One of the things that I’ve noticed over my years of service was a bias towards thinking everyone should be like me spiritually. It showed up in me thinking (assuming) if I could do something (teach) anyone could. It was honest hearted cause I didn’t really see anything I did that I thought all that special. I was also inclined to think if something helped me (getting up in the middle of the night to pray?) then getting up in the middle of the night to pray would probably get the same kind of traction for everyone. Again, it was honest hearted because I didn’t really think my prayer life needed to be all that special. No matter my intentions though, I was not completely right in this. Even today I have to remind myself that the two Timothy’s, while good for everyone, were primarily written to a Bishop. If I forget that, I may do something Jesus himself wouldn’t do: burden people with something that it wasn’t their time or weight to carry. All of his disciples have a different relationship with the Lord.
Jesus had Three, whom he invited, brought along to encounters, told secrets and gave select corrections to. He had nine other first tier team members he allowed to watch his interaction with the Three. Sometimes at a bit of a distance.
The other nine first tier leaders, along with the three, were taught the general secrets of the kingdom and were sent to work miracles and preach His message. These twelve constituted those disciples he called and named apostles. But even they weren’t the same.
There were seventy others, disciples but not apostles, he sent out to work miracles and preach his message. He certainly spoke with them but I can’t find any place where he spoke to any one of them individually.
The nine other apostles, plus the seventy non-apostles did not go to secret spiritual encounters, have no recorded individual secrets told them or personal corrections given.
Not all disciples are treated equally. They don’t share the same capacities, qualifications or have the same responsibilities.
What I overlooked was this: Peter, James and John, evidently were able to look to Jesus, get all they needed directly from him and follow without others to help guide them along the way.
The nine, and the seventy, apparently needed to have some human examples to help them figure out their next steps. I realise if pushed too far someone might think I intended to say that none of us could approach Jesus on our own. That is not my point at all. It’s clear from the scriptures that Jesus interacted with everyone equally, just as they came to him. Especially with needs or questions.
What I do mean to say though is that none of us are ever completely free of needing spiritual examples. I also mean to say that for a number of reasons, all of us approach him differently, and that some of us just know how to ask the right questions a little more often than others of us. (For example, you’ll recall the way the remaining disciples followed Peter back into the fishing business in John ch.20. You’ll also remember that Jesus struck right at the heart of the problem by feeding everyone but instructing the ring leader, Peter. Nobody else in the group received a known corrective instruction.)
I don’t think, as a pastor, that my call or responsibilities, make me any more spiritual than anyone else. For all of us, our spirituality is measured rather by how we involve him into and then face our lives.
What I think important as we go on into the future is that we remain vigilant to help others become their best spiritual version and that we don’t insist that it look or that they believe becoming us, and our practices, is the best way to do that. God give us all grace and wisdom!