When he heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and save his servant.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 3. When Saint Luke says that the centurion begs of our Lord to come to him, he must not be supposed to contradict S. Matt. who says, that the centurion objected he was not worthy to receive him under his roof. Saint Luke seems here to relate the words of the Jews, who most probably would stop the centurion as he was going to Christ, and promise to intercede with our Lord for him. S. Chrysos. hom. xxvii in Matt.—Some pretend that the centurion, after having sent to Jesus, went himself; but there is no necessity for such a supposition. We see in another case, that the petition of the sons of Zebedee, made by them to Jesus Christ, according to Saint Mark (10:35) was made to him by the mouth of their mother, according to S. Matthew 20:20. And this the old adage also teaches: qui facit per alium, facit per se; what a man does by another, he does by himself.