Thursday, February 10, 2022
The Cure for Comparison
“Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14 NKJV).
Recently I watched a movie from my childhood about a military officer who recruited some prisoners for a special mission. This group was known as “the dirty dozen.”
The 12 apostles whom Jesus called were not the dirty dozen, but they were very ordinary men. We might even call them questionable hires. But Jesus hand-selected each one, and they could not have been more different from one another.
In fact, as we look at them in the Scriptures, they might seem familiar to us. They’re probably like relatives we have. No doubt about it, these apostles were an eclectic bunch.
We also read of several occasions in the Gospels when Jesus specifically took Peter, James, and John with Him. For instance, they were with them at the Transfiguration. We know that He took them when He went to raise the daughter of Jairus from the dead and when He went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane.
So, did Jesus take these three along because they were the more elite apostles? I have a different theory. Maybe the reason He kept them a little closer than everyone else was because He wanted to keep an eye on them.
One day Jesus revealed to Peter that he would be martyred for his faith. Peter immediately pivoted to John and said, “What about him, Lord?” (John 21:21 NLT).
Then Jesus gave an amazing response: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me” (verse 22 NLT).
Maybe you’ve looked at someone else’s life and said, “Lord, why are they being blessed more than I’m being blessed? Why did this tragedy befall me? Why are these things happening?”
Here’s Christ’s response to you: “What is that to you? You just follow me.”
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