Luke 7:4

They besought him instantly (παρεκάλουν σπουδαίως) On besought, see on Luke 6:24. Instantly, which commonly means at once, is used in its older meaning, pressingly, from the Latin instare, to urge or press upon. So Romans 12:12, "instant in prayer." Wyc., prayed busily. That he was worthy (ὅτι ἄξιός ἐστιν) The A. V. renders ὅτι as a conjunction, that. The Rev., more correctly, takes it as a mark of quotation, besides properly rendering ἐστιν is, instead of was. Render as Rev., He is worthy that thou shouldst do this; for the best texts read παρέξῃ, the second person, thou shouldst do, instead of the third person, παρέξει, he shall do.

Luke 7:4 . Ἄξιος , worthy ) The centurion himself thought differently of himself, “ Neither thought I myself worthy ,” Luke 7:7 .— παρέξῃ ) The Others read παρέξει ; but the construction supports the Subjunctive: ἄξιός ἐστιν , ᾦ παρέξῃ τοῦτο .[69] [69] ABCDLΔ read παρέξῃ . “Dignus est ut hoc illi præstes,” Vulg. Rec. Text has παρέξει without any very old authority.—ED. and TRANSL.

Luke WORTHY-NOT WORTHYLuke 7:4 , Luke 7:6 - Luke 7:7 . A Roman centurion, who could induce the elders of a Jewish village to approach Jesus on his behalf, must have been a remarkable person. The garrison which held down a turbulent people was not usually likely to be much loved by them. But this man, about whom the incident with which our texts are connected is related, was obviously one of the people of whom that restless age had many, who had found out that his creed was outworn, and who had been drawn to Judaism by its lofty monotheism and its austere morality. He had gone so far as to build a synagogue, and thereby, no doubt, incurred the ridicule of his companions, and perhaps the suspicions of his superiors. What would the English authorities think of an Indian district officer that conformed to Buddhism or Brahminism, and built a temple? That is what the Roman officials would think of our centurion. And there were other beautiful traits in his character. He had a servant ‘that was dear to him.’ It was not only the nexus of master and servant and cash payments that bound these two together. And very beautiful is this story, when he himself speaks about this servant.

He does not use the rough word which implies a bondservant, and which is employed throughout the whole of the rest of the narrative, but a much gentler one, and speaks of him as his ‘boy.’ So he had won the hearts of these elders so far as to make them swallow their dislike to Jesus, and deign to go to Him with a request which implied His powers at which at all other times they scoffed. Now, we owe to Luke the details which show us that there was a double deputation to our Lord-the first which approached Him to ask His intervention, and the second which the centurion sent when he saw the little group coming towards his house, and a fresh gush of awe rose in his heart. The elders said, ‘He is worthy’; he said, ‘I am not worthy.’ The verbal resemblance is, indeed, not so close in the original as in our versions, for the literal rendering of the words put into the centurion’s mouth is ‘not fit.’ But still the evident antithesis is preserved: the one saying expresses the favourable view that partial outsiders took of the man, the other gives the truer view that the man took of himself. And so, putting away the story altogether, we may set these two verdicts side by side, as suggesting wider lessons than those which arise from the narrative itself. I. And, first, we have here the shallow plea of worthiness. These elders did not think loftily of Jesus Christ.