Ecc 3:1 “ To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” .

You say, now what does that have to do with the Jesus and the Centurion? Actually, to me everything but to you? … maybe something. Let me explain. On April Fools Day 2004 I went under the knife for a very serious operation. I had my complete Esophagus removed due to Cancer. And so, in recovery I got to watch all the Jesus movies on TV. All 6. and every one of them were not right according to the scriptures, not one. Robert Powell, who played “Jesus of Nazareth” was probably the best and the closest. After I watched the last one I sat in my chair and just shook my head. “Lord, when are they going to make a movie about you and your ministry according to scritpure?”... What was weird was immediately he said, “Write it” and I saw in a vision (2) 24”x36” gridded velum sheets with columns on them, and the title was “Time Frames”. He actually showed me what to do and how to put it together. As I was recuperating I wrote the movie. Integrating the 4 Gospels. What a challenge. That's how I learned about the Gospels and what really happened during all those episodes. The Centurion and Jesus was one of them. So here goes ….

Jesus and the Centurion

First of all, we need to get acclimated to all four Gospels concerning this episode.. First Matthew 8:5-13

Matthew8:5-13

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it. ”

10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Points to be aware of …

1. He was in Capernum, ? (Question) What was Capernum to Him? The Master's Home

2. Here it says a Centurion came to him, his servant was ill

3. The Centurion says he is not worthy for the Lord to come into his house

4. and explains that he knows Authority and obey commands

5. Jesus makes a point of the Centurion's faith, a gentile no less

6. Jesus also expresses that those from the east and west (gentiles) would sit with Abraham, Isaaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven

7. But that those of being Jew (Sons of the Kingdom) will be cast out into darkness

8. Jesus speaks that what the Centurion believed , it will be done

9. The Centurion's servant was healed that same hour

There is no reference to the Centurion in Mark. So let's go to Luke

Luke …

Luke 7:1-10 “ Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 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. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house , the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it . 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about , and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.”

Preliminary observations... We all know Luke was a Doctor, a Physician.. and in his intro to his book he states that he wanted to record the life of Jesus and make sure of everything before everyone died off that was associated with him. Luke, painstakingly took very careful notes to make sure that he got everything right .. So why was Matthew's account so different than Luke's? Hmm? Let's wait and see ...

Points to be aware of:

1. We're dealing with a Centurion and his servant

2. according to verse 3 the Centurion sent the elders of a Synagogue

3. The Centurion s ent them to ask Jesus if he would come and heal his servant

4. According to the elders the Centurion loved the Jewish Nation and helped build the current Synagogue. Jesus went with them ...

5. Important: When Jesus was still a little ways from the house Jesus never got to the House!

6. The Centurion sent HIS FRIENDS to Jesus

7. It was his friends who spoke for the Centurion or was it an instrument of the Centurion's?

   We need to look at something, look how Luke writes this... “The Centurion Sent Friends to him

   saying...” You see it was the Centurion that was “speaking” but through his Friends! Now, I have a problem with this … could I trust some one to say all that to the Master? No, they had an instrument. Hence the Lord's answer in the present tense! Awesome!

8. After the friends “Spoke” the message of the Centurion to Jesus, it was as if the Centurion was there for Jesus acknowledged the message from the Centurion as if the Centurion was there. Hmm?

9. Jesus marveled at him (The Centurion) as if he was there .. it doesn't make sense. Was the Centurion there or not? He was, through the instrument .. but what was the instrument?

10. I propose this assumption, The Friends, who came to Jesus were within eyesight of the Centurion (They were not far from the house) and read a Note from the Centurion and as they read the note Jesus was listening to the words that were the Centurion's own words as if he were the one speaking to the Lord, so the Lord's response would have also been in the present tense.

11. Because they were not far from the house, the reaction of the servants would have been obvious to everyone with Jesus and would have known that the servant was healed.

Why would I assume that it was a note from the Centurion and not the Friends speaking to Jesus off the cuff? Here's another point … It was what Jesus did and said … “When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him , and turned him about,” Who? The Friend? The Centurion? Actually it was both. The Friend was standing in Proxy for the Centurion so when the Lord turned the Friend about he was actually speaking of the Centurion, The ?Friend and someone else. For it was the Centurion who was speaking to Jesus. But it took the faith of the Friends to deliver the Note and speak it to the Master In Faith!

If you just read Luke's version, you would miss the fact that Matthew brings up of what the Lord said. Which was about the gentiles in heaven while the Jew could still be sent into the outer darkness.

So t he Two of these scriptures must work together. As you can see in Matthew you can apply Luke to the picture and understand how Matthew would word his observations the way he did. It still fits Luke's description of the same episode. But what about John? Let's check it out!

John in Chapter 4 there is an incident that sounds very familiar, but there are some missing facts In this Episode, too many to consider that it might be the same as Matthew's & Luke's.

Is thete any more? No … just Matthew and Luke … Hmm?

So what do we have here?

1. Definitely we have a believing Centurion that stirred up the Lord

2. It happened in Capernum which is the Lord's home which means that he knew the Synagogue that the elders were speaking of, and I believe that the Lord also knew the Centurion in question

3. The Centurion knew that he was unworthy to have the Lord/Master under his own roof for the Centurion knew of the Power of the Master and knew that all the Master had to do was speak it

4. The Centurion by reason of his rank knew Authority and Obeying Commands and it is this understanding that displayed the Centurion's faith.

5. Jesus uses this episode to bring in the point that this gentile soldier would be sitting with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob In Heaven before some of the Jews would and that even the Jews risk the chance of being sent into the outer darkness .. This is the lesson of the episode or is it?

6. The Scripture in Luke says that Jesus was still a ways from the House of the Centurion and that the Centurion sent his friends to meet the Lord before he came to the house, which means that the Centurion was NEVER FACE TO FACE with Jesus as this episode unfolded! Which shows that the movies were all wrong but that is not all of it (That is nothing) it proves that the Centurion's words were true, that he believed in the Power and Authority of the Master, neither the Centurion nor Jesus had to be there in person to do it. So now are you ready for the real answer?

Yes, Salvation is available to the Gentiles (Paul's Mission) but there was something more important than knowing the movies were all wrong in this episode... Here is the real Answer …..

WHEN YOU ASK IN REAL FAITH AND BELIEVE IN HIS AUTHORITY NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE AT OR WHERE JESUS IS AT, HE WILL DO IT BY FAITH! … So getting to the question asked in the beginning … .

Jesus and the Centurion – Who was The Lord really talking to?

He Was Speaking to US!

You see it was the Friend that he turned around, it was the Centurion who HE turned around by proxy and it was Us who HE turned around and said what he said !

9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about , and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

And in that I say Amen

Blessings to you all

James Banfield