Following The Feet Of Jesus - Walking To The Cross

3.29.15
"Walk With The Cross In Mind"
Audio Sermon Can Be Heard Here.

Palm Sunday.

Jesus on a donkey.

People throwing down their cloaks and palm branches.

They chant "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Jesus is a rock star entering the town of Jerusalem.

In the devil's attempt to cause Jesus to sin in the dessert, the gospel writers record that the devil left for another time. I have to wonder if this was such a time. Not the time when the pain is filling his lungs while he slowly suffocates on the cross. Not when the Roman insults pierced his ears and his heart. No, I suspect it is the time like this when Jesus could have decided to rebel against his father's plan and declare: "Yes. This is how it should be." 

He could have ordered an army of angels to drive out the Romans and clear the temple of the false teachers. Thankfully, he did not. As we look to Jesus and try to follow in his footsteps, this story is not an invitation to walk with him in glory and praise. That will come later. Much later at his second coming. No, this is the record of the final steps towards his end goal: the cross.

A walk towards death is a difficult walk. To follow in his example is monumental. We are all creatures of comfort. We will take the easy route almost every time it is offered. Observe the next time you come to a shopping center that has landscaping scattered about the parking lot. A person should park and follow the designated path on the walk clearly marked for them, but people do not. No, the extra steps required to walk to the end of the curb is too much, so they cut through the bushes and cause gaps in the landscaping.

Jesus was not that kind of guy. No short cuts for him. The first thing we can see in the story of Jesus and his trek to the cross is: The Walk To The Cross Requires Resolve.

In Luke 13:32, Jesus is warned by the Pharisees that King Herod was looking to kill him. (Sarcastic note: wasn't that just swell of them to warn him considering they were plotting to do so as well should he come to Jerusalem.) In his reply, Jesus tells the spiritual hypocrites and all others who were listening that he must continue doing his job for the next two days and then he would be in Jerusalem. Jesus is taunting Herod, and the Pharisees, by telling them when he was coming and that there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Jesus stood his ground with his disciples as well. We read in Matthew 16, that when Jesus lays out his plan to go to Jerusalem and be handed over to the authorities, beaten, and killed, he is "corrected" by Peter that it can't be that way. Gotta love Peter. Imagine standing toe to toe with God made flesh and correcting him. Jesus immediately sees who is behind this suggestion and tells Peter: "Satan, get behind me!" Jesus was resolve in his determination to walk to the cross.

The second thing we see in the relationship to the cross is that while Jesus had the Cross to carry, We Too Have A Cross To Carry.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells his disciples and those following him at the time that to be a disciple they must "deny themselves and take up their cross daily." Oh, how my grandmother would lament on a wayward grandchild or adult child of hers who was not living as they should. She would echo the meaning of this verse and tell us that the person or persons were her "cross to bare". I think Jesus had something else in mind, but Grandma's use of the phrase told me that there are things in this world that I just have to endure. There is no setting them down. Some jobs must be done.

Paul writes to the church in Rome that we must offer ourselves as living sacrifices on a daily basis. Letting our sin riddled flesh die and letting the spirit filled inner man that we truly are in Christ live. It is my least favorite verse in the Bible. Practical, yes. Prudent, yes. Difficult, yes and yes! Paul's admonition to let our old self die daily so that the new self can live is a challenge. But we can take heart that we do this in obedience to the example Jesus gave us on the cross. And we can do this because Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 that we died with Jesus on the cross and that now it is no longer us that lives but Jesus in us. On those days when I am truly dead, and Jesus is seen living in me, amazing things happen! But when I resurrect the dead old nature and let him have dominion in my body, I am not surprised to find myself doing the things which I know I should not do (Romans 7).

Our cross can be heavy. It can be a burden we sometimes feel as though we can no longer bare. Before Jesus was forced to carry his cross to the site of his execution, he was beaten, tormented, and publicly mocked. Have you ever felt that way? Has life ever stacked the deck against you and not just one or two, but three or twelve or ninety things seem to hit you all at once? In those moments when we are beaten and mocked, and tired, there is hope.

The third thing we can learn from Jesus and his walk to the cross is that sometimes, We Need Others To Help Carry Our Cross. In Luke 23:26, we read that there was a man named Simon who was commissioned to carry the cross for Jesus. I cannot say if this man was a follower of Jesus before or after this day, but imagine for a second that he became a believer and walks in heaven today. Will Jesus see him strolling the heavenly courts and stop to say "thanks again for helping me that day on earth"? Who of us would not love that honor? That opportunity? Good news, we can!

