Chosen
Read Matthew 4:18-22
Do you have what it takes? We are asked this question throughout our lives. We strive to succeed, to live up to certain standards. Whether it’s a sports team, a club or a job, we long to make the cut, to be good enough.
We are in good company with Peter, Andrew, James and John. In Jesus’ time, Jewish boys went through a Bible school of sorts until age 12. At that point, the exceptional students had the opportunity to become disciples of a rabbi. A disciple was not just a student who gained knowledge from his rabbi. A disciple was a dedicated follower who ate, drank and walked with his rabbi, hanging upon every word and studying his every move so as to become like him. After listening to various rabbis, young men chose one they wanted to follow and approached him with the question, “May I follow you?” In other words, “Do I have what it takes to be your disciple? Can I be like you?” The rabbi either accepted him or encouraged him to pursue a trade.
The fact that Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishing indicates that the answer to their question was, “No.” Along came Jesus, an unusual rabbi who didn’t wait for potential disciples to come to him. He chose his own! “Follow me,” he says. “I believe you have what it takes. I believe you can be like me.” Of course they dropped everything!
Jesus approaches you with the same invitation. Sure, you’re not perfect. The world, or Satan, may tell you you’re not good enough, you don’t have the talent or ability to be on the team, you’ve made too many mistakes. But when Jesus says to you, “Follow me,” he is saying, “I believe in you.” He has chosen you. He wants you to be his disciple, to let his words permeate your heart, to have you study his life and his actions so that you can become more and more like him. How will you respond?
Jessica Adams