Jesus went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. (Mk. 3:13)
Why did Jesus want those who became His apostles? He wanted them so that He could train, equip, and then send them out to do the work of the Kingdom.
Were there any other reasons why Jesus wanted them? Yes. He also wanted to eat, travel, get into adventures, and have fun with them. He didn’t just want to train them for what He would be calling them to do. He also wanted their friendship.
Jesus wanting their company is very encouraging news. Just as Jesus wanted to be with them, so He wants to be with us. Why? For all the same reasons why He wanted to be with them.
Simply put: Jesus wants to be with us. He wants us in order to transform, train, and equip us for His work; and He also wants to be with us because He loves us, likes us, and wants to be around us. When we include Jesus in our day we make His day.
As much as I believe what I just wrote, I sometimes have a hard time living into and accepting these words. Sometimes I can’t imagine why Jesus would want to be with me. Sometimes I feel like I don’t measure up to be with Jesus. Sometimes I don’t even want to be with myself.
What I sometimes forget is that being with Jesus isn’t about what we deserve, but about what He desires. It’s encouraging that Jesus wants to be with us even when we don’t want to be around ourselves. He finds us loveable even when we aren’t acting loveable. His feelings don’t depend upon our behavior. His feelings depend upon His loving heart. Because Jesus loves us He wants to be with us.
Reflection Questions:
- “When we include Jesus in our day we make His day.” How does that sound to you? If you believed that, always remembered that, how would your life change?
- Does Jesus always wanting to be with you help you to have more ease and acceptance with yourself? If so, how? If not, why?
- Jesus once called “those whom he wanted.” Jesus now calls you because He wants you. Just you. How does it feel for Jesus to want you like He wanted them?