If what we know about our lives after accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is true, that we all have died and now Christ lives in us, then it reasons that when we see a brother or sister in Christ who is struggling under the weight of their circumstances and we stop to help them carry that cross a while, then we are in essence doing it for Jesus! Wow! You and I can have the opportunity to help Jesus! If we see it in this light, then helping a fellow believer should be a privilege, not a burden.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us that when we are alone, we can be overpowered; but when there is two, we can help each other; and when there is three, we cannot be easily broken! If we unite together as fellow members of the body of Christ, we can be a force most strong. If we stand together with Christ as the third strand, we are unbreakable!

Maybe today is a day like the triumphal entry, and you are loved and adored by many. Maybe today is a day where you lay tired and disliked by most. As a Christian, we have the call to follow Jesus and be resolved to march onward. On to the Cross, and on to victory!

Following The Feet Of Jesus - Walk Through Persecution

3.22.15
"Walking Through The Persecution"
Audio Sermon Can Be Heard Here.

In 1973, Lynn Anderson sang the immortal words: "I never promised you a rose garden." The song's lyrics ring true today some four decades later. This life has hardships. Not every day is all sunshine and beauty. There are times when rain must fall, and days when the ugliness of the world is seen close up and unfiltered. Jesus knew this fact to be true. He had wonderful days of angelic choirs announcing his birth, wedding planners praising his water to wine transformations, and even once had the masses singing his praises while he rode through the streets. He also knew the feel of taunting words, hurtful words, the evil of men's hearts towards him, and finally the feel of thorns and spikes, and rough hewed wood on his back.

In his love for his disciples, and us as spiritual descendants, he tried to prepare us for the inevitable. We will have wonderful, amazing days walking with Jesus! We will also have to face the truth of a fallen world filled with fallen and evil people who will have nothing but loathing for us.

In Matthew chapter 10, Jesus prepares the disciples to venture out away from him to test their resolve and prepare them for the day when he would leave and they must carry on the work which must be done. He gives them practical advise, but also some gloomy advise as well. If I were a PR adviser for Jesus, I would have kept this part of the "follow me" campaign on the hush, hush. I can picture ads running online or posters printed that reads: "Follow Me! You Will Be Betrayed!" or "Be Like Jesus, Be Hated and Despised!" Maybe there could have been a bumper sticker which read "I Am A Sheep Among Wolves".

Those are the things Jesus told his disciples would be said about them if they chose to follow him. In Matthew 10, Jesus tells his disciples that there will be wolves (verse 16).  He did not say, "Oh, there may be the possibility of ravenous wild animals looking to feast on your innocence."  No, he said there will be people who want nothing more than to satisfy themselves with your destruction.

He added that we will be betrayed and hated. Family and friends will turn on one another. They will reject the person who is a Jesus follower and persecute them. In verse 22 Jesus goes so far as to say that we who believe and follow him will be "hated by all." All. That is a lot of people.

This hatred for God, Judaism, and Christianity is still just as fervent as in the days that Jesus first issued this warning. As an example of this, watch the following video: CLICK HERE. It is a video of a person testing the reaction of waving an ISIS terrorist flag or the national flag of Israel. The results are shocking. While this experiment was specifically about Israel, I believe it reflects the attitude that Jesus was trying to convey to his followers: there will be people who love evil and hate you.

Jesus did not only give gloomy predictions of how we would be persecuted. No. He also gave some very practical instructions on how we should follow him through the persecution.

1. Be shrewd. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells his followers to be as shrewd as a snake. But wait, isn't a snake the symbol of Satan and sin? What is Jesus trying to pull? The snake was also a symbol or wisdom and clarity of understanding. He is telling us to be watchful, patient, and cunning in our actions.

2. Be innocent. We are to be as innocent as doves. Without blemish. When we live a double life as Christians and try to be in the world and of it, we create a paradox in the minds of people we are trying to reach with  the truth of Christ's love. One way to handle persecution, is to know that you are in the right, not the wrong. Proverbs 28:1 describes it like this: "The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as lions."

3. Do not be anxious. In verse 19 Christ comforts us in knowing that that we will not have to give answer for our faith alone. God will give us the words to say to change the hearts of others.

