Word to the Wise
Friday, January 22, 2010 - Friday in the Second Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Samuel 24:3-21 and Mark 3:13-19]Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. Scripture scholars point out that Jesus' action in summoning the Twelve was, on one level, the usual thing for a teacher to do in his day. He would have what we moderns would call a "core group." And even within that "core group" there was a smaller group composed of Peter, James and John (and maybe Andrew). Even a casual reading of the gospels would reveal that by our standards Jesus could have been a bit more thorough in his choices, but that has the benefit of 20/20 hindsight! A humorous and fictitious report made the rounds of fax machines years ago purporting to be the report of a background check on the apostles by a "head hunting" firm hired by Jesus. The results were negative on eleven of the men. Only Judas Iscariot passed inspection! The number, Twelve, is significant because the first community saw itself as the continuation of the Twelve tribes of Israel in accord with prophetic tradition that required the Twelve tribes to be gathered together again before the Day of the Lord! When Judas turned out to be a traitor, he had to be replaced! The criteria for the choice was longevity in the larger group and the selection was by throwing dice (or similar things)!!!! Our Church got started in this way and has managed to survive despite (or maybe because of) strange choices in leadership! When we are tempted to be overly critical of church leadership, it is important to remember that they are human beings called to do a very difficult job. "Grace of office" has to work with whatever choice is made by other humans. Some choices "work" and others don't, and the church goes on. AMEN
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