Matthew 8:5-11 NRSVue
5When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him 6and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” 7And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” 8The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” 10When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11I tell you, many will come from east and west and will take their places at the banquet with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”
Reflection on Matthew 8:5-11
Inspiration from 2025-12-01 Daily Prayer
In today’s scripture, we try to take courage from the figure of the centurion who takes his courage in his hands and asks Jesus for faith and energy as he seeks relief and assistance in his attempts to help his servant escape from his terrible distress.
We hope that we might have some of the same zeal as we set out on our Advent faith odyssey.
Further reflection
The centurion amazed Jesus with his forthright expression and his respect. I pray that I may learn from my life as I live in a way that I hope helps others to live theirs.
Jesus saw that the kingdom of heaven was open and inclusive. I ask that I may preserve the same breadth of vision and generosity in my outlook.
I view the scene in my imagination. A confident, self assured Roman, born to lead, turns to a simple Jewish rabbi with a problem that is beyond his power.
What is going on here? How am I moved by what I see and hear?
When I look at this scene, how am I moved to respond to Jesus?