What does Luke 7:2 mean?
Luke begins his section on faith with a centurion. This man is a Gentile—not one of God's own chosen people—yet has more faith in the Jewish Messiah Jesus than any Jew has yet shown (Luke 7:9).Matthew says the servant is "paralyzed" (Matthew 8:6). This can mean lame, but Luke says the man is dying. The centurion sends elders from the town to go to Jesus and ask Him to heal the man (Luke 7:3).
In Luke 7—8, Luke makes several allusions to Elijah and Elisha. The first two parallel Elisha's healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1–14) and Elijah's raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8–24). These are two stories Jesus mentioned when presenting Himself as the Messiah in Nazareth (Luke 4:25–27). Naaman was a foreign military commander who had leprosy. His Israelite servant girl told him of a prophet who could heal him. Elisha did so without speaking directly to the general. The stories aren't identical, of course, but the Jews who read Luke's account would see the connection. Even though Naaman commanded soldiers for Israel's enemy, Elisha mediated his healing. Though the centurion commands soldiers for Roman occupiers, Jesus willingly heals his servant (Luke 7:10).
A centurion is an officer who commands about a 100 soldiers. He is a Gentile (Luke 7:5), meaning he is not part of the nation of Israel. He most likely serves in Herod Antipas' army. Although centurions are not always described favorably in secular literature, they are spoken well of in the New Testament (Acts 10:1–2; 27:1, 3, 42–44).
This verse uses the word doulos, which means "a slave, indentured servant, or attendant." Luke 7:7 and Matthew 8:6 use pais which literally means a child, but metaphorically refers to someone of a lower social status. Pais was used much as English speakers may refer to coat-check "girls" or bus "boys" no matter their actual age.
"Highly valued" means "esteemed as something of considerable worth, valuable, precious." Jesus, as the Cornerstone, is also described this way (1 Peter 2:4, 6).
Luke 7:1–10 records the story of a Gentile centurion with humble faith. The centurion's servant is dying, so he sends messengers to only ask for healing, assuming Jesus doesn't need to be physically present. Jesus is amazed at his faith. Matthew 8:5–13 also records the story; John 4:46–54 is a different event. The centurion's faith contrasts Simon the Pharisee. Simon invites Jesus to a banquet without realizing his unworthiness to have such a guest (Luke 7:39–50). Jairus is another foil (Luke 8:40–42, 49–56) while the Syrian general Naaman serves as a prophetic parallel (2 Kings 5).
Luke 7 presents a chiasm: a set of themes mirrored around a reflection point. The humble centurion (Luke 7:1–10) contrasts the legalistic Pharisee (Luke 7:39–50). The widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–17) and the sinful women (Luke 7:36–38) have nothing to offer but gratitude for Jesus' blessings. In the center are John the Baptist and his disciples who struggle to trust that Jesus is worth following (Luke 7:18–23), then the sinners who do choose to follow Jesus and the religious leaders who refuse (Luke 7:24–35).