4. Endure to the end. Perseverance is not a buzz word for today's culture. We too often find ourselves pacing in front of the microwave waiting for the popcorn to finish popping (I am guilty of this at times), In a culture where short term contracts for cell phone service is too long, the admonishment by Jesus to endure is needed for sure.

5. Flee. Jesus stood when others would not. He endured the cross and all of its shame, but here in verse 23 he advises his followers that sometimes a timely retreat is advantageous. When the pressure comes and we are in trouble, we can take follow the instructions of Jesus and flee. If you need a more modern take on the concept of getting out and getting free of the situation, then look no further than Paul Simon and his plan to "slip out the ba   ck, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan. No need to be coy, Roy. Just get yourself free. Hop on the bus, Gus. You don't need to discuss much. Just drop of the key, Lee; and get yourself free."

6. Take heart! In all of this persecution and ugliness, take heart in knowing that if others are treating you poorly for the namesake of Jesus, then you are behaving and looking like him! He says in verse 25 that if they have called the head of the household a devil, then don't be surprised when they call us one too! We are no greater than the master, and he was persecuted. We should expect the same.

A fine example of actually living these steps out can be seen HERE. This short video tells the story of a Pakistani Christian woman and her persecution, deliverance, and eventual  peace which filled her by Jesus.

Pray today that when the times of persecution come, and they will, that we have the strength of to follow Jesus - even though it is no rose garden.

Following The Feet Of Jesus - Walk On Water

3.15.15
"Following Jesus When He Walks On Water"
Audio Sermon Can Be Heard Here.

Okay. I welcome the invitation form Jesus to follow him. To learn as we walk. To watch and listen and be transformed by being with him. I can appreciate his love for me and his intentional leading through the minefields of temptation - knowing that if he can do it in his human form, so can I. But walk on water? Come on! How am I suppose to do that?

My mom was fond of telling us as kids that God wold not ask more of us than we could handle. I think that was a loose translation of Paul's encouragement to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 10:13 when he tells them "God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." So reflecting on mom's words of wisdom, and on Paul's words of encouragement, how do I answer the calling to follow Jesus as he strolls across the stormy sea?

To begin, I believe we have to look at the story I am referencing in the call to walk on water. In Matthew 14 and Mark 6, we have recorded one of the real super human feats that Jesus conducted while on earth. Let's set the stage: Jesus has a cousin who he is very fond of and loves deeply, his name was John. John was known as being a very vocal opponent to the local government. He would often preach against the appointed King and his wife - who happened to be the king's brother's wife until he had his brother killed and took his sister-in-law as his queen. The queen apparently was okay with the arrangement, and she wanted John killed for using the local social media (watering holes and marketplaces) to spread the dirt on their illicit marriage.

The queen had a daughter who apparently was very beautiful and alluring to men. She used her young daughter to entrance her new kingly husband and make him swear an oath to do what she wanted. The daughter danced her inviting dance, the king watched and was aroused, and in that moment of hormonal weakness vowed to kill John the prophet. Bound by his word, the king killed John - beheading him and serving the head to the daughter on a silver platter.

Jesus was in the countryside teaching and healing.When he heard what had been done to his cousin, he left the crowds and removed himself to a solitary place. The word used in the original language offers a deeper meaning - it was a lonely place. In his grief he wanted to be alone.

But this is Jesus, and like a pack of ravenous paparazzi, the crowds discovered where he went and followed him there. Instead of being upset or withdrawing further, Jesus did a peculiar thing: he had pity on them. Mark records in his account of the event that he saw the mass of people like sheep without a shepherd. He was a shepherd, and instinct told him to act. So he gathered the people together and taught and healed and loved on them as a good shepherd would. When the time was late, the problem of dinner came up. Jesus took what food they had and blessed it, multiplied it, and fed over five thousand people! While in his grief, he took time to meet the needs of others.

After dinner, he asked the disciples to board a boat and go across the sea to the other side. He then dismissed the masses, and retired to a quiet spot so that he could speak with his father alone. That prayer is not recorded, but I have to wonder if it had to do with the loss of his cousin, the many needs of the people, and his inner turmoil on staying the course all the way to the cross.

As God, Jesus had surely felt loss when the people of this earth were wiped away in the Great Flood. He must have heard the cries of the Israelite slaves in Egypt - the bible records in Exodus that he did. Jesus watched as his disobedient children were conquered by invading armies and carried off into slavery. His heart had felt loss before, but in this frail fleshly body I have to wonder how these feelings were being processed in a new way.

