JANUARY 18 | MARK 3:13-19

by Judy Webb

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. (Mark 3:13 NIV)

Did you catch that? Jesus called to him those he wanted. As we get to know these special men, these 12 disciples whom Jesus wanted, I can’t help but note—Jesus wanted Judas. The one out of the twelve who would betray him, he wanted. If Jesus knew Judas’ heart and his motives, why would he want him to be a part of this elite group of men? Jesus even went on a mountainside alone to pray about this decision, and he still chose Judas.

There must be a lesson here. Jesus gathered these men so he could teach them and send them out to preach truth and heal. They would have a duty to defeat Satan and cast out his demons, right? So how can we explain this? Why did Jesus want Judas? Why does he want us? We are sinful and fall short of everything we believe a follower of Jesus should be. But weren’t all the disciples sinful? Didn’t every one of them fall short just like Judas? Peter denied and Thomas doubted.

Just as Jesus chose Judas and the other eleven, he also chose us, to carry out his plan. He called these individuals to separate them from the crowd and to stand by Him. We too are called to be set apart, to stand out from the crowd as we stand up and stand by Him and follow Him into the unknown.

Christ calls who he will. We may be sinners, but God wants to use us, to teach us to be light, catch the fire of Jesus’ way and burn a path to his feet.

Lord Jesus, continue to refine us as we attempt to follow you as you want. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and empower us to tell the world about you. Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.