How did Jesus hire?

I’m a crock-pot. I’m steady, methodical, and thoughtful about the steps I take. Not a whole lot of wild spontaneity. So when it came to changing jobs, moving my family from where I had lived and worked for 28 years, needless to say, I was not fast out of the gate.

God started the process of uprooting me, prying my childish fingers away from the spot where I had grown comfortable. There was a 2 year “churning” phase, then about 2 years of just thrashing me! God is good. His calling was generous and has taken me where I could never have gone.

So I wonder about the apostles. They are working along in the family business, all of a sudden a bold, new rabbi walks by and taps them on the shoulder – and they leave it all to go! Actually, as I think about it, I wonder if God had been ‘churning’ them for awhile before Jesus walked by. They were raised in the synagogue, knew God, and some of them had begun following the ministry of John the baptizer. Evidently, there was some kind of hunger for God present before they met the bread of life.

But how did Jesus bring them into his team?

He networked. Some of the apostles were ‘referred’ through the ministry of John, some he drew in through other disciples he’d already invited. Most had some type of relational tie, not exclusively to Jesus.

He invited. He said, “come be with me, see what I am about.” When they followed, there seemed to be an ‘entry’ level, a short time where they knew him, heard him teach, then he took them to the next level. They were invited to be “disciples” before they were offered the job of “apostle”. The actual invitation is interesting. “I will make you fishers of men” – “Follow me”. It was a grand, mysterious, open-ended call. Perhaps they had a certain idea of what it meant to be invited by a rabbi to come learn, but what did Jesus mean?

He prayed. In fact he spent all night in prayer before extending the job offer. Strange. What would the Son say to the Father? – “So, should I pick Peter? He’s an energetic, funny guy, but I wonder if he’d be a bear under pressure? I have no doubts about Thomas. I’m not interested in Judas – something just not right about that guy. What? He needs to be on the team? Alright, whatever you say…” I’m not trying to be flippant about it, I just wonder about the conversation – was it for guidance? Assurance? Information?

Maybe these thoughts are a stretch. Obviously, Jesus as God knew whom he wanted and who would fit. But I can glean staffing guidance.

I network. When looking for a new staff member I typically look for existing relationships or for referrals from other staff members. There are times for “blind dating” in staff hiring, but starting with whom I know is not a bad approach.

I invite. I look for people serving, who have already taken some steps of growth, of ministry. I can’t see inside the kernel of someone’s potential, like Jesus could. So, I have to invite producers with a track record, even if it’s a short one.

I pray. Pray, fast, be serious about it! All the assessments and interviews in the world can’t replace simply asking Father for the roster. I pursue God – “PLEASE tell me your choices! