Bible Study Lesson .. Matthew 8:5-13
Today we are going to see what happens when Jesus encounters the Roman centurion and heals his servant.
In this New Testament Bible passage, Matthew writes about what it means to have faith.
The Roman centurion was hated by the Jewish and had to overcome serious obstacles to ask
Jesus for help; but he did.
Let’s see the outcome.
Jesus Heals the Roman Centurion’s Servant
And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.”
Jesus *said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. – Matthew 8:5-8 NASB
The Faith Of The Roman Centurion
The reason this Roman soldier was called a centurion is because he was in charge of 100 men whom he led into battle.
Being a centurion also meant that he was hated by the people of Israel as were most Roman soldiers.
Rome occupied the Jewish nations at this time and were known for their oppressive behavior toward the Israelites.
This Roman Soldier Was Different
The centurion who is mentioned in this lesson was different. He did not let known prejudices stand in his way of showing faith toward Jesus.
In fact, his faith was so strong that Christ was amazed and “marveled” at this humble behavior.
Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.” – Matthew 8:10NASB
Jesus knew that many of the religious leaders did not even come close to comparing to this Roman centurion where faith was concerned.
Getting into Heaven – or Not
Lastly, He told the crowd that lack of faith would keep many of the religious Jews out of the kingdom of heaven.
In its simplest form, they did not accept Christ as Savior because tradition did not allow it.
Tradition can Weaken Faith
But, how about us? Do we have traditions embedded so deep that we can not take a step to have faith in Christ?
God works in His own way and we must have enough faith to put away our prejudices and habits to accept Him as Lord. Don’t let a habit ruin your relationship with God.
Try and capture the faith of the Roman centurion.
Love in Christ
– Bob
If you would like to discover how to receive the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16 for more information.
Read Today’s Verses Here:
New American Standard Bible
New King James Version