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| Jesus
Called Them, One By One |
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| Jason
Moore |
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“Now the names of the
twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called
Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee,
and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and
Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and
Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who
betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing
them” (Matt. 10:2-5).
Consider these twelve men Jesus chose. In them is a microcosm
of the kingdom, a little picture of us all. This list inspires
us to courage, but not to a complacent “I’m good enough”
kind of courage. It inspires us to the sort of courage that
calls us to be all that we can be for the kingdom. In fact,
the kind that inspires us to be more than we thought we could
be because of Him who called us. Look at these men closer.
Simon—impetuous, impulsive,
impertinent Peter. You know anyone like him? The Lord brought
his untamed spirit under control, and entrusted to him the
keys of the kingdom. There is room in the kingdom for the
extrovert.
Andrew—he went back to
bring his brother Peter. He walked in his brother’s shadow.
But it was he thought brought his brother to see the Light.
There is room for the second fiddle.
James and John—the cousins
of Jesus who sought chief seats. They were a pair in the
gospels, but they came to have their own faith. James was the
first of the twelve to give his life for the Lord. There is
room for the overly ambitious.
Philip—made the simple
reply to doubting Nathaniel, “Come and see.” That simple
invitation made all the difference. Not just in Nathaniel, but
in Philip. There is room for simple men.
Bartholomew—likely the
Nathaniel whom Philip brought. He was not afraid to ask. There
is room for the honest skeptic.
Matthew—the publican, an
office despised by his countrymen. He opened his home to
Jesus’ followers and was criticized because of the company
present. There is room for the outcast.
Thomas—the doubter. But
he’s the reason the Lord gave us witnesses of His
resurrection. He asked for the proof that Jesus was God that
men for ages have clamored. He has to touch, to see. He did so
that we don’t have to. There is room for those with
imperfect faith.
James—called “the less”
likely because of his youth. He was “the other” James. All
of these men had to get past the spirit of competition, which
is especially strong in youth. They did. There is room for the
young.
Simon—member of a militant
Jewish nationalist sect called the Zealots. Have you ever had
to change your mind? So did Simon before you. There is room
for the misguided.
Judas—called Thaddeus, of
whom the gospels record only his naive question, “Lord, what
then has happened to that you are going to disclose Yourself
to us, and not to the world?” (John 14:22). You can’t
learn if you don’t ask. Judas merely asked what they all
were thinking. There is room for the ignorant.
Judas—the betrayer. There
is room even for the betrayer, except the unrepentant one.
All these men were under construction at the time Jesus called
them. There is room in the kingdom for men like them who are
willing to become what the Lord can make of them.
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Copyright (C)
2008
Southside Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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