Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Mark 3:13-19
We don’t like this kind of thinking. We want it to be “those who were worthy.” Or “those who earned it.” “Those who came in first.” It should be a level playing field, no one should have an advantage. You only get what you earn, what you work hard for. After all, we don’t like it when people play favorites. Especially when they don’t choose us or choose in our favor.
Why do you think they spend millions of dollars each and every year on instant replay during football games? They want each and every decision to be right, to be accurate, to be fair. Both college and professional football have lots of cameras and technology so they can see exactly what’s going on. They even have cameras with batteries in the pilons and first-down markers.
These guys were chosen by Jesus, for Jesus. They were picked not because they ran faster or jumped higher. They weren’t picked because of pop quiz scores or IQ tests. They weren’t picked because they raised their hands higher and straighter. They weren’t picked because they went “ooh-ooh” to get Jesus’ attention. He picked them for himself.
And after he picked them, they went to him. I know it sounds obvious, but they had to respond. They broke away from the crowd and joined up with Jesus. Jesus called, and they came.
Only after coming did Jesus appoint them. And what did he appoint them to? To be with him. The first order of business is to be with Jesus. You can download all the bible apps you want, join all the church’s you can, attend all the small group and weekly meetings possible, but that’s not the primary thing.
The single most important thing is to be with Jesus. Nothing happens without being with Jesus.
You see, we’ve got it backwards. We want the preaching, the authority, the driving out demons. We want the exciting stuff first. We crave the thrill, being in front of people, being part of the show.
But Jesus view of the best way to live is 180 degrees from ours. His world is right-side up while ours is upside-down. His way of living looks toward who God is and his everlasting love for us. He wants nothing but the best for you and me. And that best starts with being with Jesus.
God’s not shy about calling people to himself. He’s calling people all the time. And when he called these twelve guys, he knew precisely who he was calling. He understood exactly what he was getting. And what he was going to experience in and through them.
· Disappointment
· Failure
· Betrayal
· Faithlessness
· Abandonment
And as God is calling you and me, he also knows who and what he’s getting with us.
Sometimes in my pride I think, “Hey there God, you got a great deal when you got me. After all, I’m better than most. I’m not like the crowd. I’m above them. I’m better than them.”
And then something happens; I do something, say something, think something that just shows what a totally wretched person I am. I can do nothing but scream in anguish and cry for help.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:24,25
The Apostle Paul, spiritual giant that he was, comes to the same point in his life. He sees that there’s no way that he can save himself, help himself. So, he throws himself at the feet of God who gives deliverance through Jesus.
I guess I’m in good company, and so are you. So, we should do the same thing, throw ourselves onto God’s great mercy and forgiveness that’s found only in Jesus.
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