Have you ever wondered if Peter was any good at fishing? How
about James and John? Was Matthew an excellent tax collector? How about Luke?
Was he one of the finest physicians of his day? In other words, did Jesus choose
the twelve because of some success they had achieved or successful tendency
they possessed? Did He see the twelve as young men who were “going places” even
though they were currently a little on the rough side?
If we were in a court room, a sharp defense attorney might
ask the court about the relevance of the question. Like any good prosecutor I
might respond, “The question deals with motive, your honor.” Specifically, the
motive behind the choices Jesus made regarding the foundation of the future
Church.
The account in the fifth chapter of Luke is interesting.
Simon and his partners were washing nets after a long, frustrating, and futile
night of fishing. Jesus suggested they should try again, and, against their
better judgment, attempt to catch some fish
- · In the wrong spot
- · At the wrong time of day
Peter and his partners were tired, perhaps irritated, and maybe
they were just humoring Jesus’ odd request; they may not have used all their
nets, or dropped them in the correct manner. In other words, their effort may
have been a little half-hearted. Look at Peter’s words:
And Simon answered,
“Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down
the nets.” Luke 5:5 ESV
Then a miracle happened. The ninth and tenth verses reveal
that these seasoned fishermen “were
astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken . . .” Listening to
Jesus, and obeying Him made the difference; not the boat, the nets, the
experience of the fishermen. Hmm.
As Jesus walked the shores of that huge lake, and as He
walked the streets of the cities and villages of Israel He collected an odd
assortment of followers—from all walks of life. Depending upon the time and
place, this group of followers numbered in the hundreds to several thousand. But
from among these followers He chose just twelve.
Contrary to popular belief, Jesus didn’t pick the disciples
based upon the shine of their halos. In reality, a
close reading of the Gospels reveals that these were ordinary men—ordinary in
the sense of "quite unremarkable." Others recognized their unremarkable qualities,
too.
Now when they [rulers,
scribes, and elders] saw the boldness of
Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were
astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
ESV
I would commend to you that achievements outside the kingdom
are pretty worthless inside the kingdom. At least that is the impression that
the Apostle Paul gives us:
--though I myself have
reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason
for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the
people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law,
a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under
the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake
of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of
all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the
law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God
that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection,
and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means
possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:4-11
ESV
It is not that Jesus could not attract “better people.”
There were wealthy men and women who were interested; there were scholars who
were interested. There were a few scribes, lawyers, Pharisees and Sadducees who
were truly looking for a Messiah. With a little forbearance and encouragement,
a little deference to their position, or a little special treatment Jesus might
have won these people over. But (amazingly) He didn’t even try.
Jesus preferred to work with those considered weak or
ignorant by the world’s standards. Imagine choosing a team for your weekly
sandlot baseball game and purposely choosing the worst players available. In
his letter to the Corinthian church Paul explains--
For the foolishness of
God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For consider your
calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,
not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is
foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the
world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the
world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that
are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 1
Corinthians 1:25-29 ESV
Remember the high school physics experiment in which
students are asked to design and build a container that will protect an egg when
dropped from the roof of their school? Why do they use eggs instead of ball
bearings or rocks? Simply, the latter do not need any protection. By contrast, an
egg is incredibly fragile and best demonstrates the effectiveness of the packaging.
The weaker, more fragile passenger assures that the experiment will measure the
strength of the packaging and not the strength of the passenger. Hmm. The egg
gives greater glory to the package than the rock.
The world is full of “self-made” men and women who boast of
their accomplishments. Even Frank Sinatra crooned “I did it my way . . .” Raving
successes on earth are dim lamps compared to the glory of God, but even their
dim light is misleading. American Christianity must guard itself against the
leaven of worldly achievements and excellence. Worldly excellence does not
glorify God, rather humility, contrition, and brokenness do.
The insult uttered by the religious elite about Peter and
John-- uneducated, common men—was
their badge of honor! Because it meant Peter and John’s words, boldness, and
wisdom could only have come from one place: And
they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
So, [drum roll, please] if it has been awhile since you made
your first million, or (worse) if you haven’t even done it yet, there’s Good News!
You may be perfect for the kingdom!
