Matthew 8:6-7

Matthew recorded that the centurion’s address to Jesus (lit. "lord") was polite, though he probably did not intend it as a title of deity. [Note: See my comment on "lord" at 7:21.] The Greek word that the centurion used to describe his servant, pais, usually means "servant," though it can mean "son" (cf. John 4:51). This servant could have been the centurion’s personal aide. Matthew did not record the cause of his paralysis. Perhaps reports of Jesus’ healing of another official’s son led this centurion to approach Jesus (John 4). Here was one Gentile asking Jesus to come and heal another Gentile. Evidently the centurion sent his request through messengers (Luke 7:3). This is one of only two miracles in which Jesus healed someone from a distance in Matthew’s Gospel (cf. Matthew 15:21-28). Both involved Jesus healing Gentiles whom He initially rebuffed but later commended for their unusually great faith in Him.

It is possible to translate Jesus’ response as a question: "Shall I [emphatic] come and heal him?" This translation has the advantage of providing a reason for Jesus emphasizing "I," namely, to focus attention on Jesus’ person. Jesus would not have hesitated to go to the centurion because of ritual uncleanness, as Peter later did (Acts 10); He had already touched a leper (Matthew 8:3). Jesus’ lack of concern about remaining ritually clean shows that He was replacing some laws in the Mosaic Code (cf. Deuteronomy 18:18; Mark 7:19).