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 itit 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 HeadJesus 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.