Jesus Calls the Unlikely

Jesus calls people from all backgrounds and every imaginable way of life. Anyone who responds to His call will be saved and assured of a place in the family of God.

If you were picking a team of people to help you change the world, what types of people would you want? Why?

Jesus’ first disciples were fishermen—probably not the kind of occupation or position in society you’d expect a Messiah to choose from when bringing together men who would change the world. Take a look:

¹⁸ As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is
called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”
²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with
Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

—MATTHEW 4:18-22

Jesus didn’t choose celebrities with money and influence. He didn’t choose politicians with connections or CEOs of Fortune 500 companies with excellent leadership and managerial traits. Instead, He chose two sets of brothers who were all fishermen. The first set (Peter and Andrew) were everyday blue-collar workers.

The second set (James and John) worked for their father, who had hired help (see Mark 1:20), so they may have come from some level of affluence.

In His call, Jesus used a play-on-words when He took their occupation (fishermen) and turned it around, saying He would make them “fish for people.” What’s amazing is that both sets of brothers immediately followed Jesus when He called them. They didn’t have all the details, they didn’t have a destination in mind, but still they obeyed Jesus’ call to follow.

Like Abraham, who left his family and country to go to a place promised by God, and like Samuel, who said, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam. 3:10), the disciples followed in the footsteps of their faithful ancestors and heeded God’s call.

What are some examples from Scripture of men and women who obeyed
God when He called them?

Today, Jesus is calling people from every walk of life to leave their selfish pursuits and follow Him. It takes wisdom to understand the nature of God’s particular call on your life. It may not require that you walk away from your family business or sell all your belongings. But it will definitely require you to give up the idea that you command your own destiny. It will mean you give up any trace of selfish ambition that affects your life decisions. God’s kingdom must be first.

As we submit to God, He does amazing things through us. The beauty of God’s call to repentance is that He brings together people from various backgrounds and groups in order to highlight His glorious work of redemption. He calls people you’d least expect. He does things you would never predict. He doesn’t just call “the cream of the crop” to be His spokespeople but unlikely people whose life-change will demonstrate the glory of His work.

Why is it both comforting and empowering for believers to know and understand that God calls everyday, ordinary people to proclaim His extraordinary gospel?

This was an excerpt from D.A Horton, The Gospel Project: God Among Us © 2018 Lifeway Press^®. Used by permission. Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible^®. Copyright 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.