The Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast

Tuesday Contradictions: Matthew 8:5-8–Contradiction or Complement? Unraveling the Centurion's Story

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In this episode of the Bible Difficulties and Answers podcast, host Lance Smith explores a puzzling contradiction between the Gospels of Matthew and Luke regarding the Roman centurion's request for Jesus's help. The story, found in Matthew 8:5-8 and Luke 7:1-7, seems to diverge on whether the centurion approached Jesus directly or sent messengers on his behalf.

Delve into the cultural and narrative nuances as Lance examines why these accounts differ and how they both highlight the centurion's extraordinary faith in Jesus' authority. Discover how the actions of messengers are attributed directly to the sender and why both gospel accounts present a coherent story from different perspectives.

Join the discussion to see how the Bible's rich, multifaceted narrative style allows for consistent truth and reliability. Whether face-to-face or through intermediaries, the centurion’s faith remains steadfast—a testament to the power and reach of Jesus's word.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

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  1. Skeptics Annotated Bible. https://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/found.html 
  2. The Master’s Seminary Journal, “The Historical Reliability of the Gospels,” 2006. https://tms.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/tmsj17c.pdf 
  3. Answers in Genesis, “Centurion Contradiction?” https://answersingenesis.org/contradictions-in-the-bible/centurion-contradiction/ 
  4. James Hutton, “Healing the Centurion’s Servant: Jesus’ Authority,” 2019. https://jameslhutton.com/2019/08/13/healing-centurions-servant-jesus-authority/ 
  5. If I Walked With Jesus, “Matthew 7:5-13 The Centurion’s Servant Healed.” https://ifiwalkedwithjesus.com/matthew-75-13-the-centurions-servant-healed/ 
  6. Good Question Blog, “Why do Matthew and Luke’s accounts of Jesus healing the centurion’s servant differ in detail?” 2025. https://goodquestionblog.com/2025/04/06/why-do-matthew-and-lukes-account-of-jesus-healing-the-centurions-servant-differ-in-detail/ 
  7. Robert Clifton Robinson, “The Centurion and Jesus: Great Faith or Evidence of Contradiction?” 2014. https://robertcliftonrobinson.com/2014/09/06/the-centurion-and-jesus-great-faith-or-evidence-of-contradiction/ 
  8. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, “Who brought the Centurion’s request to Jesus?” 2008. https://carm.org/bible-difficulties/who-brought-the-centurions-request-to-jesus 
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