Integrity

 Matthew 5:33–37 (ESV): 

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. 

God expects those who follow, honour and respect him to live with integrity - to say what they mean and mean what they say, then get on and do it. This is not in a harsh or a cruel way, but honesty is important.

When people make oaths or ‘pinky promises’, they are only made when trying to convince someone else that they will definitely do something. If that is required to guarantee your action or inaction, why wouldn’t your general words be enough? Have you become a person who is unreliable, or is it just the cultural norm to make promises to assure your word? Whichever is true, God says that your response should, “be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’”. There is no need to complicate or over promise things. If you intend to do something say you will, if not, say you won’t, then fulfill your word. Simple! This should give the hearer all the assurance they need. Yet, in a broken and evil world and society, often assurance and promises are sought. People may want a further verbal guarantee “do you promise?”, “pinky swear?”. Do not fall for that, just let your word be enough. As a man or woman of God, you are to not live as the rest of the world does, but as people whose word is their guarantee. People often want a promise because they recognise that people are unreliable and lack integrity. So make sure that your words are trustworthy and true. Then people can grow to rely on you and see that you live to a different standard, one that emulates and demonstrates something of who God is. It is simple, let your yes be yes and your no, no. As you practice not making oaths and still completing your word, over time your reliability and integrity will be demonstrated. People will realise that you are someone that can be trusted without extensive words or swearing on someone’s life etc. Even if you become known as someone who avoids the cultural norms, you will become a person of integrity and trustworthiness, demonstrating something of the God you serve. 

When you think about it, making such oaths is just words added to words anyway, so what really is the point of them?! These additional words are meant to guarantee what you say, but what makes them any different than a yes or no? It is just people's emphasis and expectations that different words have different levels of intention. So Jesus says, let your word be enough. Do not worry that people seem dubious or offended if you do not make the promise. Just get on with speaking the simple truth and honour God through carrying out what you have said you will. 

It is also important to maintain integrity when you make an assurance to God. Jesus says, ‘you shall not swear falsely, but perform to the Lord what you have sworn’. God sees and hears everything, remember that! The things said in front of others and the things said in secret. So, if you are convicted to promise God something, be sure to complete your word. Only make a promise to God if it is within your power to do it. Then put in the effort and fulfill your word. Making a promise to God is a bid business, for how can you let a holy, righteous God down? He will keep His word to you always, so ensure you keep your word to Him. 

Making an oath to anyone, God or human in serious. Even if it seems like a simple guarantee. In some ways, living a life of faith is simple, but it does not mean it is easy. So be mindful of what you agree to even in your everyday conversations. Consider your words and assurances to God and to man. Only agree to things you can and will do, and build your reputation as person of integrity, honesty and reliability, just like the God you follow. 

Cut it off!

 Jesus makes it plain what sin is. He challenges people’s misconceptions and self-reasoning that actually they are not really that bad. Jesus shows that sin is not just an outward action, but it starts in the heart and mind first. Just because something is not witnessed by others it does not mean it does not exist or did not happen. Jesus continues to ruthlessly display the level of holiness required through how men and women view each other:

Matthew 5:27–32 (ESV): 

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. 

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 

The Law of God was plain - no sex before marriage, and then no sex with anyone other than your spouse whilst you are married. This is clear and people understand it. Jesus goes onto say that this is not the complete understanding of adultery though for, “everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” If you look at someone with desire, and you are not married to them, then you have sinned. Pretty radical, and some may say harsh. Before any outward action, before any exchange of words, the sin is right there. Sin is birthed in the heart, then the mind, and God knows about it before you actually do anything wrong. 

The level of goodness required by God is not just restraint or self-discipline, but a completely pure heart and mind. One that doesn’t entertain any ungodly thoughts or desires. How on earth can we attain that level of holiness? 

Every person, even those that you admire for their goodness and morality, have sinned. For Jesus explains that sin is birthed not in actions but in thought and desire. Therefore no-one is innocent. For sin begins with a thought or a desire, the problem is right there before any action is performed. A thought is enough to make you unholy. 

