Called to be Sent!

Luke 6:12-19

12 At about that same time he climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. 13 The next day he summoned his disciples; from them he selected twelve he designated as apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, Andrew, his brother, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus, Simon, called the Zealot, 16 Judas, son of James, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

17 Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. 19 Everyone was trying to touch him-- so much energy surging from him, so many people healed!

Food for thought!

Jesus summoned his disciples; from them he selected twelve he designated as apostles! This is very revealing. Jesus called to himself his disciples, and from amongst them he designated apostles. So what is the difference between disciple and apostle? Well, disciple simply means learner or apprentice or listener, that's, one who learns from a teacher. Apostle means sent, envoy, messenger, commissioner, ambassador. Jesus chose his apostles from his disciples. They were to be those who were always learning more and more about him. A Christian is a man whose whole life is spent learning from Jesus and about Jesus, whom he will some day meet face to face and will then know even as he is known.

Jesus had many disciples, but few apostles. The apostles were just twelve,  chosen to be his ambassadors to in the world. A little girl received in the Sunday School a lesson on the disciples. She did not get the word quite right because she was very young; and she came home and told her parents that she had been learning about Jesus' samples. The ambassador is the man who in a foreign land represents his country. He is supremely the sample of his country. The Christian is ever sent to be an ambassador for Christ, not only by his words but by his life and deeds.

It was from his learners that Jesus chose those he sent. Before we go, we must come; before we talk, we must listen; before we give, we must get. Before Jesus went for men, he went for his Father in prayer, the whole night. When we go to church, we go as disciples, to learn and to listen. We live the church as apostles, sent into our world, our place of work, our homes, to represent Jesus. "Go, the Mass is ended." They tell us at the end of Mass.

To go and represent Jesus, we don't have to be extraordinary people. On the contrary we have to be what we are, that is, ordinary people. Look at the Twelve. They were very ordinary men. There was not a wealthy, nor famous, nor influential people; they had no special education; they were men of the common folk. It is as if Jesus said, "Give me twelve ordinary men and I will change the world." The work of Jesus is not in the hands of men whom the world calls great, but in the hands of ordinary people like ourselves.

They were a strange mixture. To take but two of them, Matthew was a tax-collector, and, therefore, a traitor and a renegade. Simon was a Zealot, and the Zealots were fanatical nationalists, who were sworn to assassinate every traitor and every Roman they could. It is one of the miracles of the power of Christ that Matthew the tax-collector and Simon the Zealot could live at peace in the close company of the apostolic band. In Christ the most diverse and divergent types of people can live at peace together. It is only in Christ that we can solve the problem of living together; because even the most opposite people may be united in their love for him. If we really love Jesus, we will also love each other.