I’ve been thinking lately about the qualities each Christian possesses. Yes, each of us has many unique traits that give the body of Christ efficiency – but what binds us together is our love for God. No matter how different we are, we are united in the sole fact that we love God and love to share Him with everyone!
So I got curious and started looking at the 12 Disciples that Jesus handpicked to follow Him. What caused Jesus to choose these men?! They were all incredibly ordinary and lacked understanding for the most part. So it sounds absurd to have chosen men of confusion to go out and share the good news to others…
What we read about these men:
Simon Peter was a Fisherman who had impulsive tendencies….strange choice – impulsiveness means he doesn’t think through things before acting…that could be bad for reaching lost people, but ok…
James (Son of Zebedee) was a Fisherman who was judgmental and short-tempered…was Jesus aware of this? Anger gets people in trouble – at least it gets me in trouble…
John (Son of Zebedee) was a Fisherman who was judgmental and ambitious…judgments are dangerous – why in the world would Jesus choose not one, but TWO judgmental men??!
Andrew was a Fisherman who was full of eagerness…ok, that’s a pretty good choice. Eagerness means he is hungry to learn. So far, this group of men is in dire need of someone with eagerness.
Philip was a Fisherman who had a questioning attitude…I can relate to Philips questioning attitude…I’m starting to question Jesus’ choices right now actually! A questioning attitude places doubt in people’s minds – we are in BAD shape here. If Jesus is looking for a group that will impact the world, so far the only impact the world will get is a downward spiral.
Bartholomew initially rejected Jesus…and here’s the kicker. Jesus just picked a man that rejected him, great. WE.ARE. DOOMED.
Matthew (Levi) was a Tax Collector who was a despised outcast…to add to this motley crew, an outcast is chosen…now the crowds will DEFINETLY turn away in disgust. No one is going to listen to someone they don’t like.
Thomas was a doubter….need I say more…Jesus, why this group of men? – yikes!
James followed without question….well this is a welcomed relief! A man that follows without question…we are gunna need it for this group!
Thaddaeus questioned Jesus’ way of revealing Himself…great, now we have someone that doesn’t respond well to authority…a challenger. We are in trouble.
Simon the Zealot had fierce patriotism…is this good or bad? Not sure – it could go both ways…let’s hope he uses this fierceness for Christ…
Judas Escariot was treacherous and greedy…lovely. Not just treacherous, but greedy also. Was Jesus asking for a catastrophe? Because He just sealed His fate with Judas – no joke!
At this point, I’m sure you can agree with me that these men seem very harmful to Jesus’ ministry on earth. They all have something terribly flawed about them! Jesus should have chosen men with better qualities…you know, to ensure his ministry would succeed.
So in my confusion, I started looking at what Jesus saw in these men. Obviously there was something about each of them that Jesus found incredibly valuable, otherwise He wouldn’t have picked them. I want to, no, need to understand!
What Jesus said about these men:
He changed Simon Peters name to Peter, which means “Rock.” Peter would fish for people and would later be crucified for his faith. And what we learn from Peter’s life is that as Christians, we falter at times. But when we return to Jesus, He forgives us and strengthens our faith, just as he did with Peter over and over again. God never gives up on us. Peter’s impulsiveness was used to show me that when I falter, turning to Jesus for help strengthens my faith…ok, that’s pretty neat. Fine, Peter was a good choice…
He called James and John “Sons of Thunder;” they would fish for people, drink the cup Jesus drank, and John would care for Jesus’ mother after Jesus’ death. But we find some incredible lessons from these men: First, we learn from James that we must be willing to die for Jesus. James quickly learned that to follow Christ was to leave behind the world and its beckoning. He could not have both the world and Christ. (Luke 9:52 – 56). Secondly, from John we learn that the transforming power of the love of Christ is available to everyone. Jesus turned to his mother and said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son” (referring to John), and to the disciple, “Here is your mother,” and from that day on, the disciple (John) took her into his home. – John 19: 26-27. If that’s not love, then I don’t know what is…because John took in Jesus’ mother as his own. Well, now I’m feeling a little foolish, haha! I guess there’s more to these men than meets the eye…
Andrew would fish for people. This man was eager to bring others to Jesus – so the lesson is simple: God calls us to tell other people about Jesus. Period. …at least my feelings about Andrew were good.
