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And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The
Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and
they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised
again. And they were exceeding sorry.

The Centurion's Approach to our Lord.

385

HOMILY XXVI.

MATT. viii. 5.

And when He was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

THE leper came unto Him when He was come down from the mountain, but this centurion, when He was entered into Capernaum. Wherefore then did neither the one nor the other go up into the mountain? Not out of remissness, for indeed the faith of them both was fervent, but in order not to interrupt His teaching.

But having come unto Him, he saith, My servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. Now some say, that by way of excuse he mentioned also the cause, why he had not brought him." For neither was it possible," saith he," paralyzed as he was, and tormented, and at his last gasp, to lift and convey him." For that he was at the point of expiring, Luke saith; He was even ready to die'. But I Luke say, this is a sign of his having great faith, even much greater than theirs, who let one down through the roof'. For be- Luke cause he knew for certain, that even a mere command was enough for the raising up of the patient, he thought it superfluous to bring him.

What then doth Jesus? What He had in no case done before, here He doeth.

was used to follow the

For whereas on every occasion He
wish of His supplicants, here

7, 2.

5, 19.

XXVI. 1, 2.

386

Our Lord's Dealings with the Centurion.

HOMIL. He rather springs toward it, and offers not only to heal him, but also to come to the house. And this He doth, that we might learn the virtue of the centurion. For if He had not made this offer, but had said, "Go thy way, let thy servant be healed;" we should have known none of these things.

This at least He did, in an opposite way, in the case also of the Phoenician woman. For here, when not summoned to the house, of His own accord He saith, He will come, that thou mightest learn the centurion's faith and great humility; but in the case of the Phoenician woman, He both refuses the grant, and drives her, persevering therein, to great perplexity.

For being a wise physician and full of resources, He knows how to bring about contraries the one by the other3. And as here by His freely-offered coming, so there by His peremptory putting off and denial, He unfolds the woman's faith. So likewise He doth in Abraham's case, saying, I Gen. will by no means hide from Abraham My servant'; to make 18, 17. thee know that man's kindly affection, and his care for 2 Gen. Sodom. And in the instance of Lot, they that were sent 2. refuse to enter into his house, to make thee know the greatness of that righteous man's hospitality.

19,

v. 8.

v. 9.

What then saith the centurion? I am not meet that thou shouldest come under my roof. Let us hearken, as many as are to receive Christ: for it is possible to receive Him even now. Let us hearken, and emulate, and receive Him with as great zeal; for indeed, when thou receivest a poor man who is hungry and naked, thou hast received and cherished Him.

[2.] But say in a word only, and my servant shall be healed. See this man also, how, like the leper, he hath the right opinion touching Him. For neither did this one say, entreat," nor did he say, "pray, and beseech," but " command only." And then from fear lest out of modesty He refuse, He saith,

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For I also am a man under authority, having under me

· διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τὰ ἐνάντια. The argument seems to require rà avrà, "the same things by opposite means:"

but no MS. authority appears for such a change.

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