THE MASTER’S MEN
Mark 1: 14-20
Beloved scholar William Barclay called his book about them
THE MASTER’S MEN. Modern author John MacArthur calls his book about them TWELVE
ORDINARY MEN. Any way we look at it we are talking about the group generally
referred to as “The Twelve,” “The Apostles,” or “The Disciples of Jesus.” It
was after Jesus’ childhood and baptism that he was ready to fulfill the will of
his Father in Heaven: he was ready to call followers, apostles (from the Greek apostolos meaning “messengers,”), and
disciples (which means “learners”). The Twelve were each of those: Jesus told
them to follow him and they followed; Jesus told them at a different time,
“take my yoke upon you and learn of me” so they were also learners; and finally
he commissioned them to heal, cast out demons, and to spread the Gospel in his
name and for his sake. Today I want to
suggest that Jesus is still casting a wide net.
We know that in Jesus’ day he was finding twelve men to surround him as
a powerful symbol. Eleven would not do, nor thirteen, and in his day women were
not recorded or counted. Nevertheless,
Jesus had disciples and friends who were women, they were just not numbered
among the twelve. Jesus even held up a little child at one point and said to a
crowd, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me,” and at another
point he said “Let the children come to me, do not stop them, for the Kingdom
of Heaven is there’s.” Jesus had many follow him.
There has been a fair amount of interest these past weeks, leading
up to the presidential inauguration, in Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book about
Since the Bible tells us that God loves us, and the hymn for
the young told us since we were small that Jesus loves us, the question of the
hour is “Do you love Him?” One time I did a children’s sermon and asked how
many children had pets. For those who did, I asked if they loved their pet.
Without exception they did. Then I asked how many cleaned up after their pet,
and a few hands went down. I asked how many fed their pet every day and a few
more went down. I asked how many held their pets each day or stayed by them
when they got hurt or sick. More hands went down. So I said, “How would your
pet know that you loved him or her?” And
there was no answer. If you were monitored for a month, not at Christmas or
Easter, but an “off” month, could a person from another country put in their
report about you that, from what he observed, you loved your Lord? Or would it
be hard to say? John the disciple was
said to be the one that Jesus loved. Some have tried to make too much of this.
Jesus loved all of his disciples, but one author, John MacArthur, suggests that
John was not soft, but on the contrary, a strong and faithful man in whom Jesus
built unshakable trust. He trusted his mother to him at the cross. Can Jesus
place unshakable trust in you? Did Jesus
in prayer— at camp, in worship, on a retreat—let you know that you were loved?
You may be “hopefully devoted” to
Jesus because of such a realization. You too are a disciple of Jesus.
Who invited you to come to church? Who introduced you to
Jesus? That person was an Andrew to you: someone who introduced you to Jesus
and the church. You too can be an Andrew disciple if you invite others to
church or to know Jesus. Jesus needs people to “know him and make him known.”
You can be such a person for the Master. Another disciple was Thomas the
doubter, and doubting Thomases still fill church pews. But some of them, like
Thomas, have experiences that answer their prayers and cry “I believe! Help
Thou, my unbelief!” There is room at the table for you. Likewise, Matthew was a
tax collector, so there were many who despised him in his work. Joseph Scriven
wrote soothing words for Matthew and for you, if you feel like people do not
like you. He wrote: “What a friend I have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to
bear; what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer…Do thy friends
despise forsake thee, take it to the Lord in prayer. In his arms he’ll take and
shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.”
Jesus also saw something in James, the Son of Zebedee; he was
one of the first asked to drop his fishing net and follow Jesus to catch men;
as we know from our day, our invitations to men, women, youth, and children
invite them to be part of the Kingdom. Are you the first one people ask to fill
a position? Then Jesus needs someone with your charisma. Put it to work for
him! If on the other hand, you are like
a child or an inquisitive student, then you are like Philip. Jesus needs you to
also become part of his team of rivals. But be ready! When Jesus was asked
questions, he sometimes answered them with other
questions! He was always teaching, with his answers and with his questions.
Finally, are you here today and say you’re a Christian, but others
don’t know you very well? You could be like Nathaniel, also called Bartholomew,
and Jesus needs you too. Come and see what he is like! Thaddeus, also called
Lebbaeus Thaddeus, may have been a gentle one. Jesus needs gentle ones! Simon
the strong-willed one, James the one who rarely got noticed, and Judas Iscariot
the one who was there to fulfill part of God’s plan for the world all had a
role. What is your role in Jesus’ ministry?
He wants you, everyone one of you,
to be one of those who love him, challenge him, need him, and proclaim him.
Jesus did not stop at twelve (the number that he hoped would indicate to
faithful Jews that what he was creating was a New Jerusalem.) He invited others
to follow him too; he still does. To quote the words of Cecil Frances
Alexander, no matter our lot in life, “Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s
wild restless sea, day by day his sweet voice soundeth: saying ‘Christian,
follow me.’” Amen.
Jeffrey A. Sumner