Word In Life Study Bible
CAN LAITY GET THE JOB DONE?
Luke9:1-62
Jesus recruited them, and He delegated real power and authority to them to get the job done (Luke 9:1), not just token responsibilities, as often happens when leaders “delegate” tasks to subordinates (9:2–6). When they reported back from their first assignment (9:10), He took them aside for a “performance review” at a private place near Bethsaida, a small fishing village on the north of Galilee and hometown to several team members. From that point, the Twelve made eight identifiable mistakes that we might be tempted to assume would disqualify them from leadership:
(1) They acted
from a short-sighted vision. When their retreat was interrupted by a crowd eager
to meet
Jesus, all they could see was their limited resources in a desert place (9:12–13).
(2) Some of them fell asleep at a moment of great opportunity. When Jesus met with Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest leaders in Israel’s history, Peter, James, and John were caught napping (9:28–32).
(3) They tried to preserve the status quo. Peter wanted to hang on to a good experience and build monuments to it (9:33–36).
(4) They gave way to fear of the unknown. Jesus healed an epileptic boy, but then fear caused the Twelve not to ask questions when they were confused (9:43–45).
(5) They competed to see who would be top dog. The disciples argued over greatness and privilege rather than concern themselves with serving others. Contrast that with Jesus’ treatment of seekers, especially “children” and “the least” (9:46–48).
(6) They dallied in partisan politics. Encountering a rival teacher, the disciples tried to claim exclusive rights to God’s activity. By contrast, Jesus included any and all who were sincerely interested in serving God in His name (9:49–50).
(7) They plotted a dirty tricks campaign. When their ethnic enemies proved inhospitable, the Twelve turned vicious. Jesus replied by issuing one of His strongest rebukes (9:51–56).
(8) They bit off more than they could chew. As they traveled along, Jesus’ followers overstated their commitment; in the end they failed to deliver what they promised (9:57–62).
Despite these shortcomings, Jesus not only kept the Twelve on His team, He kept them as His first team! He showed that undeveloped rookies can be developed into servant-leaders-over time. Even though they were weak, competitive, self-centered, unrealistic about themselves, and insensitive to others, He kept working with them. The Lord’s hopes were rewarded, but only after His death and resurrection. Luke 9 is merely the beginning of the story. The outcome can be found in Acts, where Luke goes on to show that God uses empowered laypeople like the Twelve-and like us today-to do His work.
Can we as laity do the work of God? Absolutely! But as we do, we need to take a serious look at ourselves and ask God to help us purge out those mistaken attitudes that we share with Jesus’ early leaders.
Study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible, copyright 1993,1996, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. The study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible appearing at this web site are for personal use only.
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