«And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons» (Mark 3: 13-15).
OF THE TWELVE DISCIPLES whom Jesus appointed to «be with Him,» whom could we call «the unknown apostle»? In Kit Watts’s opinion, perhaps quite rightly, it was Thaddaeus.
What do we know about Thaddaeus? Actually, almost nothing, other than that, his only name was apparently not Thaddaeus. In some versions of the Bible, he appears as «Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus» (Matthew 10:3). Luke called him Judas, «the son of James» (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). The same thing was done by John, but when he mentioned him, he hastened to clarify, «Judas (not Iscariot)» (John 14:22). Thus, whether we call him Thaddeus, or Lebbaeus, or Judas, we know very little about him other than that he was «one of the twelve.» Although. . .
Except for one time when he appeared to be asking a question (see John 14:22), the Scriptures say nothing more about him. All of which makes one wonder: Why would Jesus choose such an «ordinary» person as one of His apostles?
Despite how «ordinary» Thaddaeus seemed to be, Jesus saw in him what no one else could see: an obedient and faithful heart. Someone Jesus could trust to preach the gospel, even if he did not receive praise. We have, therefore, good reasons to believe that Thaddaeus not only preached the Gospel, but like the other disciples, had «authority to heal diseases and cast out demons» (Mark 3:14, 15). And all this despite being, in appearance, an «ordinary» person.
Is there not a valuable lesson here for us? How many of those whom God has chosen over the centuries can we call extraordinary, powerful, or «of noble birth» (see 1 Corinthians 1:26, NIV)? Rather, we would say that, overwhelmingly, we are «ordinary» people. The reason, as the apostle Paul wrote, is this: «God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty . . , the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence» (w, 27—29).
What can we say, then? We say: Thank God for the «Thaddaeuses of all ages! Although not very visible, they are everywhere—offices, schools, industries, hospitals, mission fields, homes—faithfully fulfilling their work for the glory of God.
Heavenly Father, fill me today with Your Holy Spirit.
Only then will I be able to do Your work without waiting for applause or recognition, but for the glory of Jesus Christ.
#AdultsDevotional
#RadioJovenAdventista
#MeditacionesDiarias
Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
