The Roman Centurion

The Roman Centurion

The Roman centurion whose servant was ill had so much faith in Christ that though Christ offered to come to his house the centurion said, “I am not worthy that you come to my house, but simply say the word and it shall be done. Like I am a man in authority and when I tell my subordinates do this or do that, I know it shall be done.”

Jesus was so impressed by the centurion’s faith that he declared to all those assembled there, “I have never seen so much faith; no, not in Israel.” Within the hour, the servant was miraculously healed.

There are also some incidents quoted in the Bible when Jesus could not cure people “because of their unbelief”. Matthew 13:58 says: “He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief”. Mark 6:5-6 says: “And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. He also marvelled at their unbelief.” So faith is crucial. Jesus was like a powerful catalyst who could accelerate the power of faith to produce a desired result, but when there was doubt, the power of healing was reduced in its flow.
Jesus also said, “Tell no man”. This is so because at times, sharing things with others can be counterproductive as envy, doubts, fears and negativity can sap the mind of the healed person, thereby creating some kind of negativity which could hinder the healing of the seeker. This is because a negative suggestion is also powerful and can choke the flow of positive energy or belief. This is why reticence is important and you should keep to yourself your prayers, plans, hopes and desires.

Om Namah Shivay.