Just before these verses Jesus spoke about anger and how just feeling angry with another person or calling them a name leaves you liable to judgement. The level of holiness required to be acceptable to God is extremely high. Some may say it is even unachievable. How can you control your thoughts and feelings to the extent that you never think or feel anything that is sinful? Thankfully that is not the intent of what Jesus is saying. Although Jesus is making it clear what Father God’s expectations are, this is to lead people to repent. If people do not know what they are doing wrong, how can they admit it and fix it? 

The only way to deal with sin is to cut it off. Jesus says if anything causes you to sin, “tear it out and throw it away”. You need to be harsh with sin, it needs to be completely destroyed, cut off, killed, no longer a part pf you. That means that maybe you need to cut off seeing certain people, going to particular places, cut out watching particular content, or cut off unholy thoughts. You know what you need to do to stop sin, but will you? Although these are things we can do to prevent ourselves doing sinful actions again, it does not deal with the root cause or the sin already committed. Jesus had already thought of that too! He did not just tell us all how rotten we are and leave us there, he created a way for you to be sin-free. For Jesus put to death all sin. The spoken, unspoken, seen and unseen sin. Through giving up his perfect, holy life as an atonement for all of it Jesus killed off the sin that you do, and he took the punishment for it all. You do not actually have to tear your eyes out or rip off your limbs, you can so be righteous enough to meet the standard of God requires by accepting that Jesus was perfect and he died in order to cut off sin and throw it away in your life. All you need to do is confess what you have done, decide that you do not want to do it anymore, and accept that Jesus gave his sinless life to forgive you. He did what you couldn’t. Jesus lived the perfect sinless life in thought, desire and action, and he was killed for the sins of the world in order to tear out the power of sin in your life. He did it so that you could be free and learn to live a life of holiness. You can stand before Almighty God as pure and righteous when you accept Jesus.

Are you righteous?

Once Jesus has clarified the role of the disciples - to be salt and light to the world, he then explains what that involves. He covers certain elements that are necessary to demonstrate that those who follow him are indeed following him and honouring God. 

Matthew 5:17–26 (ESV): 

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Those who had been hearing Jesus up to this point may have been rejoicing because they had not heard teaching like this before, so they thought that he was usurping the Law. Therefore Jesus makes it clear to his listeners that this is not the case, he is in fact fulfilling the Law and Prophets. Jesus is embodying and bringing to life the very words of God - the Scriptures the Israelite people were trying to learn and follow. As the Son of God, Jesus was there when the Law and Prophets were written so he knows the intent and purpose of the Law and he taught what they really mean and demonstrated this through the life he lived. Jesus followed both the Law of God, and the law of the land, he paid taxes, took part in Jewish celebrations, and went to synagogue. His teaching rather than radically dismissing the Scriptures, radically explained them. Over the centuries that had passed since the Torah had been written the true understanding of what they meant had weakened, rituals and ceremonies had become commonplace to try to put into action what people thought The Law meant. So Jesus clarified and upheld the intended meaning and purpose of the Law which was to showcase a pure and holy God, and to bring His people to Himself. 

Jesus obeyed The Law, he embodied it. He encourages his hearers to be law abiders, not breakers, too. Yet Jesus does not stop there - he also tells those listening that they have to be more righteous than the Scribes and Pharisees! These were the religious men who; study, debate, and teach Scripture all day and who do their best to obey and enforce every ritual. Jesus is saying that those who honour God have to be more righteous than them! This would have been shocking for those that heard Jesus say this, it is a high bar to attain as these religious men were the holiest people the Jews knew! 

However, Jesus was saying that even these religious men were not righteous enough and they won’t get into heaven. So what hope is there for the rest of humanity?

