http://bible.com/events/49241752
The Call
Who are we called to be?
As the church, as those who claim to love Jesus, to follow Him, to trust Him…who are we called to be?
To those that we like and those that we don’t?
Those who look like us, speak the same language, and those who don’t?
To our neighbors and those on the other side of town, to those on the other side of the world?
The picture this morning begins with two individuals who knew Jesus very well, in fact, Jesus chose them each specifically.
Of all the people who Jesus would have invited to be his disciples, he chose these two. And yet their inclusion and participation in the kingdom of God speaks volumes to us today.
Matthew 10:1-4
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Zealots were an aggressive political party who had such a deep concern for the Jewish people that they would despise anyone who sought peace with Rome or tolerated them in any way.
They fiercely opposed anything and anyone that diminished their culture, religion or their desire for self-government.
Among the zealots there were those extremists who turned to terrorism and assassination. This group became known as the Sicarii or ‘the dagger men’. They were known for their hidden daggers ready to strike down anyone friendly to Rome.
And yet Jesus chooses one of them? A zealot?
Jesus Calls Simon
Matthew 9:9-13
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. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Of all the people Jesus could choose, he chose him? Matthew, a tax collector?
Tax collectors were hated by everyone. The Jews, their own people, reviled them because they collaborated with the enemy. They worked for Rome and carried out their orders.
But even worse, tax collectors like Matthew gained wealth by padding their own pockets, demanding more than what was due, and keeping it for themselves.
They represented the enemy, and got rich by over-taxing their own people.
And yet Jesus chooses him, “follow me”.
Jesus Calls Matthew
So why in the world would Jesus choose both of them to be His followers?
First, He loved them. Jesus had a way of seeing through the exterior, even when it was controversial or unpopular. He demonstrated the love of God – He IS the love of God.
But there’s an even more compelling reason: why did Jesus choose Matthew, Simon, among others? Why did he choose two individuals who clearly stood in opposition to one another?
To demonstrate the incredible power of this prayer in action: ‘May they be one, Father. Make them one’
John 17:20-21
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Jesus prays that these disciples, this rag tag group, which included two of the more opposite and different people you could imagine, would be ONE.
And He prays the same for us today…”that ALL of them would be one”
Updates on the new Waynesboro campus
God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey! Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.
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https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch