For because he knew for certain, that even a mere command was enough for the raising up of the patient, he thought it superfluous to bring him.

What then does Jesus? What He had in no case done before, here He does. For whereas on every occasion He was used to follow the wish of His supplicants, here He rather springs toward it, and offers not only to heal him, but also to come to the house. And this He does, that we might learn the virtue of the centurion. For if He had not made this offer, but had said, “Go your way, let your servant be healed;” we should have known none of these things.

This at least He did, in an opposite way, in the case also of the Phœnician woman. For here, when not summoned to the house, of His own accord He says, He will come, that you might learn the centurion's faith and great humility; but in the case of the Phœnician woman, He both refuses the grant, and drives her, persevering therein, to great perplexity.

For being a wise physician and full of resources, He knows how to bring about contraries the one by the other. And as here by His freely-offered coming, so there by His peremptory putting off and denial, He unfolds the woman's faith. So likewise He does in Abraham's case, saying, “I will by no means hide from Abraham my servant;” to make you know that man's kindly affection, and his care for Sodom. And in the instance of Lot, they that were sent refuse to enter into his house, to make you know the greatness of that righteous man's hospitality.

What then says the centurion? “I am not worthy that you should come under my roof.” Let us hearken, as many as are to receive Christ: for it is possible to receive Him even now. Let us hearken, and emulate, and receive Him with as great zeal; for indeed, when you receive a poor man who is hungry and naked, you have received and cherished Him.

2. “But say in a word only, and my servant shall be healed.”

See this man also, how, like the leper, he has the right opinion touching Him. For neither did this one say, “entreat,” nor did he say, “pray, and beseech,” but “command only.” And then from fear lest out of modesty He refuse, he says,

“For I also am a man under authority, having under me soldiers; 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.”

“And what of that,” says one, “if the centurion did suspect it to be so? For the question is, whether Christ affirmed and ratified as much.” You speak well, and very sensibly. Let us then look to this very thing; and we shall find what happened in the case of the leper, the same happening here likewise. For even as the leper said, “If you will” (and not from the leper only are we positive about His authority, but also from the voice of Christ; in that, so far from putting an end to the suspicion, He did even confirm it more, by adding what were else superfluous to say, in the phrase, “I will, be thou cleansed,” in order to establish that man's doctrine): so here too, it is right to see whether any such thing occurred. In fact, we shall find this same thing again taking place. For when the centurion had spoken such words, and had testified His so great prerogative; so far from blaming, He did even approve it, and did somewhat more than approve it. For neither has the evangelist said, that He praised the saying only, but declaring a certain earnestness in His praise, that He even “marvelled;” and neither did He simply marvel, but in the presence also of the whole people, and set Him as an example to the rest, that they should emulate Him.

Do you see how each of them that bore witness of His authority is “marvelled at? And the multitudes were astonished at His doctrine, because He taught as one having authority;” and so far from blaming them, He both took them with Him when He came down, and by His words of cleansing to the leper, confirmed their judgment. Again, that leper said, “If you will, you can make me clean;” and so far from rebuking, He on the contrary cleansed him by such treatment as He had said. Again, this centurion says, “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed:” and “marvelling” at him, He said, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

Now, to convince you of this by the opposite also; Martha having said nothing of this sort, but on the contrary, “Whatsoever you will ask of God, He will give You;” so far from being praised, although an acquaintance, and dear to Him, and one of them that had shown great zeal toward Him, she was rather rebuked and corrected by Him, as not having spoken well; in that He said to her, “Said I not unto you, that if you would believe, you should see the glory of God?” blaming her, as though she did not even yet believe. And again, because she had said, “Whatsoever You will ask of God, He will give You;” to lead her away from such a surmise, and to teach her that He needs not to receive from another, but is Himself the fountain of all good things, He says, “I am the resurrection and the life;” that is to say, “I wait not to receive active power, but work all of myself.”

Wherefore at the centurion He both marvels, and prefers him to all the people, and honors him with the gift of the kingdom, and provokes the rest to the same zeal. And to show you that for this end He so spoke, viz. for the instructing of the rest to believe in like manner, listen to the exactness of the evangelist, how he has intimated it. For,

“Jesus,” says he, “turned Him about, and said to them that followed Him, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

It follows, that to have high imaginations concerning Him, this especially is of faith, and tends to procure the kingdom and His other blessings. For neither did His praise reach to words only, but He both restored the sick man whole, in recompence of his faith, and weaves for him a glorious crown, and promises great gifts, saying on this wise,

“Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down in the bosoms of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out.”

Thus, since He had shown many miracles, He proceeds to talk with them more unreservedly.

Then, that no one might suppose His words to come of flattery, but that all might be aware that such was the mind of the centurion, He says,

“Go your way; as you have believed, so be it done unto you.”