The Selection of the Christ

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As we continue in our Christology series, we have now arrived at section 5 – the selection of the Christ.  This section deals with Christ calling his 12 disciples and thrusting them into ministry.

Jesus’ calling of the disciples displayed the attribute of grace.  When you look at this rag tag group of men he chose, there isn’t anything special about them.  In fact, if you were on a pastor search committee and drafted up a list of qualities you were looking for in a spiritual leader, you would probably list out things that none of these men possessed.  They weren’t obvious choices, and yet, they were Jesus’ choices, and for that, they would develop into who Christ had called them to be.  The old saying is true here: Jesus doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.

Here are some things to note during this time of ministry:

  • Some Scripture passages to read concerning Jesus’ calling of the disciples are Matt. 4:18-22; 10:1-4; Mark 1:16-20; 3:13-19; Luke 5:1-11; 6:12-16.
  • Jesus chose ordinary people and did extraordinary things through them.
  • Jesus called unlikely people (that’s good for you and me by the way, because he still does the same thing).
  • When Jesus called his disciples, there first job assignments were: 1) to be with him (oo, I hear a good sermon out of that one), 2) to preach, and 3) to have authority over demons (Mark 3:13-19).
  • Jesus called the disciples when his ministry had not taken off to its fullest state yet.  When they chose to follow him, they had a few powerful things to measure Jesus’ ministry by, but not the whole thing yet.  They saw enough though to believe he was worth abandoning all.
  • These fishermen left the biggest catch of their lives to follow Jesus (Luke 5:1-11).  What would we be willing to leave?
  • Jesus spent an entire night in prayer before he selected the 12 and shows an example for us when a big decision looms (Luke 6:12-16).
  • Jesus was probably criticized for playing favorites.  Among hundreds of disciples, he narrowed down 12 for a special task.  Within the 12, he relied heavily on 3 to join him for significant events.  Within the 3, one was his beloved disciple and another was the leader of the pack.  Jesus loved everyone, but he was also especially intentional with a select few.
  • With all their successes and failures, the disciples abandoned a life of comfort to follow a homeless man.  And the world has never been the same since.