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How Were the Apostles Exactly the Same?
When Jesus chose apostles, he chose men who were the exact opposite of one another. Matthew being a tax collector, Simon the Zealot are often cited. Then the application is that churches should follow suit. Thinking outside that box….
Is there a deeper lesson though than recognizing how these Jews were not friends by party-lines? Yes! That deeper truth is Jesus chose apostles who were the exact opposite of HIM!
That means all the ones who were apostles were the same as one another. They all had something in common – Jesus was not like them. All were sinners in need of a Savior!
So while we are rightly taught to de-focus on differences, and we even speak of how they need to be discarded as barriers; I think we need to focus more on our shared default fault. Do you remember the 10 healed lepers, with only one returning to thank Jesus (Luke 17)? Did you remember these 10 lepers were both Jews and Samaritans? While their bickering peoples focused on their differences, these sickly men partook of each other’s lives because they first recognized their common need. What kept their families apart was no longer as essential as what kept these 10 men together. Jesus as their healer was again the exact opposite of them all.
What’s more important than a shared need for Jesus? We all need being rescued, ransomed, reformed, and redeemed by someone who doesn’t need those. Alike we partake of the shame of sin and through Jesus the holiness of salvation. Jesus is the exact opposite of us, which is why Jesus is exactly what we have in common.
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