Come Along, Tax Man!

"The Calling of St. Matthew,"
Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1621.

Shortly after he calls his first four disciples, and while his popularity is very high in Galilee, Jesus does a remarkable thing: he invites a hated tax collector to join him as one of his disciples. I would encourage you to take time to read the three short reports on this event that appear in the Gospels (Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32).

The context for this story is the growing popularity of Jesus, who makes Capernaum his home base and concentrates his early ministry in Galilee. According to Luke, Jesus heals a man with leprosy and then a paralytic and “everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things today’” (5:26).

As the word spreads about Jesus, the rabbi who brings healing to the sick, crowds begin to follow him and, like other rabbis of his day, he teaches his followers as he walks along. But the joy and excitement of his miracles are brought to a jolting halt when Jesus sees a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting in his tax booth near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus approaches Levi and says, “Follow me,” and to everyone’s surprise at both the invitation and the response, Levi “got up, left everything, and followed him” (Luke 5:27-28).

Levi, which is his given name, while Matthew is his apostolic name, is employed as a tax collector in Galilee under the authority of Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great and the governor of his region. He is not a “chief tax collector” like Zacchaeus, who Jesus will meet later, nor is it said that he is wealthy like Zacchaeus, but his position still makes him a hated man by those who do business near his toll booth. Tax collectors were viewed as agents of the repressive Roman regime and they were despised by the Jews as traitors and extortionists.

Levi’s toll booth was probably located on the road from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast that runs through Capernaum. I wonder if he knew the Jewish fishermen who were later to become fellow disciples, because their fishing businesses probably did some commerce on this important trading route.

We do not know why Levi responded to Jesus’ invitation. Had he heard Jesus teach the crowds that followed him and had he witnessed his miracles? Was he so desperate and lonely that Jesus’ offer was too hard to pass up. There was much at stake for Levi. Fishermen like Andrew, Peter, James and John could easily go back to fishing, if things did not work out with Jesus – and in fact they did after Jesus’ crucifixion -- but there was no possibility for Levi to return to his position once he renounced it by walking away.

The calling of Levi precipitates the second incident in a series of five encounters with religious leaders, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark. Following his invitation to Levi, Jesus attends a dinner at Levi’s home – a detail that Matthew leaves out of his Gospel when he tells the story of this event in his personal life. Levi may have viewed this as a farewell party, since he is leaving his home to travel with his new rabbi; or maybe he wants his friends to meet Jesus -- friends who might also want to make some changes in their lives.

Jesus loves banquets and parties – his ministry includes many dinners and celebrations. These were signs of his Kingdom. Banquets are joyful events and they hint at future Kingdom celebrations when God’s people from all over the world will attend banquets in heaven with Jesus as the host. By the way, did you notice that this party was not just for Jesus’ disciples, but also for “a large crowd of tax collectors and others [who] were eating with them” (Luke 5:29)?

You will see when you read the Gospel records of this party that this makes the Jewish religious leaders very unhappy; but instead of confronting Jesus directly, they complain to his disciples and ask why the disciples are eating with “tax collectors and sinners.” When this message is relayed to Jesus, he makes a profound statement: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32; Matthew 9:13). Jesus is not implying that the Pharisees are “righteous” and therefore don’t need his message, but rather that the gospel of grace and forgiveness is for everyone, and repentance is needed before salvation can be received. Levi had decided to change his ways, but the Pharisees who are critical of him have not. Joy and repentance are linked together in this wonderful story!

So What? 

• There may be some readers who have wandered through life on their own, searching for meaning and significance, but only becoming more lost and confused. Perhaps this was the case with Levi. But when he accepted Jesus’ invitation, his life was changed and he threw a party to celebrate his exciting new life with Jesus. Levi, who is better known as the Apostle Matthew, went on to experience an amazing life with Jesus and in fact wrote one of the most important records of Jesus’ life in his Gospel. Is it time for you to make a similar decision to follow Jesus? 

• Some of us have made bad decisions in our lives and we are convinced that these mistakes can never be forgiven. That’s what Satan wants us to think. But Jesus offers forgiveness to those who are willing to repent of their wrongful choices and the harmful things they have done to others, as well as themselves. That’s one of the powerful “take-aways” from this story of Levi.

The First Big Catch

"The Calling of Peter and Andrew,"
Duccio di Buoninsegna, c. 1308.