After his time with the Father, he went to catch up with the disciples. A common pattern: ministry - prayer alone - catch up and explain what just happened. Except this time the disciples weren't just down the road, they were half way across the Sea of Galilee. On a boat. Surrounded by stormy water. Jesus does what anyone without a car, or taxi, or plane, or boat would do - he starts walking. Down from the lonely mountain prayer retreat, past the hill where he had taught the day before, over the sandy beach and on and on. Rock, soil, water...any surface will do for the Son of God.

The disciples are struggling at the oars and not getting very far when they look into the misty sea and see a figure striding across the water's surface. "A ghost", someone shouts! They tremble in fear. First this nasty storm, and now some water walking specter. Great, what next?

What happened next was even more than they could process. There coming towards them was none other than their Rabbi and leader, Jesus. Mark makes note that it appears Jesus intends to pass them by. Matthew tells us that Peter, of course it was Peter, yells to Jesus and asks to walk out to him.   Jesus allows it, and Peter becomes the second human to walk on water. He is fine until he shifts his focus from Jesus and onto the windy waves. Once that faith is broken, he sinks and has to be rescued by Jesus. The two get in the boat and the seas calms. The others in the boat exclaim: "You must truly be the Son of God!"

What if we look at the water as not being water? What if we see it as the turmoil in our life that rocks our security - in this case pictured by a boat. What if we look at Jesus with his humanness at full display? He is grieving. He is bombarded by the needs of the masses. Sean Connery gave up being James Bond because fans and the press would not respect his need for occasional privacy, but Jesus cannot opt out of his role. There have been other actors play the role of Bond, but there is only one Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah, the means of salvation for mankind. No, we cannot walk on water and stroll over lakes or rivers, but we can follow the example of Jesus and realize that no matter the circumstances we must be who we were created to be.

The approach Jesus took was to simple walk above the turmoil. He walked on the water. I would assume with his infinite abilities, he could have easily walked under or through the water. He instead sets the example of rising above the situation and he remained calm. He remained aware of who is in charge (his Father), and he rose above the challenge before him.

There are times when we are in tune with God and can duplicate this effect. Perhaps in your own life you have experienced such a period of time. A season in your life or even a short moment in your life when all the world around you feels unstable. The sea was described as harassing the men at the oars. Has life been harassing you? Can you pray that God will give you supernatural faith to rise above your circumstances and stride forward in life secure in who you are and who God is?

Or maybe you are like the men who stayed in the boat. They clung to the experience and security of the wood. They had perhaps weathered similar storms like this before in such a boat while out fishing. But even with their experience, and faith in this boat, there was no peace until Jesus entered into it. What is in your life that you are clinging onto for hope and security? Is it tradition? Church membership and attendance? Regular tithing? Are you holding onto and investing in the perceived things of religion but not in the relationship with whom controls the storm? Maybe you were taught it is holy and right to simply "ride out the storm". If this is true, then today is the day for you to call out and invite Jesus into that boat you have crafted. Because without him in it, the craft will surely let you down.

"Follow me" Jesus beckons. "Walk on water" or "Wait till I am with you" he calls out to us while we bob up and down, up and down on the open stormy sea of life. How will you answer the call?

Following The Feet Of Jesus - Walk Through Temptaion

3.8.15
"Following Jesus Through Temptation"
Audio Sermon Can Be Heard HERE.

In the 1988 film "The Last Temptation of Christ" director Martin Scorsese attempts to paint a picture of a very human man who discovers his other worldly heritage and assumes the role as Son of God. The film's most controversial concept was the idea that Jesus was willing to succumb to the final temptation of the devil - to leave the cross and have a normal human life with wife and kids.  While this idea is pure fiction, the bible records that Jesus did in fact face temptations by the devil.

In Matthew chapter 4 we read that the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. While there, Jesus fasted and became hungry. This is when the old snake moved in.

