The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
Most people would probably take it for granted that, if he chose to help at all, Jesus would do so by entering under the roof of the one in need. The centurion in particular had enough authority and importance that he might have assumed that Jesus would either do what he asked because he was impressed by such things, or else not do it at all. But the centurion had a higher view of Jesus than that of mere magician or miracle worker. What the centurion knew of authority led him to suspect something about Jesus that many others missed. However much it was appropriate for him to show deference within the Roman military hierarchy, it was far more so before Jesus. He knew this wasn't a situation in which he was going to impress or intimidate Jesus into doing something for him. But he did not seem to be a man who relied on such assets. He was capable of expressing his need and his vulnerability in a way that left the choice of whether or not to respond entirely in the hands of Jesus, without any attempt at manipulation. Just as he did not attempt to force the hand of Jesus in whether or not to save his servant neither did he attempt to dictate how Jesus would do it.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
It would be silly for civilians who needed defense from their enemies to tell the military how they ought to do their job. But most of us are all too ready to tell Jesus, not only what we need, but exactly how and when. Typically, we barely pause to consider for a minute whether every detail of our desire might truly yield the best result, since it is the result that seems to us to be the most urgent. Those dealing with an enemy invasion might also feel a sense or urgency. But in most cases that would not qualify them to start teaching strategy to the armed forced. The centurion understood both authority and the limitations on that authority. He knew he was not in a position to dictate to those higher up the chain than himself. At the same time he knew what it meant for words of authority spoken by the rest person to have their proper effect. He understood fairly well the limitations of even the greatest imperial or military authority in the face of the suffering of his servant. But he also somehow came to understand that Jesus was all a man with authority, and one with an entirely different scale than his own. Yet it was not without a slight parallel. He himself spoke words of command and his soldiers carried them out. This was how he had come to understand the power of the words of Jesus. They too were words of command that, when spoken, were effective. We know that Jesus did indeed have legions of angels at his beck and call, waiting to carry them out.
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
Perhaps we can learn from the centurion that Jesus is worthy of greater faith and trust than we imagined. We should ease back from trying to force Jesus to do what we assume is the best and instead submit our requests to the discretion of his infinite wisdom, while trusting that he will do whatever is truly for our good and the glory of his Father. We should learn that even if the what of our prayer is spot on the how is less likely to perfectly match God's will. We should surrender to the fact that he may choose the act in a way that does not satisfy our emotions or our curiosity. He probably won't perform his miracles in order to impress us. Our felt need to be present when he works has less to do with end results and more with our own uncertainty and insecurity. When we trust Jesus to work, and trust that the way he chooses to work is for the best, we open doors of faith through which his salvation can enter the world. Such faith is the basis for our relationship with him, the reason why even Gentiles such as most of us can now be called sons and daughters of God, and dine at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.
