Matthew 8:9

Wednesday, 5 March 2025 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Matthew 8:9 “For I also, I am a man under authority, having under me soldiers. And I say to this, ‘You go,’ and he goes. And to another, ‘You come,’ and he comes. And to my slave, ‘You do this,’ and he does.” (CG). In the previous verse, the centurion showed great humility before Jesus. He noted he was unworthy that the Lord would come under his roof, and rather implored Him to just speak a word and his servant would be healed. Next, he explains how he knew Jesus could do that, beginning with, “For I also, I am a man under authority.” The KJV inexplicably leaves out the word kai, translated as “also.” It is found in all manuscripts. The centurion is placing himself in the same situation as Jesus. They are both men and they both have powers subject to them. Leaving out the word also destroys the comparison and sets the centurion apart from Jesus, distancing the entire discourse he is about to make from Jesus. As for his words, the meaning is not that he is under someone else’s authority but that he is a man who possesses authority over others. Being a centurion, both were true, but his words refer to those under him. He led a contingent of one hundred men bearing arms. But he would also have servants under him as well. Understanding this, he explains what his authority entailed, saying, “having under me soldiers.” A soldier in the Roman army was led by those appointed over him and he was to comply without asking why. His superiors were given the absolute right to make decisions for him and he simply responded with obedience and compliance. He had no right to disobey unless his superior was in violation of Roman law. This is how militaries are normally run. There is to be adherence to lawful orders without question or complaint. When this structure breaks down, the effectiveness of the unit and the army will be compromised. Therefore, the centurion continues with, “And I say to this, ‘You go,’ and he goes. And to another, ‘You come,’ and he comes.” This is the life of an underling in the military. The word that is spoken is to be considered an order. In a word as just mentioned by the centurion, there is no occasion to say, “Why do I have to do that?” or “I will be there in twenty minutes because I am having dinner now.” Rather, immediate and absolute compliance is expected. The reason for this is that when the time for engagement of an enemy comes, the soldier must be so thoroughly conditioned to obedience that he will not hesitate. Even in the face of death, his responsibility is to the one appointed above him. And this is because the one appointed above him went through the same process of growing through obedience that he is now going through. Eventually, each higher level was to give the same obedience to those above them until the decision was left at the feet of the emperor, the final and supreme decider who represented the Roman Empire. Understanding this, the centurion continues with, “And to my slave, ‘You do this,’ and he does.” Here is a new word, doulos, a slave or a bondservant. The word can be literal or figurative and the state can be voluntary or involuntary. This is different from the pais, servant, of verse 8:6. That generally signifies a child under training which emphasizes the ongoing development that is needed to attain the height of his destiny. The doulos may very well be born as a slave, live as a slave, and die as a slave. He may have no destiny to attain. Rather, he was normally considered property and would often even be a part of the next generation’s inheritance. Like the soldier, such a person had no right to question why. He had nothing on which he could base a complaint, and if he were to attempt to escape, he would be subject to intense discipline or even death. As such, their life was one of obedience without question. Understanding the nature of these two categories, the reason he is saying these words to Jesus becomes evident. This centurion understood that Jesus held authority. His word was a command and its compliance to His word was absolute. If Jesus spoke a word of healing, it would come about as surely as the centurion’s soldier or slave would comply with his own directive word. Life application: This Gentile had heard the word about Jesus, had understood that what he was told was a sign of authority, and had then equated this authority to his own. The miracles that had been told him made him understand that what he had heard meant that what Jesus could do signified power within the spoken word itself. Therefore, he perceived Jesus was unlike any doctor or physician who had to wield his intelligence, physical stamina, skill...