The Calling of the Disciples
Jesus had 12 key disciples that he called and did life with: Peter, James, John, Andrew, Bartholomew (or Nathaniel), James, Judas, Jude (or Thaddeus), Matthew (or Levi), Philip, Simon, and Thomas.
From what we know about the disciples, they were just 12 pretty ordinary guys. They were fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and even thieves!
We also know that Jesus called each of the disciples away from productive trades so they could be productive spiritually.
Matthew 4:18-22 (NLT) | emphasis mine
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.
A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
Matthew 9:9 (niv)
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
At this point, the disciples already knew Jesus; they had a relationship with him. But this was the point that Jesus called them to truly sacrifice and leave everything. And they did not make excuses about why they couldn’t leave everything and serve him.
I just keep thinking about all that the disciples had to sacrifice in order to follow Christ.
They literally gave up everything. I doubt any of them received a salary for following Jesus. Several of them left very lucrative careers. I bet many of them had wives and children. Maybe they had very nice, comfortable homes. I’d say many of them had clout within their communities, and good friends and families.
As we fast forward to the time leading up to the cross, Jesus predicts his death for the first time to his disciples. He reveals to them that he would die and be raised from the dead, back to life:
Luke 9:21-22 (NLT)
Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”
Perhaps Jesus’s calling of the disciples was really just a foreshadowing to the sacrifice he was about to make for them, and the rest of the world.
And in the grand scheme of things, if we could ask the disciples, I would wager that they would say their sacrifice was miniscule in comparison to the great sacrifice Christ made for them. That it was worth everything they had to give up.
Jesus presents a clear and challenging description of what following Christ really looks: putting away selfish desires, shouldering your cross every day, and following him.
Luke 9:23 (niv)
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Jesus asked a lot of the disciples.
But he gave everything back in return. To them, and to us.
Over the next few weeks, you can find reflections here at vineyardrichmond.com. Use them to prompt yourself to focus on your faith in a fresh way. Each week we will consider a different theme as we build up to the resurrection event. On Mondays, we will draw your attention to a biblical focus on a character in the gospel accounts. On Wednesdays, we will reflect personally on how that theme affects our spiritual lives. On Fridays, we will focus outwardly as we consider how God is inviting us to engage the world around us for his kingdom. If what you are learning is meaningful to you, click one of the share buttons at the top of these posts to share it with your friends. Let this be a time of personal reflection and careful examination of our own hearts and minds.