<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we think of the apostles, we often think of them as being spiritual giants, or spiritual superheroes of sorts: people we could only dream of being like. However, this couldn\u2019t be further from the truth, for when Jesus called His twelve disciples, He didn\u2019t call extraordinary, qualified men\u2014He called twelve very ordinary, unqualified men. Take Peter, for example, who was as brash as they come. When Jesus told the disciples that He would die on a cross, Peter responded, \u201cNever Lord!\u201d Jesus then rebuked him for doing the work of Satan. When Jesus told the disciples that they would all abandon him, Peter responded, \u201cNever! Maybe they will, but I won\u2019t.\u201d Peter ended up not only abandoning Jesus but denying Him three times before the rooster crowed, just as Jesus said he would. When the crowd showed up to arrest Jesus just as Christ said would happen, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest\u2019s servant\u2014and again, Jesus rebuked him. The point is, when Christ called even the apostle Peter, He called a very unqualified man, as Christ doesn\u2019t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James and John, the \u201csons of thunder,\u201d weren\u2019t any different either. Instead of understanding that Jesus\u2019 mission was to save humanity, not destroy it, they suggested that Jesus allow them to call down fire upon the Samaritans for their rude treatment of Jesus\u2019 disciples. Simon the zealot was a part of a Jewish terrorist group that opposed the Roman occupation to the point that they burned, looted, and murdered anyone who stood in their way. The point is, when Christ called these men to lay the foundation of the church, He called very unqualified men, as Christ doesn\u2019t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of the disciples weren\u2019t much different. Matthew was a tax collector who basically sold out his nation as a traitor to Rome for money, which surely would have made for some interesting interactions with Simon the Zealot. It makes me wonder if Jesus made them share a tent. Andrew was weak in character, unlike his brother Peter. Thaddeus and Philip continually failed to understand Jesus\u2019s mission even after being with Him for three years. Thomas was a pessimistic doubter, and Nathaniel was prejudiced. The point is, when Christ called these men, he called very unqualified men, as Christ doesn\u2019t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final unqualified disciple that Jesus called was Judas Iscariot. Judas was a thief who stole from the moneybag, selfishly complained when a woman \u201cwasted\u201d her money by pouring expensive perfume on Jesus\u2019 feet, and eventually became a traitor who sold Jesus out for a measly thirty pieces of silver. The point is, when Christ called His disciples, He called unqualified men, which included Judas, who, unlike the other eleven disciples, remained unqualified until he ended his own life. But what kept Judas unqualified unlike the other eleven? The answer is faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike the other eleven, instead of trusting in Christ as Lord and Savior, Judas followed Christ out of self-interest. When he saw Jesus\u2019 miracles, he thought, \u201cNow here is someone who can give me all the things I want in this world.\u201d He was essentially saying, \u201cHere is someone who can serve me.\u201d But to approach Christ this way isn\u2019t to approach Him by faith at all, for to approach Him by faith is to trust Him as Lord and Savior. This means we don\u2019t seek after Christ to get what He offers; instead, we seek after Christ to get Christ. Unlike the other eleven disciples, Judas never understood this. He sought the gifts instead of the Giver; his heart loved created things instead of the Creator, which only brings misery, suffering, and death, as Judas soon found out. However, the other disciples came to understand that Christ was the ultimate gift, the Son of the living God, who laid down His life for the sins of the world. And when they understood this, they put their faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior, and the unqualified became the qualified.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When we think of the apostles, we often think of them as being spiritual giants, or spiritual superheroes of sorts: people we could only dream of being like. However, this couldn\u2019t be further from the truth, for when Jesus called His twelve disciples, He didn\u2019t call extraordinary, qualified men\u2014He called twelve very ordinary, unqualified men.…
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