ABC:Matthew 8

Verse 5

TheThinkingAtheist.com claims the Bible is wrong about the following passage in the section "Who Brought the Capernaum Centurion’a Request to Jesus?", and makes the following comments (italicized):

“ Matthew 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
It’s the centurion himself who comes.

Luke 7:3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.
The centurion sends some elders.

Luke 7:6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
The centurion sends friends. Same book, same chapter as "elders."

”

All of these passages complement one another, rather than contradicting. Luke 7:3-6 shows evidence of a pattern, first the centurion sent elders begging Jesus to come, and then when Jesus was in the neighborhood he sent friends to keep urging Jesus to come. Finally when Jesus arrived the centurion states belief that Jesus can heal the servant without even entering (Matthew 8:5), which may have been why Jesus applauded the centurion for his trust. (Luke 7:9)

As an interesting sidenote, the centurion may have been Cornelius, the only righteous centurion named in the Bible, whose household became the first non-Jewish Christians. (Acts 10)