Liked and likeable person!

Luke 7:1-10

1 When he finished speaking to the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 A Roman captain there had a servant who was on his deathbed. He prized him highly and didn't want to lose him. 3 When he heard Jesus was back, he sent leaders from the Jewish community asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 They came to Jesus and urged him to do it, saying, "He deserves this. 5 He loves our people. He even built our meeting place." 6 Jesus went with them. When he was still quite far from the house, the captain sent friends to tell him, "Master, you don't have to go to all this trouble. I'm not that good a person, you know. I'd be embarrassed for you to come to my house, 7 even embarrassed to come to you in person. Just give the order and my servant will get well. 8 I'm a man under orders; I also give orders. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes; another, 'Come,' and he comes; my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." 9 Taken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd: "I've yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works." 10 When the messengers got back home, they found the servant up and well.

Food for thought!

We are beginning our work week with a civil servant, a Roman soldier; and he was no ordinary man. The mere fact that he was a centurion meant he was no ordinary man. A centurion was the equivalent of a regimental sergeant-major; and the centurions were the backbone of the Roman army. Wherever they are spoken of in the New Testament they are spoken of well (compare Lk.23; Lk.47; Ac.10:22; Ac.22:26; Ac.23:17,23,24; Ac.24:23; Ac.27:43).

He had a completely unusual attitude to his slave. He loved this slave and would go to any trouble to save him. The attitude of this centurion to his slave was quite unusual, and should help us shape our attitude towards our house girls, our maids, our servers, our assistants or even our colleagues at work. When his slave fell ill, he sought Jesus, because "He prized him highly and didn't want to lose him." We all know the importance of those people who work for us; the day they don't show up at work, some of us are completely lost, unable to do anything.

He was a liked and likeable man. He was not a Jew, but Jews liked them. They came to Jesus and urged him to do him a favour, "He deserves this. He loves our people. He even built our meeting place." This is what we should be, liked and likeable. As you know, it is what people really think of you, not what they say TO YOU, that matters!

He was a humble man. He knew quite well that a strict Jew was forbidden by the law to enter the house of a gentile (Ac.10:28); just as he was forbidden to allow a gentile into his house or have any communication with him. He would not even come to Jesus himself. He persuaded his Jewish friends to approach him. This man who was accustomed to command had an amazing humility in the presence of true greatness.

He was a man of faith. His faith is based on the soundest argument. He argued from the here and now to the there and then. He argued from his own experience to God. If his authority produced the results it did, how much more must that of Jesus? He came with that perfect confidence which looks up and says, "Lord, I know you can do this." If only we had a faith like that, for us too the miracle would happen and life become new.

Taken aback, Jesus said of him to the people: "I've yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works." Sometimes, non-Christians behave better than we Christians!