Faith, humility and free will

revealing virtues of the image of God present in man

- brief exploration of a paradigmatic event -

“And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.’” (Matthew 8, 7-8).

The text of the Gospel according St. Matthew speaks of the encounter that takes place between the Lord Jesus Christ and a centurion foreigner to the community of Jewish people. This encounter is a special opportunity to see a particular example of humility that Christ Himself values.

Christ in His wanderings in Israel meets this centurion who comes to ask for help not for himself but for his servant. St. Luke says that this was not an ordinary servant but “was dear to him”[1] (Luke 7: 2).

We see here the example of a man foreigner to the people of Israel and to the Law who becomes a model of compassion towards a fellow man who is not even his equal in rank. He draws near to the suffering and need of his fellow man out of mercy. The attitude of the centurion reflects exactly what Jesus Christ as the Son of God does. He descends from the height of His eternity out of compassion and mercy because of man’s suffering that springs from sin and especially for its ultimate consequence which is death. What can be more painful for an architect, for a creator than the ruin of his work? What can be more painful for the Architect and the Creator of this world and of man than to see their path diverted from the luminous vocation for which they were created and to realize the suffering and the death that entered them?

The centurion wants his servant healed. He draws closer to the suffering of someone who is humbler than he, aware that he personally can do nothing but to appeal by word to the One who can do everything. The centurion is a man aware of the position he holds because he says I also have ‘soldiers under me’. He understands also that the orders he gives can do injustice or can cause suffering and harm. He descends from the human height of his position to take care of the suffering of the one humbler than himself. He makes humble himself for another not for himself out of compassion.

The same thing happens in the saving work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He descends to His sin-weakened creature first by His preparatory providence of the redemptive and saving plan. Then He Himself descends through incarnation and union with human nature, becoming more intimate to man than man himself, so that through the work of the Holy Spirit He may restore the true original beauty of the creature.

If the merciful attitude is common to both of them – Jesus and the centurion -, there is a major difference between them - the Lord Jesus Christ has the omnipotence and the generosity of healing while the centurion has the generosity to seek a solution that he finds in the One he does not yet know as God.

“By viewing himself unworthy – St. Augustine says - he showed himself worthy for Christ to come not merely into his house but also into his heart. He would not have said this with such great faith and humility if he had not already welcomed in his heart the One who came into his house.”[2] St. Augustine emphasizes two qualities of the centurion: his great faith without which he would not have come to ask for the healing of his servant, and his great humility as a man in a leading position who humble himself for a need of someone less important than him. This attitude reminds us of the words of Christ: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25, 40).

The great interpreter emphasizes another important thing, the fact that the centurion already through the two attitudes - faith and humility - shows that he has Christ already present in the house of his heart. No one can do what the centurion did and be unfaithful. He already has Christ present through faith in his heart and confesses this through compassionate humility and humble prayer to the Almighty.

“The centurion did not approach Jesus as one who is the Son of God and Lord of the whole creation (for at that time, before the crucifixion, this was not yet known even by the disciples) – Theodore of Mopsuestia says. Rather, he came to him as to a man who, because of his virtues, had received from God some greater-than-human authority. This is why he says, ‘For I also am a man.’ For since he had said to him, ‘say the word,’ and this might seem be proper to God only, he rightly adds statement, for ‘for I also am a man,’ as though to say, ‘It is nothing surprising if you, a man who has received authority form God, should be able to do this thing, since I myself, a man like you, receive subjects and am set over them to command them as I will.’”[3] The centurion believes that Jesus can help and heal his servant. He proves his great faith precisely by the fact that he does not know yet that Jesus is God. But through the miracle Jesus performs, the centurion discovers Him as God. The paradigm by which the centurion looks at the encounter with Jesus is a hierarchical one that he understands very well because himself is submitted to it.

The humility of the centurion is further emphasized by St. Luke. The centurion does not even dare to come directly to Jesus: “So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.” (Luke 7, 3). The humility of the centurion can be seen in the very absence of audacity to come in person to Jesus to address his request in favor of his servant: “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (Luke 7, 6-7).

The centurion is not an ordinary man who comes with a simple and noble petition. The centurion is also a man of action that we see not only from the compassionate attitude that his petition reveals but also from the testimonies brought by others about his deeds: “And when they came to Jesus (the elders of the people – n.t.), they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” (Luke 7, 4-5). The faith and life of the centurion are a testimony of an exemplary life in the service of the neighbor and of the work dedicated to God. He has a good testimony from the believers of Jewish community. Although not having directly an interest and not belonging to the community, the centurion unveil himself as a man of faith, compassionate, kind, humble and active.

Moreover, according to the testimony of the elders of the Jewish people, the centurion built for them a place of worship for God: “In order to praise the centurion more, - St. Maxim of Turin says - the Jews said to the Lord, ‘It is right that you should help him, for he is a lover of our nation, and he himself has built us a synagogue.’ If one who has constructed a place where Christ is always denied is visited with heavenly mercy, how much more to be visited is one who has built a tabernacle where Christ is daily preached! The Lord did not approve the work the centurion had done but the spirit in which he accomplished it. If he eagerly built a synagogue at a time when there were as yet no Christians, it is understood that he would all the more eagerly have built a church had there been Christians. He still preaches Christ even though he builds a synagogue.”[4] The attitude of the centurion shows his desire to bring people closer to God. The centurion by his great faith proves that he has in him the Spirit of God and this reality is manifested outside by building a place of worship. The centurion becomes God’s missionary through his work of providing a place of worship for people who want to gather around God.