This is the second recorded personal tempting or beguiling by Satan of a person upon this earth.  The first was nearly four thousand years earlier. We have recorded in Genesis chapter 3 where he stopped in to have a chat with Eve in the Garden of Eden. In both of these encounters the devil used three basic promptings:

1. The lust of the eye or desires of the flesh.

Jesus was hungry, a fact that the devil used to tempt him into turning stones to bread. A simple action on the part of the creator of the universe to rearrange the atoms of sandstone into a fluffy flavorful loaf of bread. In Eve's case, it is recorded that she saw the fruit as being "good to eat and pleasing to the eye". Her thought seems to echo ours: "Yeah, that looks good and surely it will be good for me." That's what the flesh does...leads us with its desires, even if it is not what is best. Don't believe me? Put a piece of raw broccoli and a piece of chocolate on the table in front of you. You know the veggie is better for you, but the taste buds in your fleshy mouth scream: "Chocolate tastes better! I want the chocolate!" And so you eat the candy...

2. Perversion of God's Word.

The devil took Jesus to the top of the Temple and taunted him to jump...after all, God had said in his scriptures that he would send angels to keep Jesus from getting hurt unnecessarily. The devil did the same thing to Eve. "Surely you will not die." he said to her. The devil is kind of twisting what God said and putting a little spin on the idea in her head. "Sure," the devil purred," God might get upset, angry, and even might punish you...but kill you? Nah, surely not!" With Jesus he demonstrates his knowledge of scripture once again. He has heard the words of God, but uses them out of context and in a way to bend the rules, so to speak. Real life: you have a terrible week in which you are late to work, you are written up by your boss, the kids forget to tell you about the change in practice schedule and it's your week in the parent carpool to take the kids home, and on and on the week rolls out until Sunday morning. That's when we get to church and we are greeted by our small group leader or pastor or really anyone else that has their clothes on straight, make up done just right, and generally appears to have it all together and when they ask how our we are doing they receive the practiced statement, "Fine. Just fine." Is this the kind of lie God was talking about in his ten commandments? The kind of lie that Paul says makes us liars and can cause a rift in our relationship with our Heavenly Father? "Nah, surely not!" we hear whispered in our mind.

3. The Promise of Potential Power.

Finally, the devil takes Jesus to the top of a high mountain and shows him the nations of the world. Like the famous con artist, George C. Parker who "sold" the Brooklyn Bridge an average of twice a week even though he did not own it, the devil offers something that really did not belong to him.  In fact, he was trying to sell it to the actual owner! Silly devil, Trix are for kids, and you are no kid. With Eve, the devil tried to sell the idea of omniscient knowledge. He tells Eve, "When you eat of the fruit you will become like God." He tempts Eve with the promise of something he himself does not posses. Not really. Oh yes, by then the devil had knowledge of Good and Evil, the thing he offers Eve, but he does not have an understanding of it. God understands the two and he understands how you can take something evil (our unredeemed hearts) and make it something good (see Psalms 51). The devil has been given dominion in this world (see 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 6:12), but this world is just a footstool for God (Isaiah 66:1) and Jesus is already promised to be the ruler of it (Revelation 1:5), so the offer by Satan is a scam, a con, it's like selling the Brooklyn Bridge or oceanfront property in Wyoming.

In our lives it looks something like this: "inflate your numbers and get that promotion" or "take this shortcut, cheat a little, no one will know and you will go farther, faster in life". God uses ideas like patience and perseverance. The devil offers us the easy way, the quick way. Jesus could not have taken ownership of the kingdoms of the world without obeying his father. Eve should have realized you cannot be like God. She had seen him. He was totally different. If there were things God wanted her to know, she should have asked him, not look for the easy way.

In all three means of the devil's tempting, we have Jesus as our example of how to walk through the temptation. Notice I say walk through the temptation. There are times, just as Jesus faced, that we have to go through the devil's tricks. Jesus instructed his disciples, and us by their example, to pray to God the Father that he "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." This is a prayer to help us on our daily stumble through life in which we have a pretense to walk the path of evil instead of the path of the righteous. In the story of Jesus and his dialogue with the Tempter, we are modeled a simple three step action plan: Chose God's Word, resist the temptation offered and then watch as the devil flees. James writes this in his letter: "Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil, and he must flee."  In all three temptations offered by the devil to Jesus, it is always God's word correctly applied partnered with Jesus' refusal to succumb to the the temptation that wins the day. Eve on the other hand failed starting with relying on her own understanding of the world, not God's, and then buying in on the offer presented by that great Con Artist, the devil.

What about you? Have you been walking through some temptation lately? How have you fared? Did you submit yourself to God, His Word, and resist the offer to sin? Or did you say "where do I sign up?" and now you are the proud "owner" of the Brooklyn Bridge...along with thousands of others who also have nothing to show for their investment.

