In centurionem

On the Centurion. A certain centurion’s slave was ill and about to die; but he did not die because of the Master; he was about to die, for he was human; but he did not die because of the intercessor, who was beloved of God. Nature demands its due debt; but the Master of nature yielded the possession of nature to the creature on account of faith. Death and the necessity of nature pressed toward the end, but faith drew back, warring against death and dissolving the laws of death. And do not disbelieve, if faith can do such things, as to break the bonds of death and to draw up souls even from the infernal abysses. Faith opens the gates of Hades, and places locks upon the heavens, and alters the boundaries of nature, and lulls the power of fire to sleep, and shows flame as dew, and blunts the sting of death. I do not speak without witness; I will confirm it from the holy Scriptures. I said that faith opens the gates of Hades and places locks upon the heavens. Therefore, accept the clear proofs: behold the blessed Peter, who with a word threw open the gates of Hades and brought Tabitha up from below. For he said only, “Tabitha, arise,” and immediately the gates of Hades are opened, the infernal bars fall, and the dead woman obeys more swiftly than the living. Again, the prophet Elijah, trusting in this faith, said, “There will be no rain except through my mouth”; and the heaven is forged, the rain is withheld for three years and six months, and the earth, as if iron in nature, denies its customary fruit, so that you may know what faith can do. A man on earth pronounces, and God in heaven confirms the pronouncement.

A mortal mouth speaks, and God’s judgment is ratified, confirming the words in deed. “Elias,” it says, “closed the heaven for three years and six months.” The closure of heaven was the mouth of a mortal man, adorned with pious faith. That same Elias again dared to mount fiery chariots, and like a bird flew to the ethereal abodes; indeed, to this day he remains untouched by death, preserved not by the law of nature, but by monogenetic grace and the steadfast power of faith. And why need I say much? Enoch was carried from life to life with his body, having overcome death, old age, and nature through faith. Now there are many other things to say about faith, but I restrain my speech, lest I cause satiety. Yet I know that, although the divine oracles are wont to produce not satiety but desire in your Christ-loving ears, still I shall return to the matter at hand. “A certain centurion’s slave,” it says, “was ill and about to die, who was honored by him”—a servant honored by his master. For even if the greed of life devised the slave, the master’s gratitude did not deny the kinship of nature. He did not spurn him as a servant, but cherished him as a fellow being, lightening the heavy yoke of slavery with philanthropy. Hear and learn, you masters of slaves, not to despise your servants as alien to nature, nor to disregard your fellow kindred as enemies, heeding the blessed Paul who says: “Masters, provide equality to your slaves, relaxing the threat, knowing that their Lord and yours abides in the heavens.

God allowed a slave to exist, so that you might learn to serve God. Do you require goodwill from your servant? Then be well-disposed yourself toward the Master. Do you punish one who errs? Then do not err yourself, lest you be punished before God. Do you not grant forgiveness to one of your own kind? Then do not ask for forgiveness yourself. For the Gospel teaches you to pray thus: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Therefore, just as you seek compassion from God, so also dispense compassion to your fellow men. And when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him. What did he hear? That he heals by word, that he revives the dead by word, that he drives out demons by word, that he accomplishes everything by word. For the word of God is living, and effective, and sharper than any two-edged sword. He applies no herbs, no drugs, but a word is sent from him, and the deed is accomplished. See how great the difference is between the centurion and the Jews. The one, upon hearing, believed from mere report alone, and believing, approached him as God; but they, seeing the miracles with their own eyes, denied the miracle-worker—although sight is more powerful than hearing. Sight is indeed more powerful than hearing, but they had wickedness as a teacher of their disease. For this reason, blind in judgment, they held the judge in contempt. He sent, it says, elders of the Jews, asking him to come and save his servant. He sent elders to him, not because he disdained to go himself out of arrogance, but because he hesitated to intercede on his own behalf on account of the greatness of the dignity.

He knew himself to be a man born of a perishable man, but Jesus to be God from God, the only-begotten Son from the unbegotten Father. Therefore, moved by reverence, he sends the presbyters of the Church, fulfilling the apostolic duties before the apostles. Is someone distressed? Let him summon the presbyters of the Church, and they shall pray for him, and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. So he sent the presbyters to him, asking him to come and save his servant. And you, marvel at the man's compassion; for when his servant was ill, he did not neglect him, but exerted such zeal as one suffering for himself would show. These things belong to a man who looks to virtue: to make such great effort and to send an embassy for the healing of a servant. He knew the equality of nature; and he neither despised him as a slave, but suffered with him as a fellow servant, knowing that God is common to all. Such was the centurion. But many of the rich demand services from the healthy without mercy, but take no care for them when they are sick; but when illness befalls, with the maidservant lying on the ground, the master does not attend, the mistress does not visit; and if ever the mistress must approach, she does not visit as one of the same kind, but looks with a fierce gaze, speaks with a harsh word, denying the kinship of nature through the arrogance of pride. And you read the Scriptures. Do you not know what the holy David says?

Behold, as the eyes of slaves are upon the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maidservant are upon the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes upon the Lord our God. I am abashed before the image, revere the writings, descend as a helper to the one who is weak. The Savior, the only-begotten Son of God, deigned to become a man for the sake of men; you, being a man, do you reject your fellow as not of equal worth, do you reject compassion toward your kindred nature? And when a brute beast is lame, you care for it because of its use; but when the rational being, that is, your servant, is ill, you cast him away and take no thought. Do you overlook that it is a rational being that serves you? For this reason we are jealous. A man is very good before God, but a merciful man is honorable. But we do not attend to the writings, but sometimes we feed those outside, hunting for glory from men, while we allow those within to perish from hunger and to be frozen by the cold, not considering the rewards from God. But not such was the centurion, who was everywhere sober, who truly possessed, guarding both his possession and himself as a possession of God, who was full of prudence and illuminated by divine temperance.

