The title given by artist Norman Rockwell to the baseball themed work in his "Four Sporting Boys" series is, aptly, "Choosin' Up." For those of you who never watched as two competitors suspended a bat between them, alternating placement of their fists gripping the bat handle until there was no more handle to grip, this was how team captains determined who would choose first. As a player who was among the last to be chosen, I remember watching with interest, to see whether my friend would get to choose first, or if the class bully won this right.
The ritual was closely akin to flipping a coin, but most of the time my friends didn't have a flippin' coin between them. I also recall once being one of the kids holding the bat, hoping that my hand would end up on top (but I think it was against my sister, and it was likely for no other purpose than bragging rights.)
The team captains were the most outgoing kids on the playground. There was usually no debate about which two would get to choose their team--they were the most athletic among us; the most able to get the job done. Their job, once the order of succession was established, was to choose a team from among their classmates that would have the best chance to win.
What would happen, though, if the two most popular kids chose everybody? Nobody left out, everybody plays. What would happen then? Well, the friends would gravitate to the captain they were friends with, and those new to the playground might choose based on which group looked friendliest. If the two leaders stood up and said, "I want every one of you on my team--come be a part of me," then the choice would fall on the players.
I think that's what Jesus meant when He said in John 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last--so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you." He wanted everyone to be on his team. Note the prior statement Christ had just made, before he said he had chosen us: "You are my friends if you do what I command you." (John 15:14). And lest his words be mistaken (since slaves and servants also follow commands), he added, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."
Now, hyper-Calvinists will look at verse 16 as a proof-text for their doctrines of "unconditional election" (God chose His people without condition, but He did not choose others), "limited atonement" (Jesus died only for the elect--those He chose beforehand--and His blood will not cover anyone else), and "irresistible grace" (once God chooses you, you cannot deny Him). But I think we might look differently at what Jesus was saying right there.
First, Jesus was speaking directly to his disciples in this passage. And if you look at the back-story (so to speak) of how they became disciples, you can see what he means. Most rabbis would set up a place, either in a synagogue, or on a hillside, and start preaching. Crowds would form to hear the message, and individual people might decide that they wanted to be disciples of this fellow, to follow him exclusively, and to ask questions and go deeper into his message. Jesus went about this a different way. He sought out his disciples intentionally, before he started preaching to the crowds. He found Peter, James and John, all fishermen, and asked them to follow him and he would make them "fishers of men." To the others, he simply said, "Come, follow me." These twelve men, then, had the choice--they could answer the call, or they could refuse. Each of them chose to leave everything and follow Christ.
Second, Luke 6:13 shows that many people did follow him, and many called themselves disciples. "When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles." So not only did Jesus have a whole bunch of friends who wanted to be on his team, he picked twelve out of the group to be his ambassadors, his envoys, his personal messengers. Jesus knew that his team would be so big, that it would require trained overseers or lieutenants to maintain its momentum. These were the ones he was talking to when he said "You did not choose me, but I chose you."
I think that Jesus is God, and God is omnipresent--that is, he is able to be in all places at one time. Therefore, I believe that Jesus is able to call each one of us individually. He offers his salvation to all, one person at a time. He pricks the conscience of every man and woman in the world, showing them their sin and offering himself as a means of redemption. I believe he comes to every person, individually, intentionally, with the same challenge he gave to the apostles: Come, follow me. What we answer is up to us.
You will recall that in the Old Testament, God called Abraham. He, too, was called a "friend of God." Look at James 2:23: "And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend." The descendants of Abraham, the Jews, were called "a chosen people." Deuteronomy 7:6 says, "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession."
Yet even they had a choice whether to follow God or not. Remember the most famous speech given by Joshua, the successor to Moses:
I saw a cartoon on Facebook that summed up the human condition. There was a grumpy guy behind the wheel of his car, cursing the city government. "They should fix these potholes," he groused. In the second frame, the same grumpy guy was behind the wheel, this time cursing the cause of backed-up traffic. "Stupid road construction," he fumed. Some people are never happy.
The same can be said for people who reject God's message, and then when God removes His blessing on their lives, they blame God. Our nation is following the same road. Our government has rejected His message, but when God removes His protection from our Nation, we curse God, or at least wonder where He went.
Psalm 119:29-31 says, "Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me your law. I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed your ordinances before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord. Do not put me to shame!" When Israel's enemies made an alliance against her, and the nation was afraid, the prophet Isaiah had these words to comfort them:
When you are faced with the choice of whom to follow, choose Jesus. He chose you first.
The team captains were the most outgoing kids on the playground. There was usually no debate about which two would get to choose their team--they were the most athletic among us; the most able to get the job done. Their job, once the order of succession was established, was to choose a team from among their classmates that would have the best chance to win.
What would happen, though, if the two most popular kids chose everybody? Nobody left out, everybody plays. What would happen then? Well, the friends would gravitate to the captain they were friends with, and those new to the playground might choose based on which group looked friendliest. If the two leaders stood up and said, "I want every one of you on my team--come be a part of me," then the choice would fall on the players.
