The Centurion
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series III, Cycle C
A centurion was a Roman soldier in charge of 100 men; thus the name "centurion." These Roman soldiers were on active military duty and were stationed around Jerusalem because of the constant threat of rioting, especially during the Jewish festivals. Large crowds and excited people made for potentially volatile situations and soldiers were always on guard.
Centurions were captains of sorts, in charge of a hundred soldiers and appointed by the Roman emperor. In Jesus' time, they would be of Italian birth and Roman citizenship. They would have risen from the ranks of ordinary soldier to centurion. As centurions, their tasks included drilling, training, inspecting of troops, and instilling Roman loyalty and spirit into the soldiers. The symbol of the centurion was a vine-staff used for corporal punishment and persuasion in the ranks.
Centurions were chosen for courage and reliability. We read in the Bible that centurions were spoken of favorably in regard to the Jewish people. They were fair-minded and some of them had a positive response to Jesus and his ministry.
When Jesus came to Capernaum, there was celebration. Their house of worship was completed: the Centurion had been instrumental in the building of the synagogue there. This is where we find the centurion who asked Jesus to heal a valued servant.
The Centurion knew the value of a good servant; he also knew the value of Jesus as a leader. He understood that Jesus shouldn't be bothered with menial tasks or trivial requests. The Centurion was very considerate of Jesus and in turn showed an enormous amount of faith. He knew that just by Jesus' request, the servant could be healed.
And so Jesus did just that.
Centurions were captains of sorts, in charge of a hundred soldiers and appointed by the Roman emperor. In Jesus' time, they would be of Italian birth and Roman citizenship. They would have risen from the ranks of ordinary soldier to centurion. As centurions, their tasks included drilling, training, inspecting of troops, and instilling Roman loyalty and spirit into the soldiers. The symbol of the centurion was a vine-staff used for corporal punishment and persuasion in the ranks.
Centurions were chosen for courage and reliability. We read in the Bible that centurions were spoken of favorably in regard to the Jewish people. They were fair-minded and some of them had a positive response to Jesus and his ministry.
When Jesus came to Capernaum, there was celebration. Their house of worship was completed: the Centurion had been instrumental in the building of the synagogue there. This is where we find the centurion who asked Jesus to heal a valued servant.
The Centurion knew the value of a good servant; he also knew the value of Jesus as a leader. He understood that Jesus shouldn't be bothered with menial tasks or trivial requests. The Centurion was very considerate of Jesus and in turn showed an enormous amount of faith. He knew that just by Jesus' request, the servant could be healed.
And so Jesus did just that.
