Why Did Jesus Surround Himself With a Bunch of Ordinary Tradesmen?
The middle section of the third chapter of Mark describes the calling of Jesus' twelve disciples. A disciple, as defined by Webster's dictionary, is "a pupil or follower of any teacher or school". While Jesus had varying numbers of followers throughout his ministry, the dozen that he handpicked seemed to have a special distinction. They were his inner circle of close companions with whom he traveled, worked, slept and ate. It seems a bit counterintuitive that a teacher and would-be religious leader and political activist would surround himself with such a blue-collar group of individuals . The disciples were for the most part uneducated, save for their trades which they likely learned from their fathers. They did not come from powerful families or places of influence or prestige. For centuries, the coming Messiah had been prophesied as a leader of strength and authority. Genesis describes a ruler to whom all nations give deference. 2 Samuel paints a p