The Company He Keeps

While one certainly does not get such an impression from their record of accomplishment listed in the synoptic Gospel records, the original twelve disciples were a remarkable collection of diverse thinking and accomplished people. Even the woefully misunderstanding Judas!

The original twelve disciples of Jesus who made up his inner circle were diverse in politics, religious expression, education, and social standing. As an example, one only needs to realize the difference between Matthew and Simon the Zealot. 

Matthew was a Palestinian Jew who had the approval of the leaders of the Roman military forces to collect taxes. Simon the Zealot was a fiery religious nationalist working to overthrow – by any means necessary – that very same Roman military. 

The differences among the disciples in their politics and characteristics go further.

There is Peter, a property owner in Capernaum and an in-your-face, aggressive personality. He cut off the ear of a soldier sent to arrest Jesus. Contrast that with Bartholomew an itinerant scholar always distancing himself from any physical conflict. 

There is the example of the Sons of Zebedee who were involved with their father in a large commercial fishing enterprise on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee. They carried the nickname the sons of thunder. I suspect they did not earn that description because they were meek, mild, and contemplatively prayerful.

In contrast consider James the Less. What kind of personality earns the description ‘the less’? James is said to have looked remarkably like Jesus and served as Jesus’ decoy in the security system in place around Jesus in public spaces. One does not likely serve as a decoy by having a thunderous presence and personality.

It would seem that the only common denominator among the original close followers of Jesus was their differing but personal self-advancing interest in pursuing Jesus’ message of the existence of the Kingdom of God; a message which they each initially misunderstood.

In addition, there is also this to consider.

I don’t think that the original twelve hearing Jesus call them by name immediately dropped what they were doing and followed after Jesus. Unlike a bible movie with an orchestra sound track, I don’t think they heard angels singing and suddenly had holy thoughts about that kingdom message.

Rather, each of them saw opportunity for personally profiting from the kingdom message being put forward by the charismatic man from Galilee.

So what is the point? Why is writing about the great diversity and initial motives of the disciples important? For me, particularly at Easter, the importance is this:

I think that the evidence of the transformed change in each of the disciples AFTER Jesus’ crucifixion reveals the great truth of Jesus’ resurrection.

Think about this question.

Other than personally experiencing the presence of a resurrected Jesus, what other power or reality would explain the disciple’s remarkable transformation? How does one explain the fact and record of disciples who scattered in fear following Jesus’ arrest and then who changed into a fearless, charismatic group of people days later if they had not experienced a resurrected Jesus? 

Other than the presence of a resurrected Jesus what other event could have so radically, fundamentally, and immediately transformed a group with widely different perspectives and interests into charismatic personalities proclaiming without fear or seeking favor the reality of the Kingdom of God?

I do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead because of historical church creeds which were written first to identify the infidel, gain institutional power, and justify violent exclusion as well as reason for crusade and conquest.

I believe in the resurrection of Jesus because his transforming presence changed the minds and direction of disciples’ lives once long ago and has been making and transforming disciples ever since.

I believe in the resurrected Jesus because his transforming presence has changed me.

The resurrection of Jesus and the confirmation that resurrection gives to the ultimate truth of his message of the existence of an eternal Kingdom of God is not Fake News. As diverse disciples now just as original disciples then, in the presence of a living, loving, resurrected Jesus we are suddenly transformed by and convinced of a message of power and hope which benefits all of us…eternally.

Happy Easter!