We also discover in the centurion a man of great human quality and spiritual sensitivity, although foreigner to the Jewish people. This help us understand that the invisible work of God by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and consciences of all who receive Him is unseen, unlimited, and real, being made according to the omniscience, the understanding, and the love of God not according to our human reason. “How great is the sign of the divine humility, - St. Ambrose says - that the Lord of heaven by no means disdained to visit the centurion’s servant! Faith is revealed in deeds, but humanity is more active in compassion. Surely, He did not act this way because could not cure in his absence, but in order to give you a form of humility for imitation He taught the need to defer to the small and the great alike. In another place He says to the ruler, ‘Go, your son lives’ (John 4, 50), that you may know both the power of Divinity and the grace of humility. In that case He refused to go to the ruler’s son, lest He seem to have had regard for riches. In this case He went Himself lest He seem to have despised the humble rank of the centurion’s servant. All of us, slave and free, are one in Christ. (Gal. 3, 28/Col. 3, 11)”[5] In this encounter and in the later healing of the servant of the centurion St. Ambrose emphasizes two other important things. The first is the discovery of humility as the great divine quality of God who through His Son shows that He does not take into account the social scale in doing good. God shows that humility is the most important thing that man needs to overcome his distance from God, started with the first Adam by sin. Christ also reveals His human side through compassion for the suffering of the servant. St. Ambrose notes a second thing. Christ has the same attitude toward the least and the more important ones. Why this? Because God wants all to be one, one Church in Christ, as St. Paul notes. The miracle of healing the centurion's servant shows the need for virtues such as humility, compassion, faith, etc. necessary to the one who wants to walk in the way of God but also reveals the vision of the unity of human race that God had in mind since the creation of man.

However, this whole journey cannot be done without the direct involvement of man through faith and free will. “And Jesus said unto the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour.” (Matthew 8:13). The importance of faith is decisive in everything that happens. It shows man's desire and will to stay in God's work.

“There is no coercion with God – St. Irenaeus says. He had a good will towards us continually. He gives reliable council to humans and angels (who are also ration beings), to whom He has given the power of choice. Those who yield obedience therefore possess what is good freely and justly. It is given by God but is preserved by themselves … The human spirit is possessed of free will, in whose likeness humanity was created. Humanity is advised to hold fast to the good and thereby be responsive to God. This refers not only to works but faith as well. God preserved the human will free and under his own self-control … as is shown in Jesus’ word to the centurion: ‘Go. Be it done for you as you have believed.’”[6] St. Irenaeus shows that the dialogue between Jesus and the centurion and the response Christ gives to the petition of the centurion reveals the most precious gift God gives to man – the free will - and the way in which it makes the human person resemble his Creator. God created the humanity out of free will rooted in love to make it partaker to His joy and generosity, to His life beyond the limit, to the infinity of intra-Trinitarian life. God in His infinite freedom wanted this life to be shared by grace with other creatures - angels and men - who could rejoice just as God and thereby ascend to Him, draw inwardly to Him, and enter into the divine life for restoration, redemption, and salvation. God is the good adviser because He knows that there is also an evil whisperer who has entered into creation and weakened man's discernment through temptation, introduced doubt, imaginarily created the false premises of a way of life that is not proper to natural man.

As we have seen, in the event of encounter between Christ the Lord and the centurion and in the miracle of his servant's healing, humility is the most precious quality in order to come closer, to understand, to have mercy, and possibly to find a solution to any problem. To humility is added the free will that lifts you to the nobility and dignity as son of God. Without free will man does not feel at the same time the nobility and freedom of choice, nor does he has the sense of responsibility and the sense of concrete commitment to the way that he will discover progressively as the true and natural one that restores joy, peace, calm, clarity and certainty of a life whose finality was already fulfilled by the Son of God as a forerunner.

† Ioan Casian

[1] Other translation: “he was held in high esteem”

[2] St. Augustine. St. Augustine. Sermon 62.1 in Thomas C. Oden (ed.). Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (New Testament Ia)/ Matthew 1-13) Ed. InterVarsity Press 2001: Downers Grove, Illinois, USA, p 161 col.2   

[3] Theodore of Mopsuestia. Fragment 41A in Thomas C. Oden (ed.). Ancient Christian Commentary … p 162 col.1/2   

[4] St. Maximus of Turin. Sermon 87.1 in Thomas C. Oden (ed.). Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (New Testament III/Luke). Ed. InterVarsity Press 2003: Downers Grove, Illinois, USA, p 115-116 col.2/1  

[5] St. Ambrose of Milan. Exposition of the Gospel of Luke 5.84 in Thomas C. Oden (ed.). Ancient Christian Commentary … p 116 col.2

[6] St. Irenaeus of Lyon. Against Heresies 3.37.1, 4-5 in Thomas C. Oden (ed.). Ancient Christian Commentary … (New Testament Ia)/ Matthew 1-13) … p 163 col.2