Go Be It Done For You As You Have Believed
A Reflection On Matthew 8:5-13
At that time, as Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man 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 slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; be it done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Matthew 8:5-13
Today, on the Fourth Sunday of Matthew, we hear a narrative of faith coming from an unexpected place. In today’s Gospel reading, we hear of a Roman centurion who comes to Christ seeking the healing of his beloved servant. It is in their dialogue that we see the centurion, who should have had no real concept of who the Messiah was, recognizing the divine authority of Christ.
We are first told that when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward and exclaimed:
“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.”
Of particular note is the fact that it was not common for occupying Roman officials to address the Jews they ruled in such a manner. Yet this man approaches Christ as a superior, calling Him “Lord.”
We see that the centurion takes a humble approach to Christ, and in his request that Christ heal his servant, we see a deeper respect and love for those entrusted to his care. He is thus presented to us as a humble ruler rather than a despotic tyrant, something that challenges the typical narrative surrounding Romans and Jews during the time of Christ.
Seeing the centurion’s humble request, Christ replies:
“I will come and heal him.”
Yet after hearing the words of our Lord, we see the humility of the centurion go even further, for he responds:
“Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
See this man’s faith on full display. He recognizes the greatness of Christ and humbles himself further by acknowledging his own unworthiness. This humility deepens our understanding of how true faith grows through trust in Christ’s power rather than confidence in ourselves.
The centurion then recognizes Christ’s authority by comparing it to his own earthly authority, stating:
“For I am a man 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 slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
This comparison underscores that true faith involves trusting in Christ’s divine authority over all creation. If men obey the commands of this Roman officer, then how much more does all creation obey the commands of God? The centurion uses his human experience of authority to recognize the greatness of God’s authority.
This is a profound example of faith, for although the centurion possesses considerable worldly authority, he lowers himself when he encounters the true authority of Christ.
Seeing this, we hear that Christ marveled and used the centurion’s example to teach those who followed Him. Our Lord exclaims:
“Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
Here is a Roman, viewed by many as an oppressor, being held up as an example of faithfulness. He is not one of God’s chosen people according to the Jewish understanding of the day. Yet he recognizes something that many of God’s own people fail to see: that Jesus Christ truly possesses the authority of God.
Christ continues:
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.”
What this tells us is that many who assume they are God’s chosen people, yet fail to live lives commensurate with that calling, will not become true sons and daughters of the Kingdom.
The faithfulness of the centurion reminds us that we must constantly seek God, for our status as His children is not a guarantee that frees us from living lives of loving service.
By failing to live such a life, we reject God and the gifts He offers us, choosing darkness over His light. Thus, if we reject Christ through the way we live in this life, we will reject His light for darkness in the life to come.
This is where the language of weeping and gnashing of teeth comes into play. This description is not one of repentance or remorse. Rather, it depicts someone who remains opposed to God, like a feral animal biting against its master even while being offered the fullness of His loving and saving presence.
To avoid such a fate, we are called to seek union with our Lord now, becoming participants in His gifts not only in this life but also in the life to come. The centurion becomes our example of how to live such a life, for we are called to humble ourselves so that we may see what God is revealing to us.
It is in humbling ourselves and pursuing God that we live faithfully, and our reward, like the centurion’s, is to hear our Lord proclaim:
“Go; be it done for you as you have believed.”
The faith of the centurion leads to the healing of his servant, and in the same way, our faith leads to our healing and the healing of our fallen world.
Applying this to my own life, I have often fallen into the trap of believing that the responsibility for everything rests upon my shoulders. God forgive me, but this mindset has often led to chaos in my life, causing me to worry about what I should have done in the past while simultaneously obsessing over hypothetical futures I attempt to plan.
Yet time and again, our Lord has reminded me that I am not responsible for my salvation, nor am I responsible for living a perfect life or shaping the lives of others. Rather, I am responsible for living faithfully in the present moment, calling out to God and asking Him to show me what He is calling me to do here and now.
Our relationship with God is not something we postpone until a later date; it is an intimate relationship we are invited to participate in today.
We are all called to pursue God, yet when I have reflected on my own calling and listened to others speak about theirs, I have noticed that we often think too broadly about the concept of vocation.
Some say they are called to be priests; others say they are called to be lawyers or doctors. Some feel called to be accountants, parents, married, celibate, or countless other things. Yet I have come to see that these are aspects of our calling rather than its entirety, regardless of how much value we place upon them.
The centurion was, after all, a leader among his people. Yet in humbling himself before Christ, we see that he first and foremost becomes a faithful servant of God, who is calling all of us into a loving relationship with Him.
Our jobs, aspirations, families, and responsibilities are not the fullness of our calling. Rather, our ultimate calling is union with our Lord, who reveals the true meaning of every aspect of our lives as we pursue Him.
In faith, we, like the centurion, are called to take the burden of our salvation off our own shoulders and place our trust entirely in Christ. We are called to pray and to seek Him in every moment of our lives. As we humbly pursue the stillness necessary to discern His will, we begin to see that He is already providing everything we need to foster our relationship with Him.
When we cease viewing ourselves as the saviors of our own universe, we open our lives to receiving the true salvation offered to us. We receive the light of Christ rather than rejecting it. Like the centurion, we discover that our faith not only transfigures our own lives, but that the love of Christ shining through us has the power to transfigure all of creation.
It is not our job to save ourselves, nor is it our job to save others. Thanks be to God that we have a Savior in Christ who has come to liberate us from all that once bound us.
Thus, our calling is to humble ourselves like the centurion. In recognizing Christ’s authority, we soften our hearts and become capable of receiving the saving gifts He offers us.
So let us humbly pursue our Lord with the whole of our lives. Let us offer Him all that lies heavy upon our hearts so that we may be transfigured. By living lives of loving service to God and neighbor, we will radiate the peace He has given us, illuminating a darkened world.
Truly, to Him be all glory, honor, and worship, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
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