Choosing Disciples

             As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

             Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,  and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-21)

 

            Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”   (Luke 14:12-14)

 

            If you read the other gospels, you’ll find that the incident above wasn’t exactly spontaneous. Jesus didn’t walk down the beach and call people He had never spoken to before to follow Him. But neither did He follow the “Official Discipleship Manual.” Teachers seeking disciples generally scouted among pre-teens and they looked for the best and the brightest. If a boy didn’t get selected by the Ive League teachers of they day, they might be chosen by a teachers of less renown, down to the point of the boys who weren’t picked by anyone.

            Peter, Andrew, James, and John were among those not chosen. They were probably at least ten years beyond eligibility status. In terms of scholastic achievement, they were nobodies. And they were nobodies with families, careers, and a lifetime of habits and opinions that more typical disciples didn’t have the time to have developed.

            In the second passage above, Jesus’ advice to His host about his guest list follows the same pattern. Hosts shouldn’t invite those who will provide a benefit to the host or who can repay the privilege of the invitation. Instead, hosts should invite the nobodies.  Then God would give them a heavenly reward.

            I know people who take this to heart. They’re all about helping the down and out. They go into animal shelters and adopt the oldest, most needy animal there. They befriend the person at work who sits alone and reads instead of chatting, because that person is the neediest. Give them a little time, and they’ll transform the life of their project. And they’ll be sure to remind you how good they’re being. This isn’t what Jesus taught or demonstrated. It’s exploitation. Jesus challenged their thinking. He taught them, but what they learned was up to them.

            So how do we imitate Jesus here? One idea that comes to mind is that we form friendships that are not based on the friend’s ability to benefit us. Another is that we form friendships that are not based on our plans to fix the friend. We should seek and encourage what is best for them, but we aren’t Henry Higgins (My Fair Lady.)