<p>8:8&nbsp;<i>And the centurion answered and said: Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof</i>- He was aware that Jews were not supposed to &lsquo;come to' or under the roof of a Gentile (Acts 10:28). He was therefore aware that the purpose of God at that time was for Jews rather than Gentiles- his understanding was quite deep. See on 8:9. But the Lord was quite willing to go under the roof a Gentile; that is the significance of the Lord's response that He would come to the sick servant.</p>
<p><i>But only say the word and my servant shall be healed</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">- He had a deep belief in the power of the Lord's word, and may well be alluding to the unique Hebrew conception of the creation of all things being through the medium of a word spoken. One of Paul's many allusions to the Gospels is in 1 Thess. 1:5, where he observes that the Thessalonians had not heard &quot;the word only&quot; but had had it confirmed by signs and miracles. He seems to be reminding them of the centurion, who believed &quot;the word only&quot;&nbsp;<i>before</i>&nbsp;he experienced the healing miracle.</span></p>