Mark 3:13-19
Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go
with him. And they came to him. Then he appointed twelve of them and called them
his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach,
giving them authority to cast out demons. These are the twelve he chose:Simon
(whom he named Peter),James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed
them "Sons of Thunder"), Andrew,Philip,Bartholomew, Matthew,Thomas,James (son of
Alphaeus),Thaddaeus,Simon (the zealot),Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
There was a larger group of people out of which the twelve was chosen. Thomas's
name is casually mentioned here in the list. Yet, each of the twelve were
somehow special, in that they were personally handpicked by the Lord "to
accompany him", "to preach", Each of them received the power to "cast out
demons" "heal the sick", "cleanse the lepers", "raise the dead". They were to be
"wise as serpents" but "harmless as doves" (read in conjunction with Matthew
10).
Thus Jesus personally knew Thomas, who he was, what he did, where he lived. From
the first day He saw Thomas, the Lord would have been preparing him for the
great task that lay ahead before him - of travelling to the Far East with the
Gospel, of being martyred in far away Mylapur, of being the Apostle of India.
Thomas did not know then, only the Lord did.
Thomas was a Jew. Before he met Jesus, as other young men, he would have
entertained a different vision for his life. The encounter with the Lord changed
him. From the Scriptures we can ascertain that he was part of the larger group
that followed Jesus. Probably there had been interactions with Jesus before the
setting in Mark 3 above. It must have been curiousity in the teaching of this
new Rabbi that made Thomas follow Jesus first - we do not know. But somewhere
along the way, the attraction to the Lord may have transformed to a passion to
be close to Him. That is why when the Lord selected him from among the larger
group, Thomas agreed to be the Apostle. This was true for each of the others
too. Even though not explicit, there was a choice made by Thomas and the others
at this point - just like the choice made by Mary to be the God-bearer.
Till this point on, Thomas was part of a larger crowd, following an interesting
leader. From this point on, He became an Apostle of the Lord. Read Luke 6:12.
Before Jesus chose the twelve from the larger group, He prayed all night. We can
assume the prayers of the Lord would have been for Thomas and each of the
Apostles - to strengthen them, to prepare them and to bless them. As Thomas was
sleeping that night, the Lord was praying for him to prepare him for his
selection as an Apostle.
Starting from this day, Thomas would have started getting a glimpse of the
purpose of his life. He was no longer one among the other Jews who followed the
teachers in the synagogues. He was "called" to be a leader of men. He must have
had different visions of his responsibilities - maybe first filled with awe as
he must have done his own first healing, maybe pride? But the Lord was always
with him to train him on his mission, to temper his views, to guide his
thoughts, to slowly direct him to take up the task none of the others were
destined for - to spread the light to the far away lands of India.
That the Lord chose Thomas for this task speaks much about the character of
Thomas; about the choices in life Thomas would have made to reach till there
that day for the setting of Mark 3:13. This was not a task for the frail in
heart, this was not a task for the wavering spirit. Travelling alone, separated
from the Lord, separated from the world he knew, into a land filled with
hostilities and dangers, requires a tough and hardened mindset, a willingness to
endure till the end. That the Lord chose Thomas that day is an indication of the
confidence of the Lord in Thomas.
So Thomas was chosen that day, inconspicuously. The foundation was laid for the
mission of India that day, just that only the Lord knew. Thomas made a choice
that day that had deep rooted consequences for us Christians from India. Thank
God for Thomas. Thank God for that day!!
(continued..)
Christ is Risen!
Mathew Samuel
Albany, NY
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/23219
Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go
with him. And they came to him. Then he appointed twelve of them and called them
his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach,
giving them authority to cast out demons. These are the twelve he chose:Simon
(whom he named Peter),James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed
them "Sons of Thunder"), Andrew,Philip,Bartholomew, Matthew,Thomas,James (son of
Alphaeus),Thaddaeus,Simon (the zealot),Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
There was a larger group of people out of which the twelve was chosen. Thomas's
name is casually mentioned here in the list. Yet, each of the twelve were
somehow special, in that they were personally handpicked by the Lord "to
accompany him", "to preach", Each of them received the power to "cast out
demons" "heal the sick", "cleanse the lepers", "raise the dead". They were to be
"wise as serpents" but "harmless as doves" (read in conjunction with Matthew
10).
Thus Jesus personally knew Thomas, who he was, what he did, where he lived. From
the first day He saw Thomas, the Lord would have been preparing him for the
great task that lay ahead before him - of travelling to the Far East with the
Gospel, of being martyred in far away Mylapur, of being the Apostle of India.
Thomas did not know then, only the Lord did.
Thomas was a Jew. Before he met Jesus, as other young men, he would have
entertained a different vision for his life. The encounter with the Lord changed
him. From the Scriptures we can ascertain that he was part of the larger group
that followed Jesus. Probably there had been interactions with Jesus before the
setting in Mark 3 above. It must have been curiousity in the teaching of this
new Rabbi that made Thomas follow Jesus first - we do not know. But somewhere
along the way, the attraction to the Lord may have transformed to a passion to
be close to Him. That is why when the Lord selected him from among the larger
group, Thomas agreed to be the Apostle. This was true for each of the others
too. Even though not explicit, there was a choice made by Thomas and the others
at this point - just like the choice made by Mary to be the God-bearer.
Till this point on, Thomas was part of a larger crowd, following an interesting
leader. From this point on, He became an Apostle of the Lord. Read Luke 6:12.
Before Jesus chose the twelve from the larger group, He prayed all night. We can
assume the prayers of the Lord would have been for Thomas and each of the
Apostles - to strengthen them, to prepare them and to bless them. As Thomas was
sleeping that night, the Lord was praying for him to prepare him for his
selection as an Apostle.
Starting from this day, Thomas would have started getting a glimpse of the
purpose of his life. He was no longer one among the other Jews who followed the
teachers in the synagogues. He was "called" to be a leader of men. He must have
had different visions of his responsibilities - maybe first filled with awe as
he must have done his own first healing, maybe pride? But the Lord was always
with him to train him on his mission, to temper his views, to guide his
thoughts, to slowly direct him to take up the task none of the others were
destined for - to spread the light to the far away lands of India.
That the Lord chose Thomas for this task speaks much about the character of
Thomas; about the choices in life Thomas would have made to reach till there
that day for the setting of Mark 3:13. This was not a task for the frail in
heart, this was not a task for the wavering spirit. Travelling alone, separated
from the Lord, separated from the world he knew, into a land filled with
hostilities and dangers, requires a tough and hardened mindset, a willingness to
endure till the end. That the Lord chose Thomas that day is an indication of the
confidence of the Lord in Thomas.
So Thomas was chosen that day, inconspicuously. The foundation was laid for the
mission of India that day, just that only the Lord knew. Thomas made a choice
that day that had deep rooted consequences for us Christians from India. Thank
God for Thomas. Thank God for that day!!
(continued..)
Christ is Risen!
Mathew Samuel
Albany, NY
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/23219
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