After an early excursion to Jerusalem at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, which is only described in the Gospel of John, Jesus focuses his efforts in Galilee where he uses Capernaum as his home base. Here’s some context.

The province of Galilee, located in the northern part of 1st Century Palestine, is approximately 50 miles long and 25 miles wide. The eastern border of Galilee is marked by the Sea of Galilee, which is 14 miles long and 6 miles wide and is almost 700 feet below sea level. If you have ever been there, you know it is a beautiful lake and you can see the entire lake anywhere you stand on its shores.

Historians note that Galilee was one of the most densely populated provinces in the Middle East during Jesus’ time with a population of approximately 15,000. It was a strategic place for Jesus to begin his ministry.

Mark tells us in his Gospel (1:15) that Jesus’ first words were, ‘The time has come” – that’s when he announced the beginning of his Kingdom message. He has been baptized, he has faced the temptation in the wilderness, and now he is beginning his healing and preaching ministry. Jesus begins his preaching in Galilee before choosing his disciples, but it isn’t long before he starts recruiting his companions. John tells us of an early meeting between Jesus and some young men who would later become disciples, but that is just a “get-acquainted visit.”* In an area as small of Galilee, these young men (Andrew, Simon, Philip and Nathaniel) surely heard reports about Jesus and how the people are flocking to him, so he is known to them.

Both Matthew (4:18-22) and Mark (1:16-20) tell us about Jesus’ calling of his first four disciples. It is hard for us to understand this history-making event, because the concept of discipleship in our day bears little relationship to discipleship in 1st Century Galilee or Judea. The Gospel writers don’t tell us much. They record that Jesus is walking along the Sea of Galilee, sees Simon and Andrew fishing and says to them, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” They agree and follow him. Then Jesus walks further along the coastline, sees John and James mending their nets and calls them and they also agree and follow him. This is quite a “catch” – four apparently successful fishermen-recruits without any offer of a long-term contract, health care benefits or a retirement plan! What’s going on here?

In the 1st Century, young Jewish males could apply to a rabbi and request that the rabbi choose them as one of his disciples. It’s very serious business during this period of Jewish history because these disciples would only be accepted if they gave up everything and totally surrendered to the authority of their rabbi. In fact, for young disciples during this time, their goal was to emulate their rabbi and even copy his mannerisms and prejudices.

But Jesus chooses another way of gathering his disciples – he chooses them, they don’t choose him. He issues a call to four fisherman and later adds eight more, but they don’t apply to him – no entrance exams, no submission of CVs. It is a calling and these men know what it involves. They see something they want in Jesus - he is the leader they are desperately looking for.

The Gospel of Luke (5:1-11) adds more details to this event and I love his portrayal of what takes place. Luke tells us that crowds are pressing around Jesus “to hear God’s word” and Jesus sees Simon’s two boats, climbs into one of these boats and asks Simon to push the boat out into the water so he can sit down and teach the people without being pressured. Now Simon and Andrew see Jesus in action, they see Jesus announcing the good news of the Kingdom of God and the need for the people to repent. What a great move to use a boat for his pulpit, before asking these fishermen to join him!

Then, when the sermon is over, Jesus says to Simon and Andrew, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon quickly responds that they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing, but then he adds, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they let their nets down, their boats almost capsized because of the huge catch of fish – in fact, other fishermen have to come out and help them bring in their catch.

This miraculous event so impacted Simon, Andrew, James and John that all four of them “pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed him.” How do you impress fishermen? Help them make a big catch! While they are amazed and frightened by what they just witnessed, Jesus tells them, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men” (Luke 5:10-11). By the way, this is one of the many times Jesus tells his disciples, “Don’t be afraid” – they are just beginning an amazing three-year companionship with the Prince of Peace.

This is the first of two miraculous catches of fish recorded in the Gospels, the second one is in the last chapter of John. In this one, Jesus casts the net and catches four men who will become his closest friends and key leaders in the early church. His request to them is a call, one that they can accept or reject. The same is true of us.

So What?

