St. Luke vii. 6.] Nor does St. Matthew speaks of any actual request on the part of the Centurion, even though at first sight his narrative seems to imply a personal appearance, [b St. Matt. viii. 5.] The general statement 'beseeching Him', although it is not added in what manner, with what words, nor for what special thing, must be explained by more detailed narrative of the embassy of Jewish Elders. [1
Without the article;perhaps only some of them went on this errand of mercy.] There is another marked agreement in the seeming difference of the two accounts. In St. Luke's narrative, the second message of the Centurion embodies two different expressions, which our Authorised Version unfortunately renders by the same word. It should read: 'Trouble not Thyself, for I am not fit (Levitically speaking) that Thou shouldest enteer under my roof;' Levitically, or Judaistically speaking, my house is not a fit place for Thy entrance; 'Wherefore neither did I judge myself worthy (spiritually, morally, religiously) [, Pondus habens, ejusdem ponderis cum aliqo, pretio aequans] to come unto Thee.' Now, markedly, in St. Matthew's presentation of the same event to the Jews, this latter 'worthiness' is ommitted, and we only have St. Luke's first term, 'fit' [.]: 'I am not fit that thou shouldest come under my roof,' my house is unfitting Thine entrance. This seems to bear out the reasons previously indicated for the characteristic pecliarities of the two narratives.
But in their grand leading features the two narratives entirely agree. There is earnest supplication for his sick, seemingly dying servant. [2 St. Matt. viii. 6, 'my servant has been thrown down (by disease in the house, paralytic' The [ ] corresponds to the Hebrew . same word is used in ver. 14, when Peter's mother-in-law is described as 'thrown down and fever-burning.'] Again, the Centurion in the fullest sense believes in the power of Jesus to heal, in the same manner as he knows his own commands as an officer would be implicitly obeyed; for, surely, no thoughtful reader would seriously entertain the suggestion, that the military language of the Centurion only meant, that he regarded disease as caused by evil demons or noxious power who obeyed Jesus, as soldiers or servants do their officer or master. Such might have been the underlying Jewish view of the times; but the fact, that in this very thing Jesus contrasted the faith of the Gentile with that of Israel, indicates that the language in question must be taken in its obvious sense. But in his self-acknowledged 'unfitness' lay the real 'fitness' of this good soldier for membership with the true Israel; and his deep-felt 'unworthiness' the real 'worthiness' (the ejusdem ponderis) for 'the Kingdom' and its blessings. It was this utter disclaimer of all claim, outward or inward, which prompted that absoluteness of trust which deemed all things possible with Jesus, and marked the real faith of the true Israel. Here was one, who was in the state described in the first clauses of the 'Beatitudes,' and to whom came the promise of the second clauses; because Christ is the connecting link between the two, and because He consiously was such to the Centurion, and, indeed, the only possible connecting link between them.
And so we mark it, in what must be regarded as the high-point in this history, so far as its teaching to us all, and therefore the reason of its record in the New Testament, is concerned: that participation in the blessedness of the kingdom is not connected with any outward relationship towardds it, nor belongs to our inward consciousness in regard to it; but is grented by the King to that faith which in deepest simplicity reasises, and holds fast by Him. And yet, although discarding every Jewish claim to them, or, it may be, in our days, everything every Jewish claim to them, or, it may be, in our days, not outside, still less beyond, what was the hope of the Old Testament, nor in our days the expectancy of the Church, but are literally its fulfilment; the sitting down 'with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.' Higher than, and beyond this not even Christ's provision can take us.
But for the fuller understanding of the words of Christ, the Jewish modes of thought, which He used in illustration, required to be breifly explained. It was common belief, that in the day of the Messiah redeemed Israel would be gathered to a great feast, together with the patriachs and
heroes of the Jewish faith. This notion, which was but a coarsely literal application of such prophetic figures as in Is. xxv. 6, had perhaps yet another yet another and deeper meaning. As each weekly Sabbath was to be honoured by a feast, in which the best which the family could procure was to be placed on the board, so would the world's great Sabbath be marked by a feast in which the Great Householder, Israel's King, would entertain His household and Guests. Into the painfully, and, from the notions of the times, grossly realistic description of this feast, [1 One might say that all the species of animals are put in requisition of this great feast: Leviathan (B. Bath. 75a); Bhemoth (Pirke d. R. Eliez. 11); the gigantic bird Bar Jochani (B. Bath. 73 b; Bekhor. 57b, and other passages). Similar, fabulous fatted geese are mentioned
Probably for that feast (B. Bath. 73 b). The wine there dispensed had been kept in the grapes from the creation of the world (Sanh. 99 a; Targum, on Cant. viii. It is needless here to enter. One thing, however, was clear: Gentiles could have no part in that feast. In fact, the shame and anger of'these' foes on seeing the 'table spread' for this Jewish feast was among the points specially noticed as fulfilling the predictions of Ps. xxiii. 5. [a Bemid. R. 21, ed. Warsh. iv. p. 85 a 57 a.] On this point, then, the words of Jesus in reference to the believing Centurion formed the most marked contrast to Jewish teaching.
