Luke 7:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

NIV: 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.'

NASB: For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under myself; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.'

CSB: For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. 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."

NLT: I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

A centurion has expressed his belief that Jesus can heal his servant without being physically nearby. To explain, he mentions examples of his own authority. In fact, the entire incident shows the centurion's authority: he told the city elders to go to Jesus and ask Him to heal his servant, and they did (Luke 7:3). When Jesus approached the house, the centurion sent friends to speak with Jesus, and they followed his direction (Luke 7:6).

The centurion assumes Jesus works under the same pattern. Jesus represents God; what God tells Him to do, He does. And Jesus apparently has authority over illness, as He has healed many people. If the centurion's supervisors don't have to be present to make sure he does his job, and if he doesn't have to be present to make sure his soldiers and slaves do their jobs, and if God doesn't have to be present to make sure Jesus does His job, there's no reason to think Jesus would have to be present to make sure His will is carried out.

Still, it's not clear what the centurion understands about Jesus' power. He has a high enough view of Jesus to assume He will not want to be tarnished by the company of a Gentile. He respects the Jewish culture and religion (Luke 7:4–5). There's no indication he understands that Jesus is God and the Jewish Messiah, but he apparently believes that Jesus is empowered by the Jewish God. If so, Jesus is obviously holy, and the Jewish God can do whatever He wants.

The centurion's comment about his servant may tie back into the servant's description of "highly valued" (Luke 7:2). Some modern scholars claim the description is personal and attempt to warp this into evidence the two had a sexual relationship. Such interpretations ignore the scholarly process, which moves from specific words to the passage, then the book, other works by the author, then the entire Bible. Other useful references are writings of the early church and secular contemporaries. One such reference, in the text Shepherd of Hermas, cites a Roman philosopher using "highly valued" to mean a servant who went beyond the bare minimum of service. In short, nothing in the story, text, or related culture implies that this passage has any overtones of same-gender relationships.

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).

Luke 7 continues Jesus' mission primarily to the people of Galilee expressed as a series of pointed events and teachings punctuated by calls to follow Him. He has finished teaching the rigors of discipleship (Luke 6:17–45) and invited the crowd to place their faith in Him (Luke 6:46–49). Here, Luke describes different reactions to Jesus' miracles and message. Next, Jesus will reveal the mechanics of and reactions to His call (Luke 8:4–21) before showing His great authority over nature, demons, sickness, and worldly powers (Luke 8:22—9:17). After a final call to the disciples to deepen their faith (Luke 9:18–50), Jesus will turn toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.