• It is so hard for us to imagine what it meant to become a disciple of a rabbi in the 1st Century – it involved total submission to your teacher; in fact many rabbis were considered more important to their students than their biological fathers. The question we have to answer is whether or not we are willing to also submit to Jesus as our Lord.
• Jesus’ statement, “Don’t be afraid” – a statement his followers heard many times -- should be a warning to us that following Jesus may also put us in situations where we will be frightened. Has this happened to you? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

NOTE: For my reflections on this earlier encounter with Jesus and some of these fishermen, see my post of January 21, 2013, “ Getting Acquainted with Jesus.”

Let's Drink Together!

"Jesus and the Samaritan Woman,"
Alonso Cano, c.1650.

In the early chapters of John’s Gospel, we are quickly introduced to Jesus’ first set of encounters in which he demonstrated both warm and gracious acts as well as confrontational ones. As noted in my previous posts, he turned water into wine at the wedding celebration in Cana and then went to Jerusalem and turned over tables and drove the livestock from the temple grounds. Jesus then shares the good news with Nicodemus that he can enter the Kingdom of God, but this proud religious man must start all over again by being “born again.”

The next event John records is one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. As I was preparing this post, I read through my research files and found notes from a sermon I was asked to preach a number of years ago. I realized as I read my notes how powerfully the encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar moved me. I commented on this meeting before, but have decided to reflect on it again.*

It is remarkable to me that Jesus engages this Samaritan woman after he sends off his disciples to get food from a nearby town. One Biblical scholar wondered why Jesus needed to send 12 disciples to get food, when a much smaller group of them could have done the job. John tells us that Jesus was tired and perhaps he was also weary of being with his disciples!

Read the story in John 4:4-42. By engaging the Samaritan woman and asking her for a drink and then drinking out of her cup, Jesus breaks through a racial barrier that separated Jews from hated Samaritans and a sexist barrier that forbade rabbis from speaking with women.

Then he goes even further: he makes clear to her that he knows all about her painful history of broken marriages. He understands her loneliness and isolation from other people in her village.

But then something takes place in their discussion that many fail to notice. As Jesus reaches out to her, after what seems to be a cruel act of exposing her past, he uses a name for God that was not used by 1st century Jews or Samaritans. It is the name “father” (v. 21 & 23). Jesus emphasizes that God desires an intimate relationship with her (and with us!) and he is indeed “our Father” – not some distant deity.

Part of the reason I love this story is the way in which Jesus is not willing to let cultural barriers or prejudices stop him from his ministry. He sees these walls of separation and shows his rejection of the status quo of his time – “It doesn’t have to be like this!” This is what Jesus is teaching his disciples.

During my twenty years with the American Studies Program, we used this example to teach our students that when we confront injustice or oppression in our society, we need to take a stand that “It doesn’t have to be like this!”

As our students studied both domestic and international issues and saw the brokenness and alienation in the public policy arena, we encouraged them to avoid becoming cynical – which is the default position in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, and instead to respond like Jesus did -- “It doesn’t have to be like this.” I also love this story because of the way Jesus affirms the Samaritan woman for who she is as a person. Jesus takes her seriously and does not reject or ignore her as others did. And Jesus offers her the gift of eternal life – a drink of living water that they can share together. It’s the identical gift he offered to a distinguished leader of the Pharisees named Nicodemus and she is treated the same way.

Can you imagine what a shock this experience was for the disciples? Jesus has given them a greatly expanded view of his Kingdom in which all people are invited to enter, even those who pious Jews treated as enemies. What a remarkable start to their training program as followers of Jesus! Could they have ever imagined what they were about to experience with Jesus over the next three years?

So What?

• To help us relate to this encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman, what modern day parallel experience comes to mind?
• It has been my experience that following Jesus can lead to a life full of surprises, just like the disciples learned when Jesus called them. Sure, a life of discipleship can be risky; it doesn’t always mean you follow the safe path in life, but it sure can be an exciting one! 

* NOTE: For my earlier reflection on Jesus’ meeting with this Samaritan woman, see my post of May 16, 2011, “Asking for a Drink.”

Meeting at Night

"Christ and Nicodemus,"
Crijn Hendricksz, C. 1601

Following Jesus’ first miracle, where he turned water into wine at a wedding celebration in Cana, his “getting acquainted time” with five disciples, and his cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem during Passover – all of which were covered in recent posts, the Apostle John tells about an intriguing conversation held late at night. By the way, it is not clear that Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night because he was afraid or wanted to meet Jesus in secret. It is possible that he came to see Jesus at night because he knew he could have a more extensive conversation with him then without crowds of people clamoring for his attention.