In another respect also we marak similar contrariety. When our Lord consigned the unbelieving to 'outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth,' he once more used Jewish language, only with opposite application of it.
Gehinnom, of which the entrance, marked by ever ascending smoke, [Erub. 19a.] was in the valley of Hinnom, between two palm trees, lay beyond 'the mountains of darkness.' [c Tamid32 b.] It wsas a place of darkness, [d Targ. on 1 Sam. ii. 9; Ps. lxxxvii. 12.] It was a place of darkness, [d Targ. on 1 Sam. ii. 9, Ps lxxxviii. 12.] to whichin the day of the Lord, [e Amos. v. 20.] the Gentiles would be consigned, [f Yaklkut ii. p. 42 c] On the other hand, the merit of ciarcumcision would in the day of the Messiah deliver Jewish sinners from Gehinnom. [g u. s. nine lines higher up.] It seems a moot question, whetherthe expression 'outer darkness outside the lighted house of the Father, and even beyond the darkness of gehinnom, a place of hopless, endless night. Associated with it is 'weeping [3 The use of the article makes it emphatic, as Bengel has it: In hac vita dolor nondum est dolor.] and the gnashing of teeth.' In Rabbinic thought the former was connected with sorrow, [4 In Succ. 52 a it is said that in the age to come (Athid labho) God would bring out the Yetser haRa (evil impulse), and slaughter it before the just before the wicked. To the one he would appear like a great mountain, to the other like a small thread. Both would weep, the righteous for joy, that they had been able to subdue so great so great a mountain; the wicked for sorrow, that they had not been able even to break so small a thread.] the latter almost always anger [This is also the meaning of the expression in Ps. cxii. 10. The verb is used with this idea in Acts vii. 54, and in the LXX, Job. xvi. 9; Ps. xxxv. 16; xxxvii. 12; and in Rabbinical writings, for example, Jer. Keth. 35 b; Shem. R. 5, &c], not, as generally supposed, with anguish.
To complete our apprehension of the contrast between the views of the Jews and the teaching of Jesus, we must bear in mind that, as the Gentiles could not possibly share in the feast of the Messiah, so Israel had claim and title to it. To use Rabbinic terms, the former were 'children of Gehinnom,' but Israel 'children of the Kingdom,' [a St. Matt. viii. 12.] or, in strictly Rabbinic language, 'royal children,' [b Shabb. xiv. 4.] children of God,' 'of heaven,' [c Ab. iii. 14 comp. Jer.
Kidd. 61 c middle.] 'children of the upper chamber' (the Aliyah) [d Sanh. 97 b; Succ. 45 b.] and 'of the world to come.' [e Jer. Ber. 13 d, end.] In fact, in their view, Godhad first sat down on His throne as King, when the hymn of deliverance (Ex. xv. 1) was raised by Israel, the people which took upon itself that yoke of the Law which all other nations of the world had rejected, [f Pesiqta 16b; Shem. R. 23.]
Never, surely, could the Judaism of His hearers have received more rude shock than by this inversion of all their cherished beliefs, of the King of all His faithful subjects, a joyous festive gathering with the fathers of the faith. But this fellowship was not of outward, but of spiritual kinship. There were 'children of the Kingdom, and there was an 'outer darkness' with its anguish and despair. But this childship was of the Kingdom, such as He had opened it to all believers; and that outer darkness theirs, who had only outward claims to present. And so this history of the believing Centurion is at the same time an application of the 'Sermon on the Mount', in this also aptly following the order of its record, and a further carrying out of its teaching. Negatively, it differentiated the Kingdom from Israel; while, positively, it placed the hope of Israel, and fellowship with its promises, within reach of all faith, whether of Jew or Gentile. He Who taught such new and strange truth could never be called a mere reformer of Judaism. There cannot be 'reform,' where all the fundamental principles are different. Surely He was the Son of God, the Messiah of men, Who, in such surrounding, could so speak to Jew and Gentile of God and His Kingdom. And surely also, He, Who could so bring spiritual life to the dead, could have no difficulty by the same word, 'in the self-same hour,' to restore life and health to the servant of him, whose faith had inherited the Kingdom. The first grafted tree of heathendom that had so blossomed could not shake off unripe fruit. If the teaching of Christ was new and was true, so must His work have been. And in this lies the highest vindication of this miracle, that He is the Miracle.