Faith and humility go hand in hand. Both complement each other. Some of us may “excel” in faith but lack humility. On the other hand, some may have the humility but lack the faith. The Scriptures record the healing of a centurion’s servant by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 8:5-10 and also in Luke 7:1-10. Both accounts are essential for Christian growth and maturity.
Our text is taken from from Matthew Chapter 8. “When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly. And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:5-9).
A centurion was an officer in the army of ancient Rome and one who commanded 100 men. The centurion came to Jesus seeking healing for his ailing servant who was paralyzed at home and suffering greatly. In response to his request, Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
Two things are very evident here. The faith and humility of the centurion and the willingness and power of Jesus Christ to heal the sick. Notice Jesus did not hesitate to respond. His immediate response was “I will come and heal him.”
The centurion expressed great confidence in Jesus’ ability to heal his servant. He said, “only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Also, the centurion did not consider the importance of his position. He made a very remarkable statement by saying, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.” Jesus marveled at the faith of the centurion. “When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Matthew 8:10). How gracious Jesus was in commending the man for his faith. Let us also keep in mind that “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Consider this man’s authority. He said “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” But this did not take away his humility.
The lesson for us is regardless of our position in life, we can definitely choose to be humble. There is too much pride and ego on display in our society these days. The greatest example of humility is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture says, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus displayed a wonderful spirit of humility. True Christianity therefore requires profound humility if we are truly followers of Christ. Didn’t Jesus tell the Pharisees, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11,12).
What humility. What faith. What confidence exhibited by the centurion. In Luke’s account we read what he said to Jesus, “The centurion sent friends, saying to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word and let my servant be healed” (Luke 7:6,7). How very gracious. The centurion recognized and acknowledged Jesus’ divine authority. He said “But say the word and let my servant be healed.”
It is also obvious that the centurion had no reservations or second thoughts about the ability, willingness, and power of Jesus to heal his servant even without being physically present. How about you and me. Can this be truly said of us? It may not necessarily be healing in our situation. It could be a variety of other needs where we ask the Lord to intervene and help us. Remember, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). God is able to meet or “exceed” our requests at any time, according to His divine will and purpose.
Just as Jesus Christ was able and willing to heal the centurion’s servant, He is also able and willing to save you and meet your spiritual needs right now, if you submit to Him, repent of your sins and trust Him as your personal Savior. Why not embrace this opportunity. There is no time like the present. Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).