Holy Boldness

The Necessity of Obedience

One thing that Jesus expected from His disciples was obedience to whatever He told them to do. Training comes through doing. Jesus was not beyond asking the disciples to do things that were over their heads or beyond their comprehension. Imagine being told to feed 5000 men (See Matthew 13:21ff) and all you have on hand is a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. But this was all part of the training of the twelve . This involved a very profound submission to His instructions. The men Jesus chose were not particularly extraordinary. Four fishermen, a tax-gatherer and a zealot, and others whose profession is not mentioned. From the descriptions of their dialogues, they were not particularly exceptional. Indeed, they are depicted in varying degrees of childishness and full of petty strife among themselves, especially over the issue of which of them was the most important. But Jesus used these discussions as opportune moments to teach them His ways. As they spent time with Him, they changed. Why does Jesus choose such seemingly insignificant people in light of the huge assignment and calling? Perhaps the best explanation is that often a person’s abilities get in the way of a person actually trusting in and being used by the Lord. What Jesus came to do was beyond human ability unless God got intimately involved. It is often a person’s strengths that are the greatest hindrances to God using that person. They get in the way because they cause a person to depend upon themselves rather than trust and lean upon the power of God. A friend recently confided in me that God had spoken these words to Him: “You are almost weak enough for Me to use you.” Vulnerability and weakness are foundational character istics of those who enter the kingdom of God. Jesus did not choose the rich and powerful but those who were teachable! He was not looking for the most talented or most eager. He was looking for the humble and those who were hungry for truth. He was looking for those whom He could mold and impart the key truths of His mission. He sought people who would do what He asked them to do. The disciples were given special privileges in terms of knowing the Little People, Big Assignment

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