In this Bible Story, Jesus calls the twelve disciples. They are not chosen because of their skills or accomplishments, wisdom or prowess. Jesus chooses a ragtag group of misfits and outcasts. Through them, the kingdom of God spreads across the entire world. This story is inspired by Matthew 10:1-4, 16, 28-32, 37-39; Matthew 12:9-15; Mark 3:14-19; Luke 6:6-16. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is Matthew 10:1 from the King James Version.
Episode 184: As another Sabbath approached, Jesus went into the synagogue to worship. As He entered He saw a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees were eager to catch Him in a trap on the Sabbath, but Jesus knew this and would not be stopped from doing good to a man in need. After this, Jesus and His followers went over to a mountain where He spoke words of encouragement to them and chose twelve of them to become His disciples. These twelve men would follow Him everywhere and learn what it truly meant to live a life that is honorable to God.
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Let us pray. And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Matthew ten one, God, I thank you that when you choose people for greatness, you don't choose the people who look the part, but you choose those whose hearts are pure and whose willingness shouts louder than any shortcomings they may have. Jesus, because you chose twelve of the most unlikeliest of characters and personalities, I will not look for perfection when choosing those who run alongside me, but I will look for people whose hearts are pure and who have a genuine willingness to pursue the things of God. Through twelve disciples, you the world right side up, Jesus. I'm through my relationships and friendships, I know that we will make a lasting impact in Jesus' name. Amen, thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible Bible story brought to you by bibleineyear dot Com.
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In our last story, Jesus witnessed one of the greatest acts a friend can do. A few men cut a hole in a roof just to get their paralyzed friend down to Jesus. They went to great lengths to see their friend healed, and their faith was rewarded. Now we see the call of Jesus being given to twelve ragtag misfits. Jesus would choose his followers not based on skill or wisdom. He would choose the weak of this world to change the world. This is the heart of God inspired by the Gospels.
Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year. Thank you for joining us. Last time, we heard about some amazing friends who went to extraordinary links to help their paralyzed friends get the healing he needed. They got him to Jesus, and Jesus did the rest. Jesus saw their faith and not only healed the man, but forgave the man of his sins as well, which was most important. It was an act that shocked and offended religious leaders, as Jesus was claiming now that he has the authority that only God has the authority to forgive. We also heard how Jesus once again stirred the anger of the Pharisees when he called Matthew, a tax collector, a hated, despised tax collector, to be one of his disciples. Jesus made it abundantly clear to them that he had come to heal the sick and to help the sinner, not the righteous or the self righteous. Today we'll hear how Jesus ultimately assembles his group of twelve disciples. None of these men were obvious choices, but as we'll discover, this was God's plan all along, to show and to share his glory with the world through people like you and me, common ordinary people who will do extraordinary things in the power of Christ. So let's listen now to the reading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It was the Sabbath, and Jesus entered the synagogue to worship. The sabbath was a time for contemplation and relaxation. It was established by God for the purpose of pausing work to rest in him. Some of his critics were in attendance as well, waiting for any cause to rebuke him. As Jesus entered, he saw a man with a withered hand. The pharisees watched Jesus closely as he approached the man. They were waiting for him to heal him. They were waiting for him to break the sabbath law and work. Jesus knew their hearts. They had completely missed the point. He took the man with the withered hand and looked at the pharisees. Tell me, Jesus said, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath? If there is someone in need, should we let them pass? What if their life is in danger, should we let them die? The men were silent, for Jesus was revealing their legalistic hearts. They didn't care about people. They only cared about looking righteous. Stretch out your hand Jesus said to the man, and in that moment, the man's hand was restored. Everyone marveled and rejoiced, but the Pharisees left and gathered together, seeking for an opportunity to destroy him. Jesus took some of his followers to a mountain. A great crowd followed them and remained at the bottom of the hills. Jesus looked out at them. His heart ached for them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. The wind blew at the top of the mountain. Jesus's eyes began to water. Do not pray for the harvest, Jesus said, he gestured to the people below, for there is a great harvest before us. Pray for the laborers, for the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. With those words, Jesus appointed twelve men to be his apostles, chosen men that would follow Jesus everywhere. These men were not chosen for their knowledge, status, or accomplishments. They were chosen for their hearts, their weakness, and their willingness. He chose Peter, who was once called Simon. He chose James and John, the sons of Zebede. He nicknamed them Sons of Thunder for their fire and enthusiasm. He chose Andrew, Philip and Bartholomew, the silent and humble servants. He chose Matthew the tax Collector and Thomas the Skeptic. He chose James and Judas the Zealot. One of the most unique men he chose was Simon the Zealot. He was one of the notorious dagger Men, a league of assassins trying to overthrow Roman rule. However, Simon renounced his old ways for the sake of following Christ. Finally, he chose Judas as Scariot, the man who would betray him. He chose him him and loved him, despite knowing who he would become.
