We're sent despite our flaws

 

In Matthew’s gospel, we read about Jesus sending out His closest twelve disciples—His friends—to spread His message: “the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 10:1-7).   He sends them to do the critical work of evangelizing and healing.  Drive out unclean spirits and cure every disease.  He gives them “authority” over unclean spirits.

Seriously?  Did He check their resumes?  These aren’t men who are powerful leaders.

The group includes Peter, a man so afraid of getting into trouble that he eventually would lie about even knowing Jesus (John 18:15-27).  James and John argued over which one of them would be remembered as the greatest of the disciples (Mark 10:35-45).  Thomas simply couldn’t believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw it with his own eyes (John 20:24-29).  Matthew was a despised tax collector (Matthew 9:9-13).  And Judas was a close friend whose name has come down through the ages as synonymous with traitor.

As a former retail manager for over 45 years who was responsible for recruiting and hiring many people for positions of authority, I have to ask, “What was Jesus thinking?”  I probably wouldn’t have hired any of them!  They were losers and outcasts, poor and powerless.

One of the first thoughts that occurred to me as I reflected on this was Jesus sees us differently than we see ourselves.  We clearly see our own flaws - and more clearly everyone else's!  All of us are stricken with terror and too often, that fear rules our lives.  We let our egos get in the way and bicker about our importance and we doubt things we should believe.  We judge those on the outside – like Matthew – and yet we’re often on the outside ourselves.  We may even reject Jesus—whether intentionally or not—by our actions.

Despite these flaws, Jesus calls each one of us to spread his word, just as He commissioned the Twelve.  He calls us through our fears and loves us when we’re outcasts.  He hears our doubts with His heart instead of logic and loves us all the more.  Even Judas, as one of the Twelve, was cherished by Jesus.

So we are sent.  In all of our imperfections and in all of the ways we know we’re inadequate.  We’re sent to heal those in our world who need healing.  To forgive those who desperately need our forgiveness.  To drive out the unclean spirits of jealousy, greed and anger.

Today, in all of our real-world humanity, we’re called by Jesus to spread the good news: The Kingdom of God is here!

We mustn’t be afraid of failure in our calling, though; Jesus has our back!  As the Psalm says: “May your mercy, LORD, be upon us as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)