The Pharisees and Scribes were well educated and revered men, experts at recounting the Law and Prophets, following rituals and teaching others to do the some. They were not very good at understanding that true righteousness is displayed in the relationships that they have both with God and other people. Jesus was explaining to those around him that righteousness is not about knowledge, rituals, rules, or giving sacrifices. This was incredibly radical news, for this is what the Israelites had heard and lived for generations. They knew as Israelites that they were a set apart by God as favoured people. This meant that God had caused them to live differently to surrounding nations, in order to be kept pure and made right with God through different rules and practices. They had certain celebrations and sacrifices to make to honour God and be made right with Him. The Pharisees oversaw and taught these things. They were the ones trying to teach the people The Law and how to follow it, as Jesus is saying, so how can anyone ese match the level of righteousness required to enter the kingdom of heaven? That is the point. No human on Earth could attain pure righteousness. Except one, and that is Jesus. He was the only one capable of living the perfect life of being more righteous than every religious leader because he is the Son of God.

Even though Jesus was tempted and suffered just like the rest of us do, he never sinned. His righteousness truly outstripped that of the Scribes and Pharisees. He lived and understood The Law in a different way than they did, for Jesus knew the Law writer personally. He was with God, his Father as it was written and given. So Jesus could understand, demonstrate and explain righteousness in a way no-one else could. Jesus made it clear that even ordinary people can be made righteous, you do not have to know it all, have it all or follow all the routines and rituals, but still you can be made right with God. Jesus did not just create the problem of righteousness seeming unattainable, but he gave his life so that righteousness can be accessed to anyone and everyone. Jesus was the perfect fulfilment of The Law. He followed and obeyed it perfectly. This was so that he could generously give up his life to make atonement for your sin. Now you too can be made righteous, more righteous than the most righteous people you know! If you trust and believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for all sin, giving you a new life of purity, and you follow him, you can be made righteous. For when you turn and believe in Jesus, God no longer sees you and your wrongdoings, but he sees His perfect son, Jesus. You get to receive his righteousness. You don't deserve it, you haven't earned it and you haven't kept the rules, but you can be righteous and keep being righteous all because of Jesus! 

Following Jesus is the only way that you can be made right with God and become righteous than the Scribes and Pharisees. There is no other way. You cannot try hard enough, follow enough rules, know enough, or be kind and generous enough to earn your way into heaven. It is only through accepting that you can be made righteous through the love, life, death and resurrection of Jesus that you are made right before God. So, do you desire to be right before God? If so, trust in Jesus. He made the impossible possible for those who believe in him. When you accept him and his forgiveness and learn to follow him, then you become more righteous than the Scribes and Pharisees and able to enter the kingdom of heaven!

Stand out and be distinctive

After the Beatitudes, these words of Jesus are recorded. I wonder if they are said as an encouragement to bolster faith and enthusiasm to keep going in doing the hard things Jesus has been teaching. To show the purpose of developing the kind of character that Jesus has been encouraging the disciples to develop. 

Matthew 5:13–16 (ESV): 

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

Disciples of Jesus are meant to stand out, not be hidden. The verses just before this are Jesus explaining the benefits of being; hungry for faith, mourning, being meek, humble, kind, merciful, forgiving, not giving payback, being honest and having integrity. These are the character traits that God rewards, they take time and effort to develop and they also cause people to stand out. How many people do you know who are meek or merciful, or any of the other characteristics? Probably not many, but i would expect that those you do know are people that you admire and respect because of these attributes. Those who believe in and follow Jesus should display these characteristics as they are salt and light to the world - they are born to stand out and be distinctive.

Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth….You are the light of the world”. It is not an option. This is what disciples of Jesus are. This is your identity when you trust and believe in Jesus, you become salt and light. So what does Jesus mean when he says this?

