THE CENTURION’S FAITH IN CAPERNAUM

LUKE 7:1–10

Turn to any page in the Gospels and you are more likely to see Jesus teaching sons of Abraham than Gentiles. He had established his home in Capernaum, which was in the middle of an observant Jewish region26 whose people considered the power of Rome and what it represented to be an extension of the kingdom of evil. Thus it would have appeared strange for Jesus to have a favorable interaction with a Roman military officer. But this centurion27 in Capernaum loved the nation of Israel and had the affection of the local Jewish community leaders. He had even built Capernaum’s synagogue (Luke 7:4–5). We do not know his name, but we do know his title and consequently that he was a Gentile.

As Jesus entered the city, a delegation of Jewish leaders approached bringing a request for him to help the Roman centurion whose valued servant was critically ill. A centurion was a military officer who had command of a unit that in the period of the Gospels could number up to one hundred men. Whether this officer had been appointed by Rome or by one of the provincial governors, he was a Gentile with significant power and authority. Therefore he could have forced Jesus to come, but instead he humbly sought help and completely submitted to Jesus’s authority, believing he could heal his servant just by saying the word (Luke 7:7). Jesus not only granted the centurion’s request but also celebrated his faith, noting that he had not discovered this kind of faith anywhere else in Israel (Luke 7:9).

Bronze Antoninianus coin, stamped with the standard of the Roman Legion.

Relief of a Roman soldier guarding a captured Gaul.
© Dr. James C. Martin. The British Museum. Photographed by permission.

All this happened in Capernaum for a reason. First of all, the setting explains why this city provided Jesus with an opportunity to interact with a Gentile centurion. At Capernaum, where topography narrowed and directed passage of international trade, the Romans were likely to have established a customs station. Thus, Roman soldiers would be quartered in the region to guarantee the security of that station.

Stamped tile of the Tenth Roman Legion.
© Dr. James C. Martin. The Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel. Photographed by permission.

The words Jesus spoke to this man take on added meaning in light of the setting, for Capernaum was a stronghold of observant Judaism, which generally viewed Gentiles as enemies to be eliminated.28 They commonly held that the day of the Messiah’s arrival would include a feast attended by the redeemed of Israel and the great leaders of Israel’s past—a feast that excluded all Gentiles.29 It was here at Capernaum that this preconception was being transformed.

In the parallel account in Matthew (Matt. 8:5–13), after celebrating the unique faith of this centurion, Jesus said, “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 8:11). Thus Capernaum not only provided the opportunity for Jesus to interact with such a Gentile, it also provided an observant Jewish setting in which Jesus could reveal that his authority and Kingdom extended more broadly than the Jewish community had thought.

Relief proclaiming Roman victory over Judea.
© Dr. James C. Martin. The Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel. Photographed by permission.