Philip was asked if he realized that to know and see Jesus was to know and see the Father. We all have questions, especially when we don’t understand what is going on! And Philip is a great example of how God uses our questions to TEACH us. Questions are valuable to our growth as Christians! So his fault was important to You, God. Questions are a necessary part of growing…You needed me to see that. Got it. Philip isn’t so bad anymore.
Bartholomew was called “a true son of Israel” and “an honest man.” Something I found comforting about Bartholomew was his honesty. God respects our honesty – even if they challenge Him. I love honesty…probably because honesty is a sign of how much you value someone…how much you respect them. It also sheds light in confusion. No one likes being confused…But Bartholomew rejected You, God…at first, yes he did. But not after he got to know You…Ok, if You accepted him and loved him, so can I.
Matthew (Levi) was called to be a disciple. Matthew knew of his status among the people – an outcast; no one liked him. Yet Jesus chose him to be His disciple and he follows. He didn’t have it all together, was nowhere near good – in fact, he was a terrible sinner and cheater. But what is beautiful about Matthew is his transformation. He throws his sinful actions away for something much better: Following Jesus. Christianity is not for people who think they have it all together; it is for people who know they have failed and want help. Matthew wanted help and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Well I’m always game for some help! We are all outcasts at one point in time…who am I to judge Matthew for that? He went to You for help, as I do every day. He’s a good guy in my book.
Thomas believed because he actually saw Jesus after the Resurrection. A man with great trust issues that refused to believe Jesus had risen from the dead unless he saw Him face to face. So Jesus reveals himself to Thomas. But why? Thomas should have just believed like all the rest. But then that wouldn’t have made Thomas who he was – a doubter. God uses Thomas’ doubts to teach him about faith. Even when we experience serious doubts, God chooses to reach out to us in order to restore our faith. Pretty cool, right?! Yep, I can totally resonate with that! In fact, You are teaching me ALL about trust these days, haha! I’m guessing Thomas and I would have been pretty good buddies…well played God, well played.
James, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot were called to follow. They were ordinary men with obvious faith and trust in Jesus. What is incredible about these men is what they teach us: they followed Jesus because they believed in Him. Period. They may not have always understood the details of God’s plan, but they still followed anyways. Wow! I could use a little more of that…haha
Judas Escariot was called “a devil” and was to betray Jesus. Even Judas teaches us something valuable: that it is not enough to be familiar with Jesus’ teachings – His true followers love and obey him. Judas stored information away in his head about Jesus, but never claimed the truth in his heart. He was never truly alive in Christ- but instead dying to the life he thought was more important: worldly status. Ouch! I’m guilty of that too…
So after picking apart these men Jesus chose, I began to realize one thing: Jesus’ disciples were ordinary men who became EXTRAORDINARY because of Jesus Christ. Despite their confusion and lack of understanding during his lifetime, they became powerful witnesses to his resurrection. Each of their lives were TRANSFORMED by God’s power. They were all incredibly different men who possessed different qualities, but that’s what made them work well together. They each brought something unique to the table and used their differences to serve Jesus better. They wouldn’t have been able to do that if they were all the same – if they were all put together and good to go.
And it doesn’t stop with His disciples…it continues to flow through each of us too! God has called each of us to a specific life on this earth and He is using our “flaws, faults, weaknesses” to further His Kingdom…we may think poorly of ourselves at points, but the hope is that we are being used for His good. We are valuable to God…every last detail of our lives is important to Him. So when we think we aren’t good enough, qualified enough, educated enough, etc…We are WRONG! Our weaknesses are far more valuable than we realize. So praise our God for the weaknesses we harbor because He works best in them.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me….For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10
