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MATTHEW 8:11 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Matt 8:10Matt 8:12
“And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”
I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. The announcement that follows the centurion's faith is eschatological: many from east and west — Gentiles from every direction — will share the covenant table with the patriarchs in the kingdom of heaven. Isaiah 49:12 promises that the scattered of Israel will come from north, south, east, and west; Luke 13:29 expands this to Gentiles coming from every direction to recline at the kingdom table. The centurion's faith is the first fruit of what will become the great ingathering of the nations — the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise that all nations would be blessed through Abraham's seed.

Church Fathers on Matthew 8:11

As what the leper had affirmed concerning Christ’s power, 'If thou will, thou canst cleanse me,' was confirmed by the mouth of Christ, saying, 'I will, be thou clean;' so here He did not blame the centurion for bearing testimony to Christ’s authority, but even commended him. Nay more; it is something greater than commendation that the Evangelist signifies in the words, 'But Jesus hearing marvelled.'

Chrysostom · 4th century

Observe how great and what that is at which God the Only-begotten marvels. Gold, riches, principalities, are in His sight as the shadow or the flower that fadeth; in the sight of God none of these things is wonderful, as though it were great or precious, but faith only; this He wonders at, and pays honour to, this He esteems acceptable to Himself.

Pseudo-Origen · · Hom. in Div. 5

But who was He that had created this faith in him, but only He who now marvelled at it? But even had it come from any other, how should He marvel who know all things future? When the Lords marvels, it is only to teach us what we ought to wonder at; for all these emotions in Him are not signs of passion, but examples of a teacher.

Augustine · 4th century · super Gen. c. Man. i. 8
Read all 26 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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