"You are the salt of the earth" - Salt preserves and gives taste, improving the eating experience and keeping things fresh and usable. It can also be used to promote healing. Salt has good properties that are used and appreciated by everyone. It is commonly used, and nowadays is used in many products from food items to cleaning and gardening products. Salt is effective. As people of God you are called to be effective too. Not by doing lots of incredible, mighty deeds, but by standing out as different where you are and in what you are doing. You can tell when salt is present. People should be able to detect that there is something different about you and that you are present because of the goodness and freshness you bring due to your character developed in faith. Also, you are to remain salty. It is not enough to have a go at being meek or honest, but you are to keep on being so, the same for being forgiving and kind and being passionate for God. Do not let the concerns and distractions around you prevent you from being who God created you to be and displaying righteousness. The world needs salt, so keep being salty. This is what Jesus has said you are. Keep demonstrating godliness, meekness, integrity, forgiveness and mercy even when people do not like or want it. Salt in a wound stings, but it also heals, so trust that God will heal the hurting through the character being developed in you. Do not try to tone down who you are in God, you can't tone down salt - you either have salt or you don’t, and if you lose your flavour Jesus says you become good for nothing, fit to be “thrown out and trampled under people’s feet”. You don't want that, so keep being salty! Sometimes fear and despondency cause people to lose their distinctiveness. So make sure you remind yourself of the goodness of God and avoid the fear of man’s disapproval. Later on in the book of Matthew Jesus is recorded as saying, “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28). Do not be put off by hardship or persecution, not everyone likes salt. If something is too salty for them, they spit it out. Let them do that without it upsetting or offending you. For they are rejecting Christ in you, but they cannot take away your love and reverence for Him unless you let them. People have not got power to defeat you, but God has the the power to determine your eternal future. So live a life of saltiness.

As a follower of Jesus, you are also the light of the world. You can illuminate the world - what a great privilege and responsibility! Do not dull the personality that God has formed in you, dumb down your faith, or fail to shine in dark situations. Instead allow the Holy Spirit show you how to bring your light in every situation. By displaying the character Jesus has outlined, you can show people what the Kingdom of God is like. You shed light onto the fact that God is real, living and active today. People see that you are different, they see goodness and beauty in who you are and what you are doing because you are the light of the world. This also means that even in the darkest times and places you can see - you have hope. You know in difficult situations that there is an eternal future, so you can keep shining and keep trusting.  Sometimes it may be that you can keep smiling at times when others aren't, that you trust a situation is going to work out or that you are not panicking when bad things happen. Do not be afraid to be that light, and do not hide it. Continue to be the light of the world, how will people know there is a God otherwise?  A light does not choose when it comes on. Once the switch is pressed, it shines. Your light is turned on when you turn and believe in Jesus and choose to follow him.You cannot turn the light within you off, do not try to dim it or cover it up either. Remember that when you are around people ‘see your good works and give glory glory to your Father in heaven’. As you continue in good, godly character, and persist in situations others cannot stand, you are displaying something of God. So, make sure you are pointing out that it is your Father in heaven that equips and inspires you to be the light.

You are salt - you are different and you stand out. Plus you are light - you can see and illuminate the darkness. Do not hide who you are. Thank God that he has made you to be salt and light to the world. By being so, you are showing the world that there is a God who loves and cares for them and can give them a life that is different too - a life of distinctiveness.

Are you blessed?

Matthew 5:1–12 (ESV): 

5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 

The Beatitudes

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Jesus had something particular that he wanted the disciples to know, so he drew them close to him, making sure that they could see and hear him. Through this teaching, Jesus helped to reframe their thinking by showing them that God sees, cares about, and honours different things than what the average human does. 

God cares about not just the poor in a financial sense, but the poor in spirit. Those who recognise their need of God and live in humility before him - they are blessed. Those who mourn, grieve, are sad for a time (mourning should not last forever), are promised comfort. A sad demeanour should not be constant for anyone. The promise is that ‘they shall be comforted’. God will bring comfort, and when He does, accept it. 

The meek - gentle, humble and submissive, ‘shall inherit the earth’! Those who will not put themselves forward, who recognise their limits, who allow others to go first and treat them with kindness, these are the ones who get everything. Meekness is not admired, fostered or appreciated by the majority of the world, but God admires it. It is a quality that is rare, but is valued when it is seen. Can you develop meekness in your own life? 

