Today’s Readings: Psalms 105-106; Matthew 4
We hear lots of sermons about the kind of men Jesus chose to accompany Him on His journeys. The apostles were for the most part common men. They didn’t come from the aristocracy, but for the most part came from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. Fishermen, tax collectors, ordinary men from several walks of life came together to form a band of hand-picked individuals who Jesus would call on to carry on the work He started.
Today I noticed something I had seen before, but never really put together well until today. Here’s what I saw in a new way. Everyone Jesus called was fully engaged at the time of their calling. Peter and Andrew dropped their nets. James and John did the same. Matthew was fully engaged in collecting taxes when he left his occupation to follow Jesus. Their occupations differed, but all worked incredibly hard.
That’s the distinction I find in the disciples as I thought about what drew Christ to them. Yes, they sought the truth He taught. Yes, they were loyal to Him after the resurrection. But as you think about what Christ demanded of them during their journeys together in terms of the sheer volume of work, these men showed inexhaustible reserves of energy during their three years together. Think of the energy it would take to marshal the crowds that gathered around Jesus. Think of the labor involved in carrying the baskets of food when Jesus began breaking bread and fish that fed five thousand men along with all the women and children.
Think about the labor of moving the sick and injured through crowds so Jesus could get to them to heal them. Yet these men continued to stay with the Master and serve Him…tirelessly. They slept in the garden when Jesus needed them to prayer, but how many hours had they worked that day? We don’t know, but I imagine it was a full day of teaching, healing, moving crowds around to get to the Master and then the preparation for the Passover feast.
Is following Christ going to be an easy, carefree lifestyle? I don’t think so. Get ready to roll up your sleeves when you follow in His footsteps. You can bet He has work cut out for you. He has no intention of letting your hands be idle so as to provide opportunity for mischief. These disciples were busy people. Do you meet the standard?
Join me next time, won’t you?
Richard
Walk with Me 