Stunned with Bewildered Wonder

Have you ever tried naming the twelve disciples?  I can start off with Peter, Andrew, James, and John.  I remember Matthew, Thomas, and of course, Judas.  Those other five are harder to recall, and I will have to admit I had to grab my Bible and to come up with Thaddeus.  What a diverse bunch to put it mildly.  There is Peter who was bold and quick to act and speak.  Andrew was a seeker having been a disciple of John the Baptist before following Christ, and then introduced his brother Peter to Jesus.  Peter would become better known, but Andrew was content to be second.  James and John were also brothers, and were called the Sons of Thunder.  They were passionate and part of the inner circle.  These four were all fishermen by trade. Some scholars think Philip came from nobility and loved the scripture.  By nature he was pessimistic.  He wanted to help but did not see how it was possible, but He had a true heart for evangelism and the moment he received Jesus he went and found his friend Nathanael.  Nathanael had studied the Old Testament and had doubts about Jesus, but was open to correction.  Thomas could be discouraged and is remembered for his doubts.  Matthew was a hated tax collector wrapped up in himself and making money.  Simon was a zealot fiercely opposed to Roman rule and believed that whatever means necessary to defeat Rome was justified.  Very little is known about James the Lesser.  He was not known to be a mover and shaker.  Even though little is known about Thaddeus, his dream was that Jesus would dominant the world not be a suffering Savior. Thaddeus’ claim to fame seems to be that he was known by three names Jude, Thaddeus, and Lebbeus.  Judas was called and chosen by Jesus, but would betray Jesus.

Most resource books break the disciples down into three groups with Peter, Andrew, James, and John being the top group, and just as you would expect, Thaddeus finds himself in the bottom group, but the fact of the matter is, Jesus called and loved each one of them.   Everyone but Judas, grew in their love for Jesus to the point they were willing to die for their faith.  All but John is thought to have died a martyr’s death. For someone wanting to reach the entire world with their message, why would Jesus have chosen these twelve?  I was thinking about these twelve men, and how I can see a little bit of me in every one of them.  I sometimes speak before I think.  Sometimes I am pessimistic about God's promises.  Sometimes I get discouraged.  Sometimes I doubt.  Then I read this passage ...

Matthew 8 (AMP) 23 And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

    24And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.

    25And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!

    26And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness).

    27And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!

A violent storm came up – remember that Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all fisherman - so storms on this sea were not something new to them.  The Word says that they all recognized that they were in danger of perishing and went to find Jesus.

That is where all of us begin our journey with Jesus.  We recognize that we are lost and dying in our sins and we need a Savior.  Jesus did not put them in groups of importance.  He had called them all and he loved them all.  With a word Jesus calmed the storm.  The Word then says they were all amazed.  Those considered by men to be the leaders did not think that they could have managed on their own.  They did not think they could have found a way to rescue themselves.  The disciples that have been categorized to be servants did not say they were not worthy and did not deserve to be rescued.  They all knew they were going to die and went to find Jesus.  Jesus loved them all and saved them all.

That simple message rings as true today as it did on that day on the Sea of Galilee.  We are all in danger of perishing spiritually and Jesus is our only hope.  The good news is He loves us, warts and all, and when we cry out to Him for help He will calm the storm within us. Even after we commit our lives to be disciples of Christ, that does not mean smooth sailing for the rest of our lives.   Just like the disciples, we all face many violent storms.  Some may be financial, some health related, or stormy relationships, but no matter what the storm, the answer is always the same.  Find Jesus!  You too will be stunned with bewildered wonder and marvel.