He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles. —Luke 6:13

A well-known business leader commented on the winners and the losers in his profession. "The winners fly with eagles," he said, "and the losers run with turkeys."

When Jesus selected the small group to whom He would entrust His mission in the world, the men appeared to be anything but "eagles." Jesus knew that by His power and grace they could soar, but first He had to teach them to fly together.

What a strange mix! There was Peter, impetuous and uncouth. Andrew was simple and believing, but Thomas had a question mark for a mind.

Then consider Matthew and Simon. Matthew probably had held his post as tax collector by cooperating with the Romans. Simon the Zealot may have belonged to a guerrilla band determined to make life miserable for the foreign overlords of Rome by disrupting their trade or by rioting in the streets. Think of it—it would be a little like having one from the political right and one from the political left on the same church board.

Why this diversity? Perhaps to teach us that loyalty to Jesus comes first. Discipleship, true to its name, requires us to learn love and obedience and submission in a diverse community of faith under one Head—Jesus Christ.

-HWR

God builds His church with different stones,
He makes each one belong;
All shapes and sizes fit in place
To make the structure strong.

-Sper

Unity among believers comes from our union with Christ.