Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 9, No. 17
“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 allowed Paul to go to his friends? It was Julius. Who was Julius? He was the Roman centurion that was saddled with the responsibility of taking Paul to Rome to face trial before Ceasar. And why did this man allow Paul to visit his friends when they landed at Sidon? It was so that the man of God may get some material support from them for his journey to Rome.
Evidently, Paul must have discussed his situation with this man and pleaded for the permission to visit some of the people he knew in Sidon to get some assistance for that journey and perhaps also for his stay and trial in Rome. If it was Julius’ responsibility to provide for Paul’s needs, he would not need to ask for his permission to source for outside help. But that was not the centurion’s responsibility. His responsibility was to safely take Paul to Rome to face his trial. And he was utterly committed to doing that.
But being a kind and reasonable man, he had compassion on Paul and gave him permission to visit his friends in Sidon and get help from them. And was he able to get help from them or not? He must have been able to get help from them, since Luke, the writer of the story, does not tell us in the account that he came back disappointed. It follows, then, that the friends of Paul in Sidon were not just friends by words of mouth; they were friends in need and friends indeed.
As we all know, there were no telephones or mobile phones at the time in question. So, there was every possibility that those friends of Paul were not expecting him when he showed up. Yet they did all that they could to aid him, even though the notice was short. That is the beauty of having true and reliable friends.
So, from this account, we learn that it is good to have friends, even as believers in Christ Jesus. Even our Lord Jesus Christ had friends when He was here on earth. For instance, Lazarus, the man that He raised from the dead after four days, was His friend. And Jesus used to visit him and his sisters from time to time for moments of refreshing. (Cf. John 11:1-3)
But what sort of friends are we to have? They must be friends in need, that is, friends that we can rely on for help or support in times of need. Some people will only show themselves as our friends when they can benefit from our well-being or when we are not making any demand on them. If we should no longer be in a situation where they can benefit something from us or if we should make any request that will inconvenience them for any reason, they will surely find a way to excuse themselves from us. Those are not the kind of friends we need. Those are not friends indeed.
A friend in need will do all that he can to be there for you in your hour of need, even if it is not convenient and even if he does not know how to help or have the means to help. Those are the kind of friends Paul had in Sidon. That was the kind of friend David had in Jonathan. And if the friends you currently have in your life are not like that, you should know that you do not have friends at all.
Then if you too are not that kind of friend to anyone who is calling you ‘my friend’, you are not a friend at all. So, you should stop posing as anyone’s friend. Otherwise, you will be misleading them to rely on you for support that you are not ready to give. And if you should cause them pains on account of that, God will not see you as guiltless.
So, mind yourself.
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