Hungering and thirsting for righteousness promises satisfaction. There are many things you can hunger and thirst for; food, money, possessions, promotion, a particular standard of life. These things do not offer satisfaction, only hungering and thirsting for God does. If you want to be really fulfilled, seek God. he provides all you need, and more. 

The merciful shall receive mercy - that makes sense. We like to feel that you get what you deserve. This promise is that you do by not treating others as they deserve! When you show forgiveness and leniency to those who have wronged you, you too are dealt with leniently and can know forgiveness as you are afforded mercy by God. 

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’ - being sincere and living with integrity means that you shall see God - how incredible! Are your motives and thoughts pure? Are you concerned about material matters or spiritual ones? Only one kingdom will last forever, so make sure you are aligning your thoughts, motives and behaviour with what God desires, then you shall see Him.

The peacemakers, those who strive to bring peaceful resolution and not riots, fall-outs, complications or arguments, are living like sons of God. It is easy to argue with someone, or cause strife between people, harder to get different people with different opinions, perspectives, and desires working together. Yet, is that not exactly what God does? He calls everyone to be part of His family, from every class, situation and nation. So, by drawing others into unity of purpose, you can demonstrate that you are indeed acting like God’s child. 

These are the things Jesus taught his disciples as he went up the mountain. These lessons were for the disciples, those closest to him, those he had called to himself. Yet others would have heard as it mentions that there were crowds. The real cost of discipleship is not what job you have, where you live, how much you do or give, but it is developing the character that displays the Kingdom of God. I am sure you admire and appreciate people who demonstrate these attributes, but do you also have them? 

His fame spread...

 Matthew 4:23–25 (ESV): 

23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. 

Reading this, i thought that it was interesting that Jesus ‘fame spread throughout all Syria’, should it not have read throughout all Israel? Syria is not a part of the Israelite nation, so why does Matthew write that Jesus fame is throughout Syria and not throughout Israel?

Jesus had moved to Capernaum after John’s arrest. This busy, trading village sat right on the northern cusp of Israel and Syria on the Sea of Galilee (see map below). Known to be a place of trade with all sorts of people coming and going, it seems that Jesus’ message was more popular with foreigners than his own people. Both Jews and Gentiles would have had the opportunity to hear the message that the Kingdom of God is at hand, yet it seems that predominantly the Syrians were the ones most eager to respond. 

Jesus taught, proclaimed and healed - ‘every disease and every affliction amongst the people’. His ministry was not just words, although the words he spoke were profound and powerful, but he also had the power of God through the Holy Spirit to banish every affliction, pain and disease - No wonder people listened! This was unlike anything they had experienced before, nothing was too big or small for Jesus. He could answer any question effectively, and heal everyone completely. The first to accept and become excited about this were those from Syria. They saw and heard Jesus, and then brought everyone they knew to him to be healed. Those with seizures, troubled by demons and those paralysed were freed. What an incredible thing to have witnessed - seeing many people living in freedom because of Jesus words and power! No wonder he drew crowds from all over the place and his fame spread. I am sure if you had a friend telling you about this man who is preaching that God is near and then he heals people of deadly and life-limiting conditions, then you would be curious to meet them for yourself. Thus is how Jesus’ notoriety spread. People told people, all kinds of people, and they came from all over Syria to see and follow him. His fame was throughout that land, so if you met someone from there at that time, they would have been able to tell you something about this man Jesus. That is not to say that other people did not hear or know of him, for 'great crowds followed him' from Galilee, his popularity also spread to the southern areas of Israel (Jerusalem and Judea) and the Decapolis as well as ‘beyond the Jordan’. Far and wide the news about Jesus spread, and he himself went to various places (throughout all Galilee). He was listened to in the synagogues, and in the streets. 

I wonder what Simon, Andrew, James and John made of it all, they had just become Jesus’ disciples, now they were seeing and hearing things they had never experienced, amongst people who were quite different to them. Jesus certainly was someone worth following, every day must have been an adventure! 

