Qualifying The Chosen
READ
Imagine being personally selected for a mission that would change the world. Not through extraordinary qualifications, but simply because someone saw potential in you that you couldn't yet see in yourself. That's the story of the Twelve Apostles – an unlikely group of ordinary men called to an extraordinary purpose.
Let’s take a moment to read Mark 3:13-19:
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
REFLECT
Mark's account of Jesus selecting His disciples is beautifully understated. He doesn't give us backstories or elaborate selection criteria. Instead, we see Jesus doing something profound: He calls those He wants, and they come to Him. Not the most qualified. Not the most educated. Not the most religious. Just those He chose.
Look at the diversity of this group. We have fishermen like Peter and Andrew, a tax collector like Matthew, a political zealot like Simon, and others so ordinary that we know little about them beyond their names. They weren't religious elites or scholars. They were working-class men with calloused hands and complicated backgrounds. Peter would deny Jesus. Thomas would doubt. Judas would betray. Yet Jesus chose them all.
The purpose of their calling was twofold: to be with Him and to be sent out to preach. "Being with Him" came first – a crucial detail we often miss. Before they were commissioned to do anything, they were invited into a relationship. Ministry flows from intimacy, not just activity. Jesus wasn't looking for perfect performers but for imperfect people willing to be transformed.
Consider the names Mark lists. Each represents a human story of potential and weakness. Peter, whose impulsive passion would both serve and challenge the early church. James and John, the "Sons of Thunder" with explosive temperaments. Matthew, a despised tax collector. Simon the Zealot, likely someone who once would have violently opposed someone like Matthew.
This seemingly random selection reveals God's extraordinary way of working. He doesn't choose the qualified; He qualifies the chosen. These men weren't special because of who they were, but because of who called them and what He would do through them. Their transformation would become a template for how God works in human lives – taking ordinary people and doing extraordinary things through them.
For us today, this passage offers profound hope. Your past doesn't disqualify you from God's purpose. Your weaknesses aren't obstacles but potential platforms for God's grace. The same Jesus who looked at these twelve men and saw world-changers looks at you with the same transformative vision.
The calling of the twelve wasn't about their capability, but about His. They didn't choose Him; He chose them. And He continues to choose ordinary people to carry extraordinary messages. The question isn't whether you're qualified, but whether you're willing.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
How do you feel knowing that Jesus calls imperfect people to follow Him? In what ways is God calling you to be with Him before doing things for Him?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Lord Jesus, thank you that Your calling isn't dependent on my perfection but on Your purpose. Help me to first draw near to You, to be transformed by Your presence. Give me courage to say yes to Your invitation, trusting that You can do extraordinary things through an ordinary life surrendered to You. Amen.