This was the.
Heart of Christ. Jesus's first call to the disciples was for them to be with him. They would sit by the camp fire, sharing stories and hopes. They would know Jesus as a friend and king. Out of that relationship, Jesus would send them out to preach, heal, and cast out demons in his name. The Disciples were empowered by Jesus, and their strength grew day by day. Whoever desires to come after me must first pick up his cross and follow me. Jesus said, whoever holds his life too dear to lay it down, will lose his life. However, whoever loses his life for my sake will truly find it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the world's possessions but loses his own soul. Jesus called his disciples to something higher, not religious repetition or vain practices. He called them to lay down their lives, money, and convenience so that others may Jesus would model this call himself. He would sacrifice everything so that people could be renewed.
In today's passage we read about another healing and another confrontation with the religious establishment. Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath, and seeing a man with a withered hand, Jesus took pity on him. He was merciful. This was an opportunity to show the Pharisees how far they had veered off the heart of the law, that they no longer cared about people. To them, the constraints of the law were about total control and power, and for them to earn God's favor by good works. They added on to the commandments of God their own laws. So when the law commanded rest on the Sabbath, these people took this to the extreme, meaning they could just overlook people's great needs because it was the Sabbath day. Jesus saw this as an opportunity to correct this very thinking, so he asked them what was lawful on the Sabbath? Was it lawful to do good or evil? To save a life or destroy it? The answer is obvious, isn't it. And to drive home this point, Jesus told the man to stretch out his shriveled hand, and immediately the hand was healed completely. Even today, we must not allow the rules and restrictions of religion to move us away from the heart of God. We are missing the point. We're missing the Lord. If we put the law above Jesus himself, Jesus is teaching us that our righteousness is in Him, and the only way that we can live a righteous life is from the heart outward, from the inside out. It is at this point that many of the Pharisees began to plot against Jesus, looking for a way to get rid of him. Next, we heard about Jesus calling his disciples, twelve of them to a mountain to speak directly to them, away from the crowds. It was common for rabbis or teachers in those days to hand pick disciples, men to whom they'd passed down wisdom and guidance, and this was the model Jesus was following as he chose these men, these disciples. But when a teacher selected his disciples, it would typically be the best and the brightest, the most promising young students. But that's not exactly what Jesus did, though. He saw the potential and the promise in each man he chose. Yet he picked some unlikely candidates, and he gathered a group that was far from homogeneous. He had fishermen and tradesmen, a tax collector who was seen as a trader to Israel, and a Jewish revolutionary, a nationalist who fought against the Roman government. He even called a man whom he knew would one day betray him to his death. Jesus was not looking to the attributes the world viewed as strength. He picked men whose hearts he could shape, men who would follow him with humility and desire to serve. He chose the weak and even the uneducated, so that when they would one day be great for the Kingdom of God. There would be no question that it was God's power, the power of Jesus working through them. Just as God chose the lowly shepherds to be the first to hear of the Saviour's birth and to proclaim his arrival into the world, Jesus was choosing the unlikely, even some of the outcasts of society, to take his message of the Gospel, the good News, to the world. This should be a great encouragement to all of us, because when God chooses us, he enables us to do what He's called us to do. Just as Christ told these men, there is a cost of following him. In Matthew sixteen twenty four and twenty five we read these words. Then, Jesus said to his disciples, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life from Me will find it. To follow well. Jesus is not something that is casual or cheap, but it is demanding and commanding. We are called to pick up the cross and at any price, to be paid, at any cost, we are to follow Jesus, but there is great reward for all who put their faith and trust in the Lord. And we know when we follow Jesus through it all, that one day we will be rewarded in his presence. Dear God, we thank you that you choose the weak and lowly of us in this world to accomplish your purposes. Help us to be willing, help us to be humble, ready to give ourselves at any price to follow you, because we know the promise of eternal life lays within us and before us. In Jesus' name. Amen, thank you for listening to today's Bible in a year. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Prey dot com app and make Bible study and prayer the priority of your life. And if you appreciate this podcast, please share it with someone else. I also want to encourage you to go to Jack Graham dot org. That's Jack Graham dot org for we have resources that are free and available for you so that you may know Christ and grow in him. God bless you.