I Want You in My Group

Youth groups, churches, collections of Jesus-followers, etc. are all full of very different kinds of people.  In our student ministry we have everything from football quarterbacks to bandos, not to mention geeks, dweebs, nerds, preps, jocks, loners, wierdos, popular kids, skinny kids, fat kids, kids with too much hair for their age, hurting kids, kids with perfect families, kids with no families, kids with broken families, and last but not least that kid (every group has that kid).  Sometimes I wonder how all of us got together, and why Jesus expects us all to act as His body since we are so different.

Then I look at the people Jesus chose to be a part of His group when He was on earth:

He chose James and John, some fishermen.  These guys didn’t have theology degrees.  They didn’t have the kind of social status that usually was required to follow a rabbi.  These were guys who were never going to amount to much.  I have a tendency to feel like I’m better than people like James and John, but Jesus said “I want you in my group.”

He chose Peter, a loudmouth with a tendency to overreact.  This guy talks with no filter, always throwing down the gauntlet or speaking his mind with no thought to the consequences.  This is the guy who always has to go back on what he said because he blew up and didn’t think before he spoke.  I don’t always get along with people like Peter, but Jesus said “I want you in my group.”

He chose Simon, a political zealot.  This guy was an activist, with extremely strong views about the government that he wasn’t afraid to share.  This is the guy who posts a million political ideas on Facebook a day, the one who believed that every Democratic President for the past 30 years was the Antichrist.  I usually try to distance myself from people like Simon, but Jesus said “I want you in my group.”

He chose Thomas, who even though he witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles, couldn’t bring himself to believe in Christ’s resurrection without physical proof.  We still use the phrase “doubting Tomas” to this day, and the reality is this guy was kind of a downer.  In the middle of all the disciples’ excitement, Thomas tries to throw a blanket on their fire.  I do my best to avoid people like Thomas, but Jesus said “I want you in my group.”

He chose Matthew, a tax collector who sold out his people and his calling for money.  This guy was selfish, sinful, and hated by everyone around him.  Everyone knew what kind of person he was, and nobody thought he would ever change.  I tend to write off people like Matthew, but Jesus said “I want you in my group.”

He chose Judas, history’s most famous traitor.  This guy betrayed Jesus and turned his back on everything that he stood for.  He hung the other disciples out to dry, and eventually his choices caught up with him.  I don’t usually like people like Judas, but Jesus said “I want you in my group.”

Forgive me for going on longer than normal, but here is the point: the kinds of people we often try to avoid are exactly the people Jesus chose to be close to Him.  He purposefully chose an eclectic bunch of followers, nothing like any other spiritual leader of His time would ever care to assemble.  But He saw through who they were on the outside and knew what kind of people they could become.  If you attend a church, student ministry, or belong to a group of Christ-followers, take some time to look around at the differences that you see.  Those imperfections are a part of the plan, and even though there may be some people in the group that you might want to avoid, Jesus has placed them there for a very specific reason.