Jesus
said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.
Matthew 8:13
Matthew 8 [8.] The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and tell another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Matthew 8 [10.] When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel. I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.
Matthew 8 [14.] When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and served him. When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.” Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.
Meaning:
A Roman centurion in Capernaum asked Jesus to heal his paralyzed and suffering servant. When Jesus offered to come, the officer said it was unnecessary: Jesus only had to say the word. Amazed at his faith, Jesus spoke the word, and the servant was healed in that same hour. This verse shows the authority of Jesus' word and the way he honors faith, even in a Gentile soldier of the occupying army.
- A Centurion in Capernaum
A centurion commanded around a hundred soldiers. In Galilee at this time, such troops probably served Herod Antipas, but they were organized on the Roman pattern and were usually Gentiles. To many Jews they represented foreign power. Yet this centurion cared deeply for his servant, and he approached a Jewish teacher with humility, saying, "Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof." He understood that a devout Jew might hesitate to enter a Gentile house, and he spared Jesus that difficulty.
- "Just Say the Word"
The centurion knew how authority worked. He gave orders and they were carried out. He recognized that Jesus held a far greater authority, over sickness itself, and that his command would be obeyed even at a distance. The Psalmist had celebrated the same truth about God: "He sends his word, and heals them" (Psalm 107:19-21). God's word "will not return to me void" (Isaiah 55:10-11).
- "Go Your Way. Let It Be Done for You as You Have Believed"
Jesus' reply sends the centurion home with a promise and links the result to his faith. The healing happened "in that hour," just as the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman was freed when Jesus said, "For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter" (Mark 7:29). These are the two healings at a distance in the first three Gospels, and both were for Gentiles. Matthew records that Jesus told the Canaanite mother, "Be it done to you even as you desire" (Matthew 15:28), words that closely echo this verse.
Jesus also used the moment to announce that "many will come from the east and the west" to share the feast of the Kingdom with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The centurion was a forerunner of the multitude of Gentile believers who would come. Years later another centurion, Cornelius, would become one of the first Gentiles to receive the Good News, when Peter realized "that God doesn’t show favoritism" (Acts 10:34-35).
The Significance of Matthew 8:13
- Trusting the Word of Jesus
The centurion believed Jesus' word without seeing the result. Believers today live in the same way, trusting the promises of Scripture. Faith is not a feeling we generate but confidence in the authority and goodness of Christ.
- Humility and Compassion Together
The centurion's faith was matched by humility and love for a servant who could do nothing for him. True faith often shows itself in care for the vulnerable. His example encourages us to bring the needs of others to Jesus.
Cross-References:
Mark 7:29: "He said to her, “For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”" The other healing at a distance for a Gentile, with the same command to go.
Matthew 15:28: "Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour." Jesus responds to another Gentile's great faith in almost the same words.
Psalm 107:20: "He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves." God's word carries healing power across any distance.
Acts 10:34-35: "Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him." Another centurion, Cornelius, shows the gospel opening to the Gentiles.
Conclusion: Matthew 8:13 shows the authority of Jesus' word and his delight in faith. A Gentile officer trusted Jesus to heal from a distance, and his servant was healed in that hour. The verse invites us to take Jesus at his word, to bring others' needs to him, and to rejoice that his Kingdom is open to people of every nation.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible