Luke 7:1-3

The Centurion of Capernaum. Luke 7, 1-10.

The prayer of the centurion: V. 1. Now when He had ended all His sayings in the audience of the people, He entered into Capernaum. V. 2. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. V. 3. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto Him the elders of the Jews, beseeching Him that He would come and heal his servant.

Jesus brought His long discourse to a close. It was addressed to the hearing of the people; they were not merely to listen inattentively and forget all the precepts within a few minutes, but their hearing, their understanding, was to take hold of the great truths, in order that they might become the property of the mind, and be received into the heart. Some time afterward, Jesus entered into Capernaum.

In this city there lived a certain centurion, officer of a Roman garrison stationed there, probably on account of the great highway that led through here from Damascus to the Mediterranean Sea. This Roman officer had become acquainted with books of the Jews and with the hopes of the Messiah, of whom they were always speaking.

He had also come to the conclusion that Jesus, by whose hand such great miracles were being performed throughout Galilee, must be the promised Messiah.

This centurion had a servant who, though a slave, was very dear to him, for he was a humane master. This servant had been taken ill and was at the point of death. Since the reports concerning Christ's activity, which reached the officer from time to time, had given him the conviction that here was the great promised prophet of the Jews, he sent a delegation to Jesus at this time.

The men whom he sent were carrying out his embassy, speaking in his name; he spoke through them, Matt. 8, 5. They were elders of the people, probably officers of the synagog, for not all Jewish leaders joined in the campaign of hate against Jesus.