In any case, this conversation is very interesting because it shows Jesus relating to an important Jewish religious leader. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the council of 70 men who were the religious leaders of Israel. It is estimated that there were approximately 7,000 Pharisees during the time of Jesus and they were an influential group in the 1st Century because of their knowledge of the law and Jewish traditions; they were also intellectuals with high ethical standards.

Pharisees play a prominent role in the New Testament – in large part because they are interested in the teachings of Jesus and Jesus takes them seriously. Unlike the Sadducees, who are collaborators with the Roman authorities, or the Zealots, who want to overthrow the Romans by force, or the Essenes, who separate themselves from society and retreat to isolated locations, the Pharisees were active and respected religious leaders.

Read the discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus recorded in John 3:1-21. Don’t let your familiarity with this story get in the way of a fresh encounter with Jesus.

Did you notice how Nicodemus addresses Jesus? “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Nicodemus knew about the miracles Jesus performed in the early stages of his public ministry and he wants to know more about him. He is courteous and there is no hostility evident in how he approaches the young rabbi.

Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus is short and cryptic. He tells Nicodemus that unless he is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God. By the way, this is only time the Apostle John uses the word “Kingdom of God” is his entire Gospel – unlike the other three Gospels where this term is used frequently.

It is hard to follow this conversation because the contextual framework of 1st Century Jewish religious beliefs is unfamiliar to many of us. Here’s the bottom-line: Jesus says that getting into God’s Kingdom is not the right or prerogative of any particular race or culture and you don’t pass qualifying exams by any legalistic practices. Jesus shares a mystery with this powerful Jewish leader – entrance into God’s Kingdom is by a direct act of God. It’s a gift of God. Being a high-ranking ancestor of Abraham isn’t enough.

As the conversation continues, Jesus explains with great authority that he will be “lifted up” – a direct reference to his crucifixion – and this sacrifice will be a cure for sin. To be a follower of Jesus and a member of his Kingdom require that this gift be received by faith. Jesus offers this gift to Nicodemus and now it is up to Nicodemus to decide for himself.

We don’t know what happens to Nicodemus or what he decides about Jesus’ offer, although I suspect he became a follower of Jesus. He is mentioned two more times in John’s Gospel. During a debate among Jewish religious leaders, Nicodemus takes on his colleagues for condemning Jesus without “finding out what he is doing” (John 7:50-52). But more importantly, Nicodemus assists Joseph of Arimathea in removing Jesus’ body from the cross and preparing it for burial (John 19:38-42). Why would he do this, why run the risk of an attack from those who demanded Jesus’ crucifixion, if he is not a believer? I think he does accept the offer of salvation from Jesus.

So What?

• For some Christians, “born again” are special code words. It is so interesting to me that these words are only used here in Scripture and nowhere else. Have you ever had anyone ask you if you are “born again”? A positive response to this question doesn’t give you free access to the Kingdom of God. A life of faithful discipleship is much better proof!

• There is a powerful mystery in this conversation and it reminds me of what one Biblical scholar wrote: “Is any conversation with Jesus easy?” Jesus’ responses to Nicodemus are hard for him to understand, as they are for us today. Salvation is a gift of God, not something we earn by heredity or legalistic behaviors. It is offered to all of us as a gift, but we need to accept the gift. “Born again” is better translated “born from above” – born by an act of God. Our response needs to be one of acceptance and gratitude.

• How have you responded to this gift of God, this gift of salvation? If you haven’t yet or are uncertain about whether or not you have, this is a good opportunity to do so. There’s so much more to learn, but this is the important first step.

Cleaning House

“The first thing to notice about Jesus is the hardest thing for many Christians to notice about him. It helps if we back away for a moment from our Anglicized version of his name and call him Yeshua; better yet, Yeshua bar-Yosef, and do our best to envision him, a bronze-skinned young Middle Eastern man, lying down next to a low table to enjoy a meal with his friends. . . . He speaks Aramaic at home, a language we have never heard, and reads Biblical Hebrew in the synagogue. Even through layers of biography and translation (Aramaic to Greek to English) we can hear him say things we would never say and do things we would never do” (Andy Crouch, Culture Making, p. 134). 

