Matthew 8:5-13 and John 4:46-54
Today and tomorrow we have three accounts of Jesus healing a young man “from afar”. Matthew (today) and Luke (tomorrow) have very similar accounts; most scholars believe them to be recounting the same incident. John’s account (also today) is quite different from the other two; to my mind these are two separate healings, one recorded in Matthew and Luke, the other in John. I see only three similarities – in both incidents a (1) young boy/man (2) living in Capernaum is healed (3) “from afar”. The differences are many; I note a number of them in the second link below. But in addition, the incident begins with Jesus in Capernaum in Matthew and Luke, while He is in Cana in John’s gospel. The most profound difference, as I mention below, is the centurion’s speech, “Lord, I am not worthy…”. We easily embrace his words.
…many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven… (Mt. 8:11) Can you imagine dinner with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Or pick another set of names: Peter, James, and John; Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea; Paul, Silas, and Barnabas; Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I would personally like to break bread with the two disciples whom Jesus met while they were walking along the road to Emmaus – to listen to them as they tell me of Jesus opening the Old Testament scriptures to them (Luke 24:13-35). But also, to dine again with Mary Ann Duddy, Millie Rodes, and Mim Stambaugh… GLORY!! And it’s ours to grasp, folks. Write your own dream; Jesus is waiting for you with outstretched arms. GLORY!!
See also: March 26 / Matt. 8:5-13; March 28 / John 4:46-54
What strikes me about this passage in Matthew is that the Centurion immediately recognizes Jesus’ authority. As a Centurion who has authority over his men, he knows a bit about genuine authority and what it looks like.
We have read in Matthew, Mark, and Luke that when Jesus preached in the temple, He spoke with authority and people were amazed.
What were these people seeing and hearing that conveyed the Truth about Jesus? A person in authority is, above all, confident. And the person shows this in speech and body language. A truly confident person is not arrogant, but is humble even. A confident person is decisive and does not hold back his/her opinion out of fear of offending someone or out of fear that he/she is out of step with popular opinion. A confident person commands attention and respect through language and bearing and those around him/her show deference.
Is this what the Centurion saw? No wonder that the Pharisees were threatened to their inner core.
Good observations on authority, Lou — especially the recognition of humility in the midst of it.
Good points about the characteristics of authority, Lou. Thanks!
Like Fred, I see Matthew and John describing two completely different healings, the only real similarity being that — as Fred put it — the healings are done “from afar”. And if these are two separate occurrences, then I must also conclude that our Chronological Bible has gotten it wrong and has led us astray a bit with regard to tracking John’s Gospel. The big clue there is that John 4:54 specifically states that this is Jesus’ second sign — the first being turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana — yet we have seen a number of other miracles already in the Synoptics. (That verse is also a pretty strong indication that at least some of John 2:13-4:45 is out of chronological order, as John 2:23 and John 3:2 both refer to multiple signs by Jesus.)
Be that as it may, these stories clearly illustrate Jesus’ authority along with His compassion. His authority is not just as a teacher with interesting ideas or as a “good example” of how to live. He demonstrates authority over nature — and not just over those things in close proximity that He can physically touch, but things far away. We of course know the end of the story and recognize Deity, but this was all new to those who were there on the scene. So the centurion’s recognition of authority is truly remarkable. But alongside Jesus’ authority and power is His compassion. What good does it do to appeal to a capable person for some favor when that person cares nothing for anyone else? But these men come to Jesus, recognizing not only that He has the authority to heal, but also the will to do so. May we likewise believe!
I don’t know how much this counters your chronological argument, John, but this healing miracle may be the “second sign” done in Galilee. (John 4:54) John may have been referring only to Galilean signs?
Yes, I thought of that, too, and that may well explain the references to “signs” in John 2:23 and John 3:2, but we are still left with multiple Galilean miracles in the Synoptics before this point.