God’s Assistance: The Centurion Matthew 8:5-13
Jesus is very early in His ministry. He is in Galilee and has called His first disciples and is now on a ‘preaching tour’ of the area, where He has just preached the ‘Sermon on the Mount’. On His return to Capernaum, a town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, he is approached by a centurion, an officer in the Roman legion stationed in the area, whose servant is paralyzed and dying in great pain. The centurion’s request is unspoken in the text, but implied with the statement ‘Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering’ (Matthew 8:6 NIV). Jesus recognizes the need and says He will go and heal the servant.