"Casting Out Money Changers,"
Giotto di Bondone, 14th century

These words by Andy Crouch came to mind when I read the story of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple at a very early point in his public ministry. I would encourage you to read about this event in John’s Gospel (2:12-17). I can’t imagine doing that myself, although I might think about it! For many of us, the picture of Jesus we have been taught is of a very gentle man, a teacher, someone who we would be drawn to because of his warm, caring attitude.

But charging into the Temple, knocking over the merchants’ tables, scattering their coins, and dispersing their livestock – this is a radical act! Would you do this? How do you think Jesus’ disciples felt about this, so soon after they joined him as their rabbi?

After the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine, an act that surely impressed the disciples, John tells us that Jesus went to Jerusalem at the time of Passover with some of his disciples, entered the temple, and caused havoc by overturning tables, making a cord of rope, and driving out the animals that were for sale to pilgrims for their sacrifices.

The other three Gospels record a similar event during the last week of Jesus’ life, but this encounter was different. While Biblical scholars argue about whether it was one event or two, it seems likely to me that there were two separate occasions when Jesus did this.* The first time there was no response from the temple authorities, but the second time so enraged the Jewish leaders that they took drastic action.

Let’s set the context. Throughout the history of Israel, the temple in Jerusalem played a very significant role. Solomon had the temple built around 950 B.C., but it was destroyed approximately 360 years later by the Babylonian Empire. Seventy years after its destruction, it was rebuilt on a modest scale, but in 20 B.C. Herod the Great began a major rebuilding project of the temple that was even more extraordinary than Solomon’s structure. This rebuilding project by Herod was completed in 63 A.D., many years after his death.

Herod’s temple was not only magnificent, it was also a huge financial center controlled by the Sadduccees. One of its major businesses was operated by money exchange dealers in the Court of the Gentiles. Many Jews who came to Jerusalem for Passover had Roman or other foreign coins that were not accepted in the temple. The leaders demanded that worshippers use certain Tyrian half-skeckel coins to pay their annual temple tax. You can imagine what the exchange rate was like – just like at today’s airports when you travel to Western Europe and need to exchange dollars for euros. For poor villagers, this was a painful welcome to Jerusalem!

The second major industry concerned the animals brought for sacrifice. If temple inspectors found the animals were blemished, the visiting worshippers were forced to buy “unblemished animals” at above market rates. Between these two businesses, a great deal of money was being exchanged in the temple and visitors were being exploited to the benefit of the merchants and the hierarchy that shared in the profits.

The temple and its crowded courts were thoroughly corrupted by merchants and their sponsors in the temple leadership. We know from historical records from this time that the temple leadership was corrupt and that the ruling elites had worked out arrangements with the Romans that allowed them to conduct business in this way.

This helps us to understand why Jesus is so enraged by what he sees. What is striking to me is that there is no resistance to what Jesus did! The temple leaders don’t respond, nor did the merchants or other visitors to the temple. In fact, it is likely that the Pharisees approved of what Jesus did.

For his disciples, as John notes, the prophecy that the Messiah would have “zeal for your house [that will] consume [him]” came to mind. This is a clear link to Old Testament prophecy. But when Jesus is asked by bystanders with what authority he did this, his answer was very mysterious. He said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days” (v. 19) – a response that neither they nor the disciples understood. This is a sign-post that Jesus deliberately puts in place to explain his mission, a sign-post that will only become understandable after his resurrection.

What a powerful story and what a dramatic beginning to Jesus’ public ministry! Is this the Jesus you know?

So What?

• Have you ever been in a church or cathedral where there are many commercial booths in operation, where the area around the sanctuary is a hub of business enterprises? I admit this action by Jesus has come to mind on occasion. I do worry about how commercial our churches and their “coffee times” have become and how this can detract from a worshipful environment. Has this ever occurred to you? • 

• For Jesus’ disciples, as well as for others, his teachings are sometimes difficult to understand and often not clear until years later. I think this is still true. There are times when I read teachings by Jesus in the Bible and simply don’t understand them at the time, but later they become clearer. Sometimes my uncertainty remains, but I still trust his words. There are times when Jesus doesn’t explain his teachings to his disciples until much later, when they have experiences that help them more fully understand what he said. I think this is still true today. Has this also been your experience? 

* NOTE: For my reflections on the second cleansing of the temple, see my post of June 6, 2011, “Get Out of This House!”

