Series: The Upside-Down Kingdom

Title:  In Kingdom Living God Uses the Unlikely for the Extraordinary

Recap:

So far in this series we have talked about:

• Your Kingdom Come
• Kingdom Living is Loving Your Enemies
• Kingdom Living is Serving Others
• Kingdom Living is Complete Surrender

An overall theme throughout this series has been God’s kingdom is much different than the kingdom of this world.  Therefore, the lessons that Jesus taught are VERY contrary to what this world teaches.  Often the way up in God’s kingdom is down.

In addition to the lessons Jesus taught, God’s kingdom proves to be an “upside down kingdom” by the people who He picked to carry out His work. 

Imagine if you had been assigned the task to build your basketball squad.  You would probably pick players who are tall, that can shoot, good at defense, good in the paint, team players etc…

There would also be types of people that you would avoid picking.  Perhaps they are inconsistent with their shooting, do not defend well, vertically challenged, always hurt, not a team player etc.. These would be unlikely picks.  In other words, if you picked such a person on your squad you might not succeed.

(Story about unlikely pick)

Manu Ginóbili – shooting guard

• drafted 2nd round 57th overall because he didn’t impress scouts with his play in Europe,
• Did not seem athletic enough for the NBA.
• He became great because of his work ethic, unselfishness, and high basketball IQ.
• He is credited for popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA
• Over a 23-year professional career,
• Ginóbili became one of only two players to have won a Euro League title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.
•  A four-time NBA champion,
•  Ginóbili was a member of the San Antonio Spurs for his entire 16-year NBA career. 

When it came to establishing His kingdom on earth Jesus picked For Jesus picked unlikely people to do extraordinarythings. 

Matthew 4:18-22

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

¹⁸ While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹ And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

When the Messiah steps into town to build His squad, you would expect Him to pick the best of the best. 

Perhaps you would expect Him to pick

• a young man who has been mentored by the religious leaders
• or someone well versed in the Torah and Jewish customs.
• Perhaps someone ascribing to become a Rabbi
• Someone well known and respected in their community

Yet Jesus’ first round pick was not a Pharisee or a Sadducee, not a person of significance, but rather His first-round pick of the 30 AD class is no other than Simon better known as Peter. In addition, Jesus picks three other men who were equally unlearned, uneducated and they were just ordinary fishermen. 

We know that they were uneducated men because the bible tells us this in Acts

Acts 4:13

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 

Agrammatos- illiterate, unlearned; unversed in the learning of the Jewish schools

(KJV) uses the words unlearned and ignorant

Jesus does not see what we see, He does not judge the way that we judge.  He looks at the heart.  Therefore, His ways seem upside-down to us. 

         1 Samuel 16:7

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Why did Jesus Pick Fishermen instead of scholars?

Fishermen were known for their hard work ethic, patience, perseverance all qualities that Jesus valued in His followers.

Jesus used ordinary, hard-working men rather than elite religious leaders to illustrate that His message was for everyone not just for the privileged. 

Furthermore, Jesus uses the analogy “fishers of men” to illustrate their role as His disciples.  They were familiar with the idea of bringing fish into the boat for their livelihood, which benefitted not only families but also the communities in which they lived, they would now bring men (and women) into the kingdom of God benefitting God’s kingdom here on earth. 

Though we are reading Matthew’s account of the gospel, the calling of these men can be found in the synoptic gospels.  (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)

Just remember that their focus is different from each other.

• Matthew's account emphasizes the immediate call to discipleship, with Jesus telling Peter and Andrew to "follow me" and become "fishers of men". 
• Luke's account, however, provides more context, including Jesus preaching from Simon's boat, a miraculous catch of fish, and Peter's initial reluctance and subsequent confession of being a "sinful man". 
• Complementary Accounts:

It's important to note that the accounts are not contradictory, but rather complementary, offering different perspectives on the same event.

In addition to Jesus calling four (unlearned) fishermen to be His disciples, He then proceeds to call a tax collectornamed Matthew (Levi) to be part of His squad. 

