Once Jesus made the reason clear for His coming
He chose for Himself named and numbered disciples
The number was twelve
Most of them came from right here from this Galilean homeland
Some of them were rough and uneducated but
Beneath the awkward hardness of these men
He saw a strong interlike a spark that wil burning eternally
And he bestowed upon them His own miraculous powers
That heal the sick, to bring the dead back to life
And he has specially told them to go and preach His gospel
He educated them and he had patience with them
He often spoke to them as he was speaking with little children
He even called them children
He patiently endured their clumsiness and their rudeness understanding of His words
At times they were His only audience
He drew them to Himself and He stamped His own image upon them
He picked them along the road, along the seashore wherever He might see them
He would say to one, "Follow me I'll make you fishers of men"
Among His first disciples were James and John, the sons of Zebedee
John was to write a beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ in later years
There was Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, Thomas, Matthew, Simon, Thaddeus, James, Judas Iscariot
And Simon Peter
Once Jesus said to His disciples, "Whom do men say that I the son of man I am?"
And some of the disciples said, "Some say you're John the Baptist, and Elias
Others say you're Jeremiahs or one of the other prophets"
And then he said to them, "Well who do you say that I am?"
And it was Simon Peter that said, "You're the Christ, the son of the living God"
And Jesus said, " Blessed are you Simon for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you
But my Father which is in Heaven
As Jesus went on to say, " You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church
And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it and I'll give you the keys of the kingdom
And whatsoever you shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven
And whatsoever you shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven"
|