Getting Acquainted with Jesus

The way in which Jesus picked his disciples is such an interesting story, because he chose to find disciples who were to become not just his students, but also his closest friends. He was soon known as a rabbi, a teacher, because of his knowledge of Scripture, but he did things no other rabbi would do. Right from the start of his public ministry, he demonstrated that his mission was to announce the Kingdom of God and he chose followers who he was equipping for future roles that they never anticipated.

"The Calling of Peter and Andrew,"
Caravaggio, c. 1602

The Gospel of John (1:25-51) tells us the fascinating story of Jesus’ first disciples and how their early friendship was formed. Two disciples of John the Baptist, Andrew and John, heard him refer to Jesus as “the Lamb of God” and they decided to follow Jesus to check him out. By the way, the Apostle John does not identify himself as one of these first two, but we know that he was. He never refers to himself by name in his writings.

When Jesus sees these two men following him, he asks them what they want and they respond with a strange question about where he is staying. They called him “Rabbi” (teacher) and he gives them an encouraging response: “Come and you will see.” This first encounter is very casual and informal. John tells us that Jesus spent the whole day with them and probably stayed with them overnight. They were just getting acquainted.

The next day, Andrew, leaves to find his brother Simon, and tells him, “We have found the Messiah,” and he brings Simon to meet Jesus. It seems likely that Andrew’s assertion about Jesus was the result of their conversation from the previous day and his evaluation of Jesus’ character. Andrew was hoping that Jesus might be a national deliverer, which was a widespread expectation in the early years of the first century in Palestine.

The circle of three has now grown to four. When Jesus first meets Simon, he says to him, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas [Peter].” What a way to start a friendship! Jesus accepts him as he is, but promises that he will become a “rock.” Volatile, impulsive Simon, a “rock” – who would have imagined, but Jesus knew what was in store for him.

The next day Jesus heads toward Galilee, his home territory, and he meets Philip, who is from the town of Bethsaida and is probably also a fisherman, and Philip in turn quickly finds Nathaniel and excitedly tells him that he and his friends “. . . have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth.”

Nathaniel’s first reaction is one of doubt and he exclaims, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Let me add a personal footnote here: I immediately identified with this comment, since a number of people over the years have made comments to me about my hometown -- Cicero, Illinois. Can anything good come out of Cicero, Al Capone’s hometown?

It is so interesting to me that as Nathaniel approaches Jesus, Jesus says, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” I especially love this comment since I have a new grandson named Nathaniel and I pray that the same will be said about him!

Jesus’ group of friends quickly totaled five in number and their initial time together was just to get acquainted. At a later point, Jesus will ask them to follow him, to leave their fishing businesses behind, and to become his companions. Jesus’ initial time with these men is friendly and conversational and he even gives them nicknames. He spends the day with them and finds out who they are. This is the Jesus that we meet in John’s Gospel.

Unlike other rabbis who did not recruit their own disciples, but chose a select few from many applicants, which was the common practice in the first century, Jesus took the initiative with most of his disciples. He chose them. He issued the call – “Follow me.” In fact, these men might not have passed the qualifying tests for the best-known rabbis of that time.

These men will quickly learn that Jesus is not a typical rabbi, but truly an exception. They have expectations about him, based on John the Baptist’s testimony, but now they have to see if these expectations will be met. Is he in fact the Messiah, the one the prophets wrote about? The only way to find out is to follow him.

John’s Gospel tells us that one of the first experiences these new friends of Jesus have is going to a wedding with him in Cana. As noted in my previous post, Jesus’ first miracle – the changing of water into wine – was surely a shock to these fishermen and this was only the beginning. The next three years of their lives will involve experiences that they could never have even imagined!

So What?

• One of the powerful insights that I gained from this study was how Jesus accepted these men as they were, but knew they would become different people after spending time with him. Peter, the impulsive one, would become a “rock” upon which Jesus would build his church. Andrew, Peter’s brother, who introduce him to Jesus, would also become a great leader in the early church. Common laborers, good fishermen, but Jesus knew they would be transformed over time into Apostles who would change the world after his resurrection. Doesn’t this give you hope? We too can be changed into agents of God’s Kingdom if we commit our lives to him.

• Spending time with each other, investing in each other’s lives, is what Jesus did with his disciples. He was especially close to three of his disciples, but knew all twelve very well. For me, investing in the lives of others is a practical “take-away” from this story. For those of us who claim to be disciples of Jesus, this is something we need to do.