Following The Feet Of Jesus - Follow Me

3.1.15
"Follow Me"
Audio Sermon Can Be Heard HERE.

Paul writes to the Ephesians that God chose us to be in Christ before the laying of the foundation for the universe! Imagine that...God had the plan for Jesus going to the cross and redeeming us before the human race ever sinned. God, who is all knowing and eternal, took time to plan our rescue. And not only the rescue, but he also planned a way in which all men might know how to be rescued.

With his infinite wisdom and resources, God could have waited until the 21st century to introduce Jesus into the world so that his exploits and redeeming actions could have been televised, tweeted, sent viral on Instagram or a host of other modern social information networks. Instead, he sent his son to die on a cross, the preferred killing machine of the Romans. Which meant no telephone, email, text, or electronic mass communications. No, God chose a group of twelve men to follow Jesus for a short time, learn what they could with their limited education and understanding of the world, and then be witnesses for him to the rest of the world.

Now God had established a priestly system of knowledgeable men who dedicated their lives to learning his commands who had a clear explanation of sin and sacrifice, as well as righteous and unrighteous actions. Surely you or I would select a team from within the ranks of these studied few to make the learning curve of the disciples easier.

Not God. His ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than ours (Isaiah 55). So with these higher ways and thoughts God decided to pick average people like you and me to learn the new system of thinking about things like revenge, compassion for enemies, Sabbath Day protocols, and forgiveness of sin.

We have  the names for the twelve men recorded in the New Testament (Matthew 10). There was Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zelot, and Judas Iscariot.

Not all stellar individuals. Don't misunderstand me. These men went on to do something amazing: share the story of Jesus with the world. But they would not have been my tops picks looking at them from the start.

I guess you could compare them to a fourth round draft pick that turns out to be a multi Super Bowl MVP winning quarterback that everyone had chose to ignore. But that's how God seems to operate: it's not the stud shinning star player he picks for his team, it is usually the little guy, the late bloomer. It's guys like Moses who had culture identity and anger issues. Women like Rehoboam, a harlot in an enemy town who secured safe passage for the Israelite spies. A boy like David, youngest brother and sheep herder. Or even picking a town like Bethlehem, quaint, tiny, and unknown to be the entry point for the greatest being to walk the face of this earth.

God's ways and thoughts are higher than mine. Maybe that is why he chose a guy like Peter who was "Ready. Fire.Aim." with his words and his actions. His boldness was all fluff and evaporated quickly in the face of a few simple questions from a small girl by a fire on the night Jesus was betrayed. Or brothers like James and John who was given the nickname "sons of thunder" by Jesus. Think about that...your actions were so bold and noisy that the creator of the universe gave you a nickname! Not something spiritual like "The Righteous Brothers" or "Sons of Spirituality", no they are labeled as being disruptive. Matthew was a tax collector, which means he was a traitor to his people and made a living by skimming money from the inflated taxes he imposed. Bartholomew (aka Nathaniel) was sarcastic. When told that Jesus came from Nazareth, he famously replied, "Nazareth! Has anything good ever came from there?" Little did he realize that the most important thing in all of creation came from there! Thomas was known for his doubting, and Judas betrayed Jesus for a hand full of coins.

The others? Well, they did so very little or were so quiet that nothing much is written about their actions. Maybe they were the "good boys" of the group and only the rough necks were recorded. But that is the rag tag group Jesus assembled to be his ambassadors to the world. The good news? If Jesus could us them, then he can use us. Jesus asked all of these men a simple question: "Follow me?" He asks the same of you and I. Three things I think we can learn from this selection of apostles:

1. The call to follow is a call to lead. 

As we follow Jesus and learn his ways, he wants us to lead others. Salvation is not just our treasure, it is a treasure Jesus wants us to share with everyone.

2. Availability is more important than ability. 

These men were not "top picks" to be world changers, but their availability was matched with the love, patience, and teaching of Jesus which resulted in their ability to accomplish the task.

3. Past or current character flaws are no excuse. 

"But you don't know my past" is a phrase often given as reason for not following Jesus. True, I usually don't, but Jesus does and he knew the past and future of these twelve but chose them anyways. It is often the one who realizes just all that they have been forgiven of which makes the best disciple.

So what about you? Have you heard the question asked by Jesus: "Follow Me?" How have you answered that call?