Pick of the Litter

Have you ever gone to pick out a new animal as either a pet or maybe a farm animal? The first thing most people do when the start to pick out a new animal is to look all the available ones over and try to gauge the potential of each one. Then we try to pick the one with the highest potential to meet our current needs.

Jesus seems to have done the same thing when He was on earth with us, calling Simon Peter to be His first disciple. Jesus seems to have been drawn to fishermen, and Peter was a great example of what it means to be a man as well as a follower of Christ.

Peter had a blind faith like few people I have ever met. When Jesus came walking on the Sea of Galilee, Peter was the only disciple to ask if he could join in the water-walking (Matthew 14:25-31). Peter was also still a man, and shortly after joining Jesus on the water began to sink in doubt.

Peter also directly denied knowing Christ (Mark 14:66-72). However, as soon as he realized his mistake, he was sorrowful and wept. After His resurrection, Jesus reassured Peter of His love in a parallel to his betrayal, by asking him if he loved Him three times, and telling him again to follow Him (John 21:15-19).

After having betrayed Jesus, he subsequently renewed his faith in Him. Then, Peter soon preached the first Spirit-filled sermon on the day of Pentecost to the crowd gathering to see what the commotion was (Acts 2:14-41). Acts 2:41 says "Those who accepted his message", meaning Peter's message, "were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." Peter's message led to the salvation of about 3,000 people in a single day!

What an amazing testimony Peter had. Certainly, Peter had his moments of failure, and some of them quite bad, but he always repented, and came back even stronger than before. As men we will sometimes fail; we sill stumble and fall, but we need to get back up and try again. Jesus will gladly restore our faith and make us even stronger than we once were if only we'll let Him.

Jesus saw the potential in Peter for a great man, and He wasn't disappointed. Sure, as God, Jesus knew that Peter would betray Him. As God, Jesus knew Peter would have doubts and fears. He knew that Peter was a man, and that Peter would make the same mistakes that we all make as men. Jesus still picked Peter first. How great it is that God looks at our potential for serving Him and chooses us, rather than looking at our potential for failing Him.

The Death We Celebrate

Why do we celebrate the birth of Jesus? We often refer to Him as "Jesus Christ", and we refer to this upcoming holiday as "Christmas", but what does it really mean? Jesus' last name wasn't "Christ", nor was it His middle name. The Hebrew word for "Christ" is usually transliterated as "Messiah". Therefore, "Jesus Christ" is actually "Jesus the Messiah".

So, what is the "mas" as the end of the word "Christmas" then? We actually get the suffix "-mas" from the Latin word "missa", which is actually a dismissal. A dismissal in this form is taken as a release to perform a mission. It shares a root with the word "Mass" as in the Catholic tradition, to which the final Latin words are "Ite, missa est", or "Go; it is the dismissal".

"Christmas" then is actually "the release to perform the mission of the Messiah". Mark 16:15-18 defines this mission. After Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, he gives this single command - "Go". Are we celebrating the birth of Christ? In a sense, we are; without the birth, there would have been no life, death, resurrection, or command to "Go".

Truly, we are celebrating the opportunity to perform the work of the Messiah. We are celebrating the freedom we have through His blood. We celebrate His life, His example, and His redemption! Tell someone the story of Christ this Christmas. Share the redemption story with your family; tell your kids, parents, wife, neighbor, boss, friends, co-workers, and even your church friends. Share the good news even with those who already believe! We celebrate not the birth of Jesus, we celebrate the life we have through His death!