David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 10:1-4

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. ² The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

There is a fun assessment of the twelve disciples of Jesus, ostensibly produced by a company that put them through a battery of tests.  The text of that assessment is below. In fact each of the disciples of Jesus had his issues. None of the gospel writers attempts to paint them as flawless or facile; in fact each shows up in the gospels flaws and foibles in full view. This should therefore encourage us to serve Christ in the fullness of who we are. There need be no specific Christian personality, ability, or aptitude. Jesus calls ordinary people to serve in his kingdom in extraordinary ways.

It is also important in the assessment of Jesus’ disciples as Matthew names them here that they are an answer to their own prayer. Remember two things:

When Matthew wrote his gospel, he did not include chapter and verse numbers. In fact writing supplies were so very precious that they often didn’t bother with punctuation or paragraph formatting. (Click here for an image of an ancient Greek manuscript of Matthew’s gospel.) Chapter and verse numbers were added later to help people like you and me find specific places in the Bible. They are very useful for that reason. But sometimes they get in the way of a clear understanding of the text.

Such is the case with the end of chapter nine and beginning of chapter 10 of Matthew’s gospel. At the end of chapter nine Jesus urges his disciples to pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send laborers into his harvest. In chapter ten Jesus calls the 12 and sends them! They are the answer to their own prayer for workers in the harvest! This motley crew of Jesus’ followers are part of God’s plan to evangelize the whole world!

Perhaps we might stop offering excuses as to why we ought not go, that we’re not qualified, or we have no expertise, and simply offer ourselves to God that he might do his work through us. In fact we all who serve in Christ’s kingdom give only what we’ve been given; we have nothing to offer of ourselves. This is not just a high challenge and noble calling, it is a great privilege – no matter who we are, or what gifts we might or might not possess.

This is attributed to Tim Hansel, in his book Eating Problems for Breakfast

To: Jesus, Son of Joseph
Woodcrafters Carpenters Shop
Nazareth 25922

From: Jordan Management
Consultants
Jerusalem 26544
Dear Sir:

Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests, and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.

The profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to study each of them carefully.

As part of our service and for your guidance, we make some general comments, much as an auditor will include some general statements. This is given as a result of staff consultation and comes without any additional fee.

It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise, you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.

Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities to leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Sebedee place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau.

James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale.

One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you every success in your new venture.

Jordan Management Consultants