Matthew 9:9-13

⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

It is interesting that Jesus chose those who were actively working their calling, before being called to something greater.  Peter, Andrew, James and John were being industrious with their hands by working the nets, bringing in the fish. When they were called to be fishers of men.

Matthew (Levi) is also being industrious in his trade though it was a despised trade. Tax collectors were widely hatedin biblical times because they were seen as traitors who collaborated with the Romans by extorting their fellow Jewsand enriching themselves at their expense. There were so few honest men in that occupation.

Nonetheless, we see that even Matthew was found working his calling being faithful in the small things thus God called him and made him a ruler of much. 

Jesus not only welcomed Matthew to His squad, but He also goes to a gathering in which all of Matthew’s tax collecting friends were there.

 ¹⁰ And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

His ways are not our ways.  For no one could have imagined the anticipated Messiah would come for such broken and messed up people.  Yet that is exactly who He came for.

How were they used in the kingdom?

Much is said of Peter; some good, some not so good. But initially, Jesus reached Peter right where he was.  In Luke’s account of the gospel we are told that Jesus commanded Peter to launch out into the deep after toiling all night.   Here was a carpenter telling a fisherman how to do his job.  Regardless, Peter listened to Jesus and as a result filled two boats with fish to the point in which they began to sink. 

It was at this point that Peter was persuaded that Jesus was the Messiah. For at this moment Peter also realized what a sinful man that he was as he beckons Jesus to leave.

         Luke 5:8

⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

It was Peter who would declare

         Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

It was Peter who was filled with the Holy Spirt after the ascension of Jesus.  He then addresses the crowd of people who were gathered in Jerusalem and delivers to them the message of the good news of Jesus and three thousand people were saved that day.

It was Peter who God used to reach a roman centurion named Cornelius.  This was the first time that a non-Jewish person (gentile) had received the good news of the gospel. 

It was Peter who raised Tabitha also known as Dorcas from the dead.

It would be Peter who elected to be crucified upside-down because he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as His Lord.

God used an unlikely person such as Peter to do extraordinary things in the earth. 

Andrew his brother was initially a disciple of John the Baptist when He met Jesus he became His disciple instead. He is the one who told Peter about Jesus. Without Andrew, Peter does not have that Jesus encounter. 

It was Andrew that told Jesus about the boy with the bread and fish that Jesus would then multiply and feed the multitudes.

Andrew preached the gospel Scythia and Greek colonies along the northern coast of the Black Sea. (See Map)

He too would die a martyr’s death by means of crucifixion.  He was believed to be bound to a cross but not nailed like Jesus was. And that his cross would have been x shaped as he too felt unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.

Matthew was known as Matthew the Evangelist.  He would preach in Judea before going to other countries.  His occupation as a tax collector had put him at odds with his fellow Jews.  Meaning he learned to not care so much what his fellow Jews thought about him.  Which made him the perfect candidate to confront a wicked king in Ethiopia which ultimately cost him his life.

• According to Church tradition, while preaching in Ethiopia, Matthew converted, and then consecrated to God, Ephigenia of Ethiopia, the virgin daughter of King Egippus.  
• When King Hirtacus succeeded Egippus, he asked the apostle if he could persuade Ephigenia to marry him.
• Matthew invited King Hirtacus to liturgy the following Sunday, where he rebuked the king for lusting after the girl, as she was a nun and therefore was the bride of Christ.
• The enraged King thus ordered his bodyguard to kill Matthew who stood at the altar, making him a martyr. It is believed Matthew was killed by the sword.

Jesus seen in these men something far greater than what was on the surface.  He chose some unlikely individuals to accomplish some extraordinary things.  These men gave up their lives to follow Jesus. 

 In Kingdom Living God Uses Unlikely Individuals for Extraordinary Purposes

Perhaps you’re the unlikely pick, that Jesus wants to use to impact your school, family, workplace, people in a foreign country who speak a foreign language)

            He calls out to you to “follow me.”

            Acts 4:13

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.