Lessons from the Gospel of Luke: Faith in Action

Read Luke 6

In Luke 6, Jesus proclaimed that He was “Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5 NIV84), thus identifying Himself as the Creator God.  He followed that statement with a miraculous healing, adding to the religious leaders’ desire to be rid of Him.  He also spent time blessing His followers and teaching them how to interact with their fellowman.

Perhaps the most important thing He did in this brief snapshot of His life was to designate or appoint His apostles.  All those who accept Christ as the Son of God and as Lord of their lives become His disciples with the mission of spreading His Word.  However, only the twelve whom He specifically appointed became Apostles, His messengers.

To us, this was probably a strange group of men to be chosen for such important tasks of not only proclaiming His message but also building the foundation of His Church.  To us, they are an unlikely group of misfits, and I doubt we would have chosen any of them if it were left up to us. 

There was Peter, the “bull in the China shop” kind of guy who didn’t know how to be anything other than “over the top” on any cause.  He was a fisherman by trade but based on some of his actions (like chopping off the man’s ear when Christ was arrested), he was probably somewhat of a loudmouth and maybe even a bully.  Still, he was the man God chose to preach the first sermon on the day of Pentecost. 

Jesus called James and John the “sons of thunder,” which says a lot about their personalities. Nathanael (a/k/a Bartholomew) thought nothing good could come from Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown.  Matthew was a tax collector, despised by the Jews, and Simon was a Zealot who wanted to overthrow the Roman rulers.  Added to the group were Andrew, Peter’s brother, Philip, Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus, and Judas, son of James. Finally, there was Judas Iscariot, “who became a traitor” (Luke 6:16 NIV84).    

This was quite a group that Jesus assembled—ordinary men with ordinary lives.  Yet, when the Holy Spirit came upon them after Christ ascended back into heaven, eleven of these men turned the world upside down.  They were ordinary men doing extraordinary things through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ didn’t choose them because they were well-educated, or rich, or powerful—all the things we might consider when choosing leaders.  He chose them because they were teachable and willing to learn. 

Jesus’ choice of these men is a reminder to each of us that He can use anyone in His Kingdom work, if we are available and willing to learn.  The power of the Holy Spirit living in us is more than enough to enable us to carry out Christ’s mission.  Those ordinary men were willing to follow Him anywhere.  The question is: Are we willing?