Jesus displayed the same attitude in choosing those who he invited to work closely with him. The twelve men Jesus chose were very ordinary people. They came from ordinary walks of life. A number of them were fishermen. They had no special qualifications. Far from being perfect, they possessed the same human faith and failings we find in ourselves.
Peter, the appointed leader, had a great willingness to stay with Jesus yet at the same time, was very fearful in difficult situations. James and John were judgmental and lacked, at times, proper prudence in facing certain situations. They once wanted Jesus to call down fire and brimstones on a Samaritan Village where Jesus was refused hospitality and welcome. They lacked proper understanding of the situation. Matthew was a tax collector a member of the hated class because he worked for the Romans who at that time occupied Israel. Simon was called the Zealot, a member of a group of people who not only hated the Romans but aimed at making it difficult for them to govern. Thomas was called the Doubter while Judas in the end betrayed Him. Inspite of all this, Jesus worked with them constantly trying to bring the best out of them. They were radically changed through the experience of Pentecost and in the end most of them died a martyr’s death because they held fast to the values and teaching of Jesus.
It is the same with us. God has chosen each one of us to continue His mission. He did this not because we are perfect or because we have it all together. It was purely a result of His wish, desire and plan for us. Very often, people have said to me “Why has God chosen me? I am nothing special. There are many others who seem to be better than I do to this work”.
The Bible can help us to answer this question. One day the prophet Samuel was sent to Jesse who lived in Bethlehem so that he could anoint one of his sons as king. When Jesse, the father, heard this he said, “Ah it must be my first born son Eliah. He really has got the looks and the appropriate strength to be a king. However, when Samuel had a look at him he felt deep down that he was not the one whom God has chosen. Jesse then presented the second son Abinadab but he met the same reaction from Samuel. Jesse presented his seven sons with the same result. At the end Samuel said to Jesse, “By any chance have you got another son that you have forgotten to present to me, because God sent me specifically to your house”. “Oh my goodness”, replied Jesse, “I have forgotten the youngest. However there is nothing special about him. He is out in the fields taking care of the sheep”. Send for him, said Samuel, because we will not eat, until I see him.
Jesse sent for his son David. As soon as he entered the house, Samuel had one look at him and said, “This is the one” and anointed him as king. Jesse, the father was greatly perplexed and he must have said to Samuel, “How did you choose him, the most unlikely person to be able to become king”. “Ah”, said Samuel, “God does not see as human being see; they look at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart”. (1 Sam 16:7). This is why you and I have been chosen. God has had a look at our hearts and He believes that He can work with our hearts. We have hearts big enough through which Jesus our God can continue to touch others with his compassion, with his gentleness and with his presence. Let us never therefore, underestimate the good that we can do, and the good that we are doing. Every little gesture of kindness, every look of encouragement and every action of support is a time of grace and blessing for the person concerned. God gives us ample opportunities to be His hands, His feet, His heart and His face.
Some time back, I was invited to the Presentation day of one of our schools in Bendigo. This school caters especially for students who find it very hard to cope with the normal teaching routine available in schools. They need special tuition and special care. As one of the girls was going up to receive her award, she started to cry. It was the first time ever that she was presented with something that said so much in her life. It was the first time that someone had recognized that she had a lot of good in her, that she was able to contribute to the life of the school and therefore that she was not rubbish. On that day she realized that there is another side of her story that there was much goodness in her. Situations like these very often come our way. Let us take every opportunity to affirm and to encourage others. Our task is a simple one: we are to be instruments of Jesus’ compassion to others. So I pray, “Lord give us warm and generous hearts so that we may be agents of your compassion to others”.
God Bless
