Matthew 10:1-5a - Jesus Picks His Team
"A table for 4 please." These were my company this morning just outside my office window. The warmer temperatures lately must have brought them out of hiding and cover. The little reprieve from the cold has been nice but I am sure more is coming before we see true spring. I'm learning a lot about avalanches in this area.
After a little over 2 month break from our study in the Gospel of Matthew, we were back at it picking up in chapter 10. Jesus picks His team. Jesus calls them to Himself; Jesus gives them authority and ability to do what He has been doing; Jesus sends them out to a specific region; and Jesus commands or instructs them on what to take, or not take, and how they are to respond. These commands and instructions will continue throughout the chapter. This passage was more about the naming of His disciples who would be sent out as His apostles.
Relying just upon the Scriptures, we can still have enough detail of the 12 to pick out qualities and also downfalls at times. Peter walks on the water but then denies Christ 3 times. James and John want to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village but then are the 1st and the last apostles to die for the faith. Philip basically called Jesus "The One" but then doubted they had the resources to feed the 5000. Nathaniel cut down Jesus' hometown but then flip flopped to call Him the Son of God. Thomas doubted but was also the one who asked Jesus the important question, "How can we know the way?" It set Jesus up to say, "I am the way, the truth and the life..." The men Jesus selected were not perfect men but 11 of the 12 were faithful men in the end.
The 12, along with many others, have been disciples of Rabbi Jesus. They have been sitting at Jesus' feet listening, asking and observing. Now the 12 have been picked out by Jesus to be His apostles, official representatives of Him sent on a mission with a message. They will go with the words of Jesus and the works of Jesus. When they speak and act, they do not do this of their own accord but rather in the name of Jesus. We see this later after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension when Peter and John say to the lame man in the book of Acts, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!" (Acts 3:6, NASB)
These sets of brothers, fishermen, tax collector, zealot revolutionary, no names of society would be known not for their education or family names but rather that they had been with Jesus. I like Mark's account of this event. It gives us more of Jesus' inner workings to the naming of these 12.
"He went up into the mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. He ordained twelve to be with Him, and to be sent out to preach, and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons." (Mark 3:13-15, NASB, underline mine)
Jesus handpicked these 12 out of all the other disciples to be with Him. They would speak His words and also be able to do His works. It makes me think of why He picked me? Later Jesus would tell His disciples that they did not choose Him but He chose them. I come back to that I have responded to an action already taken. My response is important but it isn't even possible without the prior action of Jesus to respond to. My salvation is His salvation provided and offered to me whose eyes have been opened by Him to be able to see Him as my Savior.
Even though we are not apostles in the sense of the original 12, we have been picked by God to be with Jesus and to be sent out with the words of Jesus and also the works of the Spirit to our world. An extreme amount of us are no namers like the 12 who God uses to bring glory to Himself.
Adam
Comments
Post a Comment