Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives
Introduction
History is full of people who were born ordinary and unremarkable. Mother Teresa was one of them. Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. Considered one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th century, she was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016. Her parents, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, were of Albanian descent; her father was an entrepreneur who worked as a construction contractor and a trader of medicines and other goods. The Bojaxhius were a devoutly Catholic family, and Nikola was deeply involved in the local church as well as in city politics as a vocal proponent of Albanian independence. They were an ordinary family of ordinary people until Teresa was called to be a nun. Jesus called many disciples with ordinary backgrounds and lives until they met Jesus.
Zeroing In On Some Ordinary People
Previously we saw where Jesus launched His ministry at the Jordan River when he was 30 years old. Besides His main mandate to die in payment for our sins, Jesus described His mission as targeting four groups: the poor, brokenhearted, captives, and blind.
Now we come to the Sea Of Galilee. This was the locale where He would find plenty of poor, brokenhearted, captives, and blind people. Jesus spent massive amounts of time in His earthly ministry in this small region. When we think of sea we think of a huge body of water but the Sea Of Galilee was just an ordinary lake. It was about thirteen miles long by eight miles wide. It was also sometimes called Lake Gennesaret.
This tiny area becomes hugely important on the ministry of Jesus. In this region are the towns of Capernaum, where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, Magdala, the place where Mary Magdalene called home, and Caesarea Phillipi, where Jesus said to Peter, “On this rock I will build my church”. On the western shore is where Jesus cast out demons from a man and into pigs that ran off the cliff and drowned. This is also where Jesus preached His Sermon On The Mount. All of these dramatic events happened around the Sea Of Galilee.
The Sea Of Galilee was a popular place for fishing and many fishermen made a living there.
The first story in the Bible that deals with The Sea Of Galilee is about fishing. Jesus first meets some ordinary people who become extraordinary. He is going to call them to just walk away from everything they ever knew and follow Him. These were His first disciples.
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
Luk 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
Luk 5:2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
Luk 5:3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
Luk 5:4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Luk 5:5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
Luk 5:6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
Luk 5:7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
Luk 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
Luk 5:9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
Luk 5:10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
Luk 5:11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Why Not Choose The Movers And Shakers?
There’s no question that Jesus could have chosen the religious leaders of the day. He could have called Pharisees and Sadducees or some of the priests who were in charge of the temple. Or He could have called the politically powerful people or any of another famous icons. Instead, Jesus chose some uneducated laborers who would not be seen by their community as world-changers in any sense. God chooses simple people to put down the arrogance of the powerful who deny Him.
1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty
Focusing On The Followers
The names of the twelve disciples of Jesus are Peter, James (the son of Zebedee), John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (the son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot.
The 12 disciples/apostles of Jesus were the foundation stones of His church, several even wrote portions of the Bible. In Revelation 21:14 we are told that the twelve foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem will have in them the names of the twelve disciples/apostles. It is evident, therefore, that God attaches great importance to these 12 men.
Peter was a rough-around-the edges kind of guy, constantly sticking his foot in his mouth.
Andrew, Peter’s brother, was a people pleaser, a behind-the-scenes guy who brought many people to Christ.
James the son of Zebedee, battled with pride. He later demanded to sit on Jesus’s right hand when the kingdom would be established.
John, James’s brother, was know for his youthful immaturity. He and James were called “The Sons Of Thunder”.
Philip was a guy who lived by the book.
Bartholomew was a brilliant man, an intellectual, a theological thinker.
Thomas, one of the better-know disciples, was a doubter. He battled with trust issues including trusting Jesus himself.
Matthew was a tax collector, a financial genius.
James, son of Alphaeus, was a person who lived in obscurity with no desire for fame or fortune.
Thaddeus was unimpressive in stature and youthfulness.
Simon the Zealot was downright scary, extremely passionate, unbridled, and maybe a little crazy.
And then there was Judas Iscariot. His story is one of the best known but for the wrong reasons. He was the one who focused on the love of money and became the betrayer for 30 pieces of silver.
What made these people give up their living and follow Jesus? Jesus told them that they would be persecuted. Some would die because of following Him. Yet they gave up all and followed Him with absolute faith, pure trust, complete courage, and the eyes fixed on Jesus.
What makes you follow Jesus?