Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 9, No. 16
“The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.” (Acts 27:3NIV)
Who was Julius? He was the Roman centurion that was given the responsibility of taking Paul to Rome, so that he may be tried for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by Ceasar himself. And what did he do for Paul, as mentioned in our opening text? He showed him kindness when they got to Sidon by allowing him to visit his friends there for support.
Now if Julius had not allowed Paul to visit his friends on that occasion, what would the man of God have done? Nothing! Julius was not under any obligation to allow him to visit anybody. His main obligation was to safely deliver him for trial in the court of Ceasar. And once he was done with that, whatever became of Paul would not be his headache.
However, the man chose to be considerate instead of being rigid. Why? The reason was that, in his judgment, he did not see Paul as a criminal. He was a soldier. He was, in fact, not just an ordinary soldier but a centurion, an army officer. So, he must have dealt with all kinds of criminals before he met Paul. And having interacted with the man of God for a while, he concluded that he was not a criminal but a victim of circumstances.
So, he decided not to be rigid but kind in relating to him. That was why he allowed him to visit his friends for support when they got to Sidon. He knew that Paul would need as much material support as he could get to survive in Rome, that is, before his trial, during his trial and even after his trial, depending on how things went for him.
Now did Paul disappoint him? No! Did Paul attempt to run away when the man gave him permission to visit his friends for help? No! Instead, Paul treated the man’s kindness with respect and ensured that he had no reason to worry about him. And because of that, as we are later informed in the bible about their trip together, the man did all that he could to protect Paul, even when his soldiers suggested that they kill all the prisoners to prevent them from escaping after they had suffered a shipwreck. (Cf. Acts 27:42-44)
What are the lessons for us in this, then? The first is that we should learn to be considerate and not rigid in relating to everyone in our lives or everyone we might meet in life. Truly, we may have a measure of authority to determine what people can do or not do where we are. It does not mean that we should not know when we need to apply mercy and consideration in dealing with them.
See, some people that we have authority over today may just be victims of life’s circumstances. It may not be that we are better than them or that they will always be under our authority. Therefore, we should treat them with mercy and consideration and not be harsh or overbearing in relating to them. And that is not so that they may repay us when times of refreshing come to them. Rather, it is because it is the right thing to do.
Remember that the bible says that mercy will be shown to the one that is merciful and that judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. So, know when and where to be merciful and considerate instead of being rigid. And besides the fact that those involved will always remember you as a comforter sent from God to them in a time of trial, God also will remember to be merciful to you in your own times of trial, which you don’t know when or how they will come. (Cf. Matt 5:7; James 2:13)
Another lesson from the story is that we too need to learn to make it easy for those with authority over us to deal with us with consideration and mercy. The reason some people with authority are rigid and never merciful in using their authority is that they have been betrayed in the past. They showed mercy and kindness to some people and got wounded for it. So, they promised or swore to themselves never to be merciful or understanding again in using their authority. And it will take a great experience of the love of God for such individuals to be healed of this malady.
In any case, my point is that always conduct yourself in such a way as to make it easy for those with authority over you in any place to be kind and considerate in relating to you. And when they show you unusual kindness because they are being considerate, don’t abuse or misuse it. Otherwise, you may not be the only one that will pay for it; others too that you don’t even know may also end up paying for it. And will God praise you for that? Never!
So, mind yourself.
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