• Looking back over your life, can you think of changes in your character or your plans that took place once you decided to be a disciple of Jesus?

Jesus' Wedding Gift

"The Wedding Feast at Cana"
Julius S. von Carosfeld, 1819

Following his baptism in the Jordan River and his 40-day-and night struggle with Satan in the wilderness, the 30-year-old Jesus is now ready to begin his public ministry. But what a way to begin! Jesus surely did not consult with marketing experts on how to launch a campaign. This is not the kind of publicity blitz we are used to in the Nation’s Capital.

In John’s Gospel (2:1-11) we read about Jesus’ first miracle in the town of Cana, a city only mentioned in this story in the New Testament. Biblical scholars believe this small village was about nine miles north of Nazareth, so it was clearly not a major urban center. Why does Jesus perform his first miracle here? Once again it is clear that God’s ways are not our ways.

We know from historical studies of this time period that wedding feasts in the first century ordinarily lasted seven days. To help you imagine what the context was like, think of the wedding feast in “Fiddler on the Roof,” where the bridegroom and his wedding party make a gala procession to get the bride and her friends and then return with them to the house of the groom for a feast that could last for a full week with wine and food and lots of dancing. Weddings in small villages in Galilee brought lots of life to an otherwise drab existence for poor peasants.

"Fiddler on the Roof"
movie wedding, 1971

It is reasonable to assume that Jesus’ family knows the groom or bride since his mother is invited as well as Jesus and his disciples. The disciples would not be a part of this celebration if there were not some personal connection to the wedding party. The fact that Joseph is not mentioned after the family’s return from Egypt leads most Biblical scholars to believe he died earlier and Jesus may have been acting as the head of the family at this event.

It also occurred to me that for those disciples of Jesus who had previously been followers of John the Baptist, the contrast between John the Baptist and his desert diet and animal-skin clothes and this celebration would have been a remarkable change-of-pace.

As the wedding celebration continued, Jesus’ mother - who is not identified by name in this story, but neither is the bride or groom – informs him, “They have no wine” (v. 3). Why does Mary tell Jesus this? What does she expect him to do? It is hard to imagine what Jesus thinks after his mother tells him this. What if he choose not to respond? These are some of the many questions for which there are simply no answers.

What we do know is that Jesus decides to respond. Although he refused to turn stones into bread in the wilderness, as Satan requested, this time he orders the servants to fill the jars with water and this water turns into high-quality wine. This is not the last time that Jesus changed his plans to accommodate the wishes of someone else.

John makes clear in his Gospel that the wine comes from huge jugs, normally approximately 20-30 gallons in size, that are located near the front of the house and are used by observant Jews for ceremonial washing before they enter a home and eat a meal. Philip Yancey suggests that “Jesus, perhaps with a twinkle in his eye, transformed those jugs, ponderous symbols of the old way, into wineskins, harbingers of the new.” Jesus’ miraculous action is a powerful sign that the old religious practices are coming to an end and new Kingdom values are being revealed in Jesus. By the way, the wine Jesus made was excellent and the hosts and guests know it, although they do not know where it came from. It’s a great wedding present!

During the next year of his life, word will spread across the country about this new rabbi, this miracle-worker, and crowds will flock to him, but Jesus knows right from the start, witnessing miracles does not always result in faith. This miracle is a sign for his new disciples that Jesus has extraordinary power and John notes that “His disciples believed in him” (v. 11).

God is a “God of surprises” and we see this right from the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. This miracle of turning water into wine occurs in an obscure out-of-the-way town, not in Jerusalem where the powerbrokers could see his power and be impressed. This first miracle appears to be an act of mercy and the disciples are there to witness it. It will be the first of many.

So What?

• It is so striking to me that Jesus begins his ministry with such a humble act of mercy, without drawing attention to himself and what he has done. Only a few know who brought – or made - the new wine; not the host or the bride and bridegroom. Just the servants, his mother Mary and his new disciples. He is the promised Messiah, but one who is humble, compassionate, and merciful. There is no other religion that believes in a God like this!

• It takes imagination to be able to put yourself into this first century Palestinian context, but if you can envision this scene, it helps you understand the radical character of what Jesus did and how he did it. Can you picture a scene like this in our time? What would it be like?