Therefore, he first sends the elders to Jesus. So the elders plead with great eagerness, they bring forward sufficient entreaties, and they say: "He is worthy to whom you grant the grace, the receiver of the gift is grateful, he is worthy of your presence. For he loves our nation, and he himself built the synagogue for us." Truly these are sufficient marks of piety, sufficient proofs of a good conscience. What are these? Love for God, and genuine disposition toward man. For he loves our nation—clearly the Law. For the fulfillment of the Law is love. And he himself built the synagogue, showing good will toward God. For in constructing a house for God, he erects this temple as a conspicuous monument, as it were, of his love for Him. See how good deeds, when remembered in a time of need, provide great confidence to those who are interceding; for everywhere good deeds have received sufficient entreaty. So they pleaded in this manner; and Jesus accepted the entreaty of the elders, not out of respect for them, but because he approved the faith of the centurion. Therefore, rising, he went with them. Perhaps he walked somewhat slowly, and made his pace gentle, not delaying in doing good, but giving time so that the hidden disposition of the centurion within might be made public, so that his unshakable faith might be paraded to convict the unbelievers, so that his pure and unadulterated intention might be displayed. For when he was already not far from the house, the centurion sent his servants to him, saying, "Lord, do not trouble yourself.

For I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. According to his soul's first impulse, he sends the elders; but even after doing this, remaining by himself, he does not rest. For in the meantime, reflecting how great is the difference in rank, he sends servants, entreating him and saying, "Do not trouble yourself; I too am not worthy that you should enter under my roof." O the understanding and sobriety of the centurion! God hidden in a man did not escape him; the only-begotten Word concealed by the covering of the body did not escape him. He sees the temple, and perceives the inhabitant. The Master in the guise of a servant, the king in the appearance of a captive, the small in boundless magnitude did not escape him. Immediately, then, Jesus marvels, and bears witness to his supreme faith, the noble impulse of his soul, by which he said to the Savior: "I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof." He was like Peter, who, astounded at the catch of fish and having conceived an idea of the greatness of the power, then entreats him and says: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord." But perhaps he did not know the things concerning Peter, yet he knew those in Leviticus. "Leprosy," it says, "when present, makes the one afflicted by the disease unclean." And leprosy is similar to white spots, vitiligo, and lichen. Such afflictions are difficult to distinguish for most people, especially at the onset of the disease; hence the law wishes the priest to be appointed judge of such matters. So the law brings the priest into the house of the one being judged; and there, having judged it as leprosy, he declares everything in the house polluted.

Hence many prepare themselves beforehand, and only then call the priest. Taking this thought from that, the blessed centurion declines the arrival of the Savior. "I am not worthy," he says, "that you should enter under my roof. Many are under that roof; I know my own sins. Therefore I decline your presence as a judge, before I am purified. I know that you are the leader of all priests and the high priest of the Father. I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. Heaven is your throne, and the earth your footstool; what house will contain the uncontainable? I have no heavenly roof, that you should enter under my roof; I have no royal courts, that I should receive the king of the heavens. How shall I receive under a roof the one who roofs his upper chambers in the waters? And how shall my poor lodging receive as a tent-mate the one who measured the heaven with a span? What roof will contain the one who contains the whole heaven and earth together? I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. As a benefactor, I seize your entrance; as a judge, I shrink from your boldness. You are a bishop of souls, an examiner of kidneys, a searcher of the heart and a judge of sins. I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. I fear for myself. Speak then a word, and my child will be healed. So does it not seem to you [that the one who says], 'Speak only a word,' clearly knows that by the Word of the Lord the heavens were strengthened, and all their power, and that all things are made, held together, and governed by the Word? For illuminated by divine thought, the man suddenly saw Jesus in the body, recognizing him as the Son of God. 'Speak,' he says, 'only a word.'

I know what the wise Solomon foretold concerning you: "Neither herb nor salve healed your people, but your word, Lord, which heals everything." Speak only a word. I know of what Word you are the minister, and how great the power you possess, and that you have accomplished everything by word. The Father did not labor in begetting you; you do not labor in acting, you do not labor in creating. Speak only a word. For your word is most effective for everything, not striking the air, but manifesting your will. Speak then only a word; give the signal for the assurance of those who hear. See his prudence: he urges that the arrival be postponed, but he does not circumscribe the knowledge; for he bears witness to the knowledge, but begs off from the presence on the journey. This so wise thought is followed by another, greater one. For thus the man advances from power to power, and a wealth of worthy thoughts springs forth in him, ever fresh in the development of his contemplations. Speak only a word, and my child will be healed. For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this one, "Go," and he goes; and to another, "Come," and he comes; and to the servant, "Do this," and he does it. I know, he says, that although you are invested with authority over all things, you have come to us as one of all. You came to us as we are, having authority over all things, as the holy David says: "By your ordinance the day endures, for all things are your servants." You sleep, and the sea rises; you arise, and the waves grow calm. You call the dead, and the dead obeys more swiftly than the living.

Speak a word, and my child will be healed. For I too am a man placed under authority. Here he shows that he prevents the soul's self-willed impulse from advancing toward better things. I have, he says, soldiers under me. He calls the various and diverse thoughts lurking in a man soldiers. For the blessed Paul knows to name these soldiers: I rejoice, he says, with the law according to the inner man; but I see another law warring against the law of my mind, and taking me captive to the law of sin. Naturally, then, he said, I have soldiers under me; I do not have them against me; and I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; I am not ruled, but I rule the thoughts. Perhaps the centurion is also called centurion for this reason, as a ruler and sovereign over the passions, showing such endurance in us against irrational passions; may we all attain this, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.