Out Our Way: The Gospel according to Goliath: The Chosen

Jesus went up on the mountain and invited into his service the men of his choice; and he appointed 12 to be with him, whom he would send out as his friends and have the power to cast out demons. He chose Simon, whom he nicknamed 'Peter (The Rock)'; he chose James and John, the sons of Zebedee and named them 'Boanerges' (Sons of Thunder). He also chose Peter's brother, Andrew, and Philip, Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel), and Matthew (also called Levi), Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon of Cana, and Judas of Iscariot, who would betray him. 

- Mark 3:13-19

Out our way, folks still recall stories of the Old West and some recollect hearing about the days of the open range and the big round ups. On some ranches there are the remains of the "old bunk house" where the hired hands lived. It took a lot of manpower in the days to cover the vast open prairies when free range was the norm and vast distances spanned between fences. It also took a lot of horsepower.

Talking to some of the old timers who had listened to the old timers of their day when running cows to the rail head took days or even weeks I learned that every cowboy had his own "string" of horses. It wasn't just that one horse would get tired and worn out too quickly on the trail, but also that there were horses selected for special traits and needed for special tasks along the way.

There were good solid horses that had stamina for the long push, but also quick and speedy ones needed for when a quicker response was needed. There were certain horses that were especially good for river crossings - and there were the ones that were the more sure footed for some of the trickier trails in the hills. The point was every cowboy had different types of horses in his " string" for different reasons.

When we look at the disciples chosen in this week's text - the truth is, we don't know very much about most of them. We all know Peter - "The Rock." I confess he is my favorite because while he would eventually become a stable and solid as a rock ... he was more of a "Rocky"-type in the beginning. A good guy, but not very bright at times. Was he called the "The Rock" because he was so solid ... or because he was dumber than a box of them? Maybe both. But Jesus saw potential. James and John - "the Sons of Thunder." Loud and noisy perhaps? Yet they too had a special purpose. James would become one of the first martyrs and John, it is believed by many, was the prophet given the visions recounted in the Book of Revelation.

Thomas - also called the "Doubter" - reminded every generation that God does not reject the questioner whose faith is weak, but still seeks him out if, like Thomas, despite his or her reservations, has the courage to stay the course in order to find out for themselves the truth. Even Judas, the traitor, served a purpose in offering up Christ for the sacrifice. Sadly, he did not live to see the resurrection and realize the whole story because he gave up too quickly and ended his own life.  

And all the others - the ones most of us cannot remember - every one of them also had a particular gift and purpose which God wanted. Even the forgotten Apostles were necessary and chosen by Christ for his own reasons.

Like the cow pony chosen for its surefootedness - or the mustang chosen for its speed - or the quarter horse chosen for its size and disposition, Christ has chosen his own string of disciples for their unique gifts and talents. Each has his or her own peculiar and unique qualities that Christ wants for his on purposes. That the tough little mustang is not the right choice for the roping doesn't make the mustang any less valuable than the big quarter horse. 

Every cowboy had different horses for different needs - and so it is with Christ who has different disciples for different objectives.  The cowboy valued every one of the horses in his "remuda" for different traits - but all of them for the same reason: that each was necessary for the work.    

(John Bruington, Goliath and Scout can be found at http://www.havrepres.com, where copies of the columns, sermons, cartoons and children's messages can be found.  Amazon.com also offers copies of Goliath's book: Out Our Way: Theology Under Saddle)