I think that's what Jesus meant when He said in John 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last--so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you." He wanted everyone to be on his team. Note the prior statement Christ had just made, before he said he had chosen us: "You are my friends if you do what I command you." (John 15:14). And lest his words be mistaken (since slaves and servants also follow commands), he added, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."
Now, hyper-Calvinists will look at verse 16 as a proof-text for their doctrines of "unconditional election" (God chose His people without condition, but He did not choose others), "limited atonement" (Jesus died only for the elect--those He chose beforehand--and His blood will not cover anyone else), and "irresistible grace" (once God chooses you, you cannot deny Him). But I think we might look differently at what Jesus was saying right there.
First, Jesus was speaking directly to his disciples in this passage. And if you look at the back-story (so to speak) of how they became disciples, you can see what he means. Most rabbis would set up a place, either in a synagogue, or on a hillside, and start preaching. Crowds would form to hear the message, and individual people might decide that they wanted to be disciples of this fellow, to follow him exclusively, and to ask questions and go deeper into his message. Jesus went about this a different way. He sought out his disciples intentionally, before he started preaching to the crowds. He found Peter, James and John, all fishermen, and asked them to follow him and he would make them "fishers of men." To the others, he simply said, "Come, follow me." These twelve men, then, had the choice--they could answer the call, or they could refuse. Each of them chose to leave everything and follow Christ.
Second, Luke 6:13 shows that many people did follow him, and many called themselves disciples. "When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles." So not only did Jesus have a whole bunch of friends who wanted to be on his team, he picked twelve out of the group to be his ambassadors, his envoys, his personal messengers. Jesus knew that his team would be so big, that it would require trained overseers or lieutenants to maintain its momentum. These were the ones he was talking to when he said "You did not choose me, but I chose you."
I think that Jesus is God, and God is omnipresent--that is, he is able to be in all places at one time. Therefore, I believe that Jesus is able to call each one of us individually. He offers his salvation to all, one person at a time. He pricks the conscience of every man and woman in the world, showing them their sin and offering himself as a means of redemption. I believe he comes to every person, individually, intentionally, with the same challenge he gave to the apostles: Come, follow me. What we answer is up to us.
You will recall that in the Old Testament, God called Abraham. He, too, was called a "friend of God." Look at James 2:23: "And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend." The descendants of Abraham, the Jews, were called "a chosen people." Deuteronomy 7:6 says, "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession."
Yet even they had a choice whether to follow God or not. Remember the most famous speech given by Joshua, the successor to Moses:
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. --Joshua 24:15The audience he was addressing were Jews, sons of Israel, and a people chosen by God. But they were free to either follow God, or not. Those who chose not to follow God missed out on the blessings of God. When God withheld himself from them, they were miserable.
I saw a cartoon on Facebook that summed up the human condition. There was a grumpy guy behind the wheel of his car, cursing the city government. "They should fix these potholes," he groused. In the second frame, the same grumpy guy was behind the wheel, this time cursing the cause of backed-up traffic. "Stupid road construction," he fumed. Some people are never happy.
The same can be said for people who reject God's message, and then when God removes His blessing on their lives, they blame God. Our nation is following the same road. Our government has rejected His message, but when God removes His protection from our Nation, we curse God, or at least wonder where He went.
Psalm 119:29-31 says, "Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me your law. I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed your ordinances before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord. Do not put me to shame!" When Israel's enemies made an alliance against her, and the nation was afraid, the prophet Isaiah had these words to comfort them:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will be with child and will bear a son, and she will call his name Emmanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time he is old enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken. --Isaiah 7:14-16There is only one baby ever born of a virgin, and his name is Jesus. "Emmanuel" means "God with us." When the angel appeared to Joseph, who was betrothed to Mary, the angel said that with the birth of Jesus, this prophecy would be fulfilled. "Jesus" is the Roman version of the Hebrew name "Yeshua", which we have Americanized to "Joshua", and it means "to save or rescue." Jesus came to save us from sin and death; he is truly God who walked among us.
When you are faced with the choice of whom to follow, choose Jesus. He chose you first.
God has chosen me, God has chosen me
to bring good news to the poor.God has chosen me, God has chosen me
to bring new sight to those searching for light.God has chosen me, chosen me:And to tell the world that God's kingdom is near,
to remove oppression and break down fear,yes, God's time is near, God's time is near,
God's time is near, God's time is near.God has chosen me, God has chosen me
to set alight a new fire.God has chosen me, God has chosen me
to bring to birth a new kingdom on earth.God has chosen me, chosen me:And to tell the world that God's kingdom is near,
to remove oppression and break down fear,yes, God's time is near, God's time is near,
God's time is near, God's time is near.God is calling me, God is calling me
in all whose cry is unheard.God is calling me, God is calling me
to raise up the voice with no power or choice.God is calling me, calling me:And to tell the world that God's kingdom is near,
to remove oppression and break down fear,yes, God's time is near, God's time is near,
God's time is near, God's time is near.
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