Problem: Who brought the Centurion’s request to Jesus as is depicted in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:2-101?
Solution: It clearly states that the Centurion came to Jesus in Matt. 8:5, but it also says that the Jewish elders came to Jesus. The order of events seems to be that the Centurion first sent the Jewish elders (Luke 7:3). Jesus then agreed to go. Then the Centurion came to Jesus (Matt. 8:5). Jesus walked everywhere he went. Centurions commanded hundred-men groups in the Roman legion. “Such men were prestigious members of a relatively small class governing the military.”[1] Therefore, the centurion most probably had a horse upon which to ride to and from where Jesus was. If this is so, then he probably returned to his home, checked on the servant, and then sent friends (Luke 7:6) to speak to Jesus and say that he, the Centurion, was not worthy for Jesus to even enter his home. Jesus continued on. Then as Jesus neared the home, the Centurion himself approached Jesus (Matt. 8:8) to tell Him that he was not worthy for Him to enter his house.
[1] Achtemeier, Paul J., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1985.
