Matthew 8:13 — Community Reflections

MATTHEW 8:13 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”

And to the centurion Jesus said, Go; let it be done for you as you have believed. And the servant was healed at that very moment. The healing that validates the faith: let it be done as you have believed. The distance healing at the word of Jesus without physical contact is the fulfillment of the centurion's theology — the word alone is sufficient. John 4:46–54 records a similar healing at a distance, and Jesus tells the official your son will live; the official believed the word. The centurion's faith and the official's faith are both responses to the authority of Jesus' word that produce outcomes consistent with what was believed.

Church Fathers on Matthew 8:13

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

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a reflection on this verse

No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!