What is your expectation of what Jesus can do? He is willing and able to meet with all people from all places, from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, to free them and do amazing life-changing work with them. Jesus spoke and people came and listened, Jesus healed and people came and received new life. Have you received his new life? If so, who are you inviting to meet Jesus? He can and will meet with people where they are and begin a life changing work in them if they come and see. Are you giving others, no matter how near or far, how similar or different they are, the opportunity to meet him? 

Follow Me

Matthew 4:18–22 (ESV): 

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 

These men immediately left their work and family to follow Jesus. This shows me that they must have experienced Jesus before, otherwise why would they follow him if they knew nothing of him and had never met him? Jesus did not offer money, prestige, authority or power, he just asked these young, average, working men to follow him. They already had their vocations laid out for them - they were fishermen - capable, hardworking men. 

The 4 of them probably knew each other as they were fishing in the same area, so it is likely that they grew up together, and went to synagogue together. Maybe they were even in the same lessons that are taught to Jewish boys in childhood. Yet, they did not know Jesus in the same way. He was a new rabbi in the area, teaching new, incredible things, so amazing that they were willing to leave their lives and livelihoods and bet their future on him. So, they must have encountered him before because it is a big deal to give up your job, family and community in order to follow something or someone.

Those Jesus called were all young men, especially James and John as they are working with their Dad. So it is likely that they were young teenagers (from 13 years old) being apprenticed into their father’s trade. Simon and Andrew are not mentioned as having anyone else present and so are likely a bit older as they are able to do the work themselves, plus Simon is married, so he could be mid teens up to early 20s. All of them we would still consider to be young men who were trying to make a life for themselves and provide for their families. Then they heard Jesus call out to them and they gave it all up. 

In the Israelite culture, a rabbi gathered disciples when they were considered as having enough authority to do so, at the age of 30. They would call younger men to follow them, so this indicates that most if not all of the disciples, were younger than Jesus. Being chosen to follow a rabbi was a big deal. It was unlikely to happen for anyone who had not taken extended training in the Scriptures (parents would have to pay for this). Plus those chosen would have been smart, intelligent teenagers who showed an aptitude for religion. It is unlikely that these young fisherman fit either criteria, this is why they were learning their family trade. Later on in Scripture they are referred to ‘uneducated and common’ (Acts 4:13) so it is probable that Simon, Andrew, James and John had not had this extra education, but had gone straight into work. Maybe they had not shown much aptitude or enthusiasm in study, or their parents could not afford it and so instructed them in the family business. It was these overlooked, everyday, common, uneducated young men that Jesus called to follow him. 

Jesus had a different criteria to the norm. He desired faithful followers, not necessarily clever, scholarly or rich people. These young men had been overlooked by other rabbis but he saw something in them that showed him they would make good disciples. He saw minds and lives that could be moulded and developed to make an impact and carry the message of who he is after he was gone. Jesus saw potential where others had not. He still does. Maybe you do not feel smart enough, experienced enough, overlooked, too young, too old, or that your life situation makes things difficult. Still Jesus calls you to follow him. These young men did not know what it would look like but they knew the honour it was to be called to follow a rabbi. Their families would have been overjoyed and maybe slightly confused at having their sons chosen as this was not the norm, these students were not the ones others have chosen. They were overlooked, not educated and possibly not religious enough! 

The disciples were brave in saying ‘yes’ to follow Jesus, but they also knew they were privileged and would have been excited by this new adventure. Are you? Following Jesus does not look like what you expect it to, these disciples found that out. He is not like any other rabbi - Jesus teaches radical things, performs miracles, and gets in trouble with religious and political leaders. So these young disciples were not fully sure what they were saying yes to, but they did know that it was an unexpected honour to be called. They were up for an adventure, and they trusted and believed in what Jesus said and stood for. So they left behind everything else, they gave up their lives to follow him. Have you done the same? It will be an unexpected adventure that changes the trajectory of life if you do.