THE CENTURION’S REQUEST: A GOOD SERVANT

Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.  When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. Luke 7:2-3 (ESV)

REFERENCE
Luke 7:1-10 (ESV)

We are often so overwhelmed by the figure of the Centurion in this story that we never think much of the servant who was struggling for his life in the Centurion’s Servants Quarters. Not much is known about this nameless servant, but one is quickly amazed that for his sake, his master would go to any length to secure his recovery. Consider all the people in the story that busied themselves with his recovery – his master, a decorated Centurion; the elders of the Jews; the Centurion’s high profile friends, and even Jesus was ready to go to the Servants Quarters to pray for this ‘unknown’ servant. Wow! What could have made this servant command such attention and concern from such people of authority? For one, the bible says he was dear to his master. That means he was cherished, precious, valuable and special to his master.

Without a doubt, this servant must have been very diligent and trust worthy. He must have been like the hardworking servants in Matthew 25:19-23 who worked satisfactorily and to the delight of their master, or like David’s mighty men who risked their lives to grant their master’s wish (II Samuel 23:15-16). Also, he must have been a very committed worker who worked to please the Lord, not just his earthly master. In all, this servant must have been a very good servant (employee), who excelled in his work, which was probably why he worked for a top Military Brass – the centurion (Proverbs 22:29).

Colossians 3:22-24 admonishes Christian employees to work with sincerity of heart, not as men pleasers but working heartily as unto the Lord because our reward ultimately comes from the Lord. Joseph was one person who exemplified the true meaning of a godly employee in the Scriptures; from Potiphar’s house, to the Prison and even at Pharaoh’s Palace, he carried out his duties as a God pleaser not a men pleaser. Joseph was a Spirit-filled, honest, hardworking, outstanding, and astute business man. His conduct gave credence to the fact he was a God-fearing employee.

Our assignment therefore, as Christian employees, is to do whatever God has placed in our hands to do, wholeheartedly, irrespective of whether it gets noticed or not. We should be diligent and disciplined, not taking advantage of the system in which we work, or squandering our employer’s time on frivolities, yet expecting a salary at the end of the month. We ought to be blessings wherever we work and for whomever we work; our conduct and service delivery should be so exceptional that our employers would term us ‘highly valuable’ as was the case with this servant and his master – the centurion.

SCRIPTURE PHOTO

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Genesis 24:1-27, Matthew 25:21 and I Corinthians 4:1-2

REFLECTION

How do you handle the work that has been committed into your hands as an employee? If you were to appraise yourself objectively, how would you rate yourself?

Does your employer relate with you as a Most Valuable Player (MVP) in their organization?

What areas do you need to adjust and improve on?