The Personality that the Lord Desires for
(Matthew 8:5-13)
“Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
1. The Personality the Centurion Showed to the Lord
He could not bear that the Lord came to the home of a Gentile like himself, who was dirty and worthless. Furthermore, he was worried that the Lord would get in trouble due to the Jews who regarded contact with Gentiles as something dirty. He believed that the Lord has been entrusted with God’s authority and the illness could be driven out only in His word. His faith shone through his personality.
2. The Personality that Israelites Revealed
The Lord admired the centurion’s personality for compassion toward his servant, careful consideration toward the Lord, and his deep trust toward God. Therefore, He said of him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” In fact, this kind of faith should have been found in the Israelites who had enjoyed the beneficial privilege of being God’s chosen people. However, they rejected repentance and were content with a simple formula, “God’s people will go to heaven.” Those who were neglected the work that God was truly fulfilling gradually revealed their evil personality and ultimately forced the Son of God to suffer and die.
3. The Personality We Should Possess
As Christians, we have received the great grace that even Israel could not attain. Nevertheless, if we satisfy ourselves by making the simple formula of “believing in God will take us to heaven” and neglect our duty as those who have received the grace, the Lord’s warning to Israel that “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in the outer darkness” will apply to us as well. Let us participate to the Lord’s salvation ministry together by demonstrating a holy personality, since we have already been saved through the Lord’s humility, affection, love and consideration. Through our lives, let us show our true desire to be eternally with the Lord, who saves us.
April 30, 2023
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
