Team Building
Finding the right person to join the team is not often easy.
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved." - Matthew 9:9-17
Jesus was intentional in his selection process.
He chose Matthew, a tax collector, and one might think that wasn't a wise choice. In fact, the Pharisees challenged him, and Jesus explained.
Those who are well have no need of a physician.
Who was he talking about? He may have meant the tax collectors, but I don't think he included Matthew in that.
Matthew was a member of the team, one who would open doors for the Word among those in his profession, the ones needing to be healed.
Jesus recruited from among the members of the groups he wanted to reach.
That makes sense, doesn't it?
The message Jesus was offering here was to raise up leaders from the people who would be led. He was criticizing the Pharisees.
They saw themselves above everyone else, not one with them, as Jesus was.
Jesus was a believer in sharing. I am one of you, and you are my brothers and sisters, he said.
The Pharisees criticized him for doing what they saw was beneath them. And Jesus did what he always does. He turned it upside down.
You are the hypocrites, he told them. They will not listen to you, because you refuse to respect them.
And they were fine with that, because they didn't care to bring all into the fold. That was why Jesus had to come.
More to come...