Week 4 - Matthew 8 v 5-13
Matthew 8
New International Version
The Faith of the Centurion
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
1. What is surprising about a Centurion coming to Jesus?
2. What does the centurions request tell us about his expectations/belief/faith?
3. Was it necessary for Jesus to go to where the sick person was in order to heal him?
4. What relevance is there in the Centurions comparison of authority?
5. What does his humility say about the comparison between what he could do and what Jesus could do?
6. What do you think the Centurion understood about Jesus when he said to Jesus “But just say the word, and my servant will be healed”. ?
7. What do you think Jesus was referring to and what did he mean in verses 10 to 12?
8. It appears that the Centurion took Jesus at his word and found his servant healed when he got home. What relevance does this have to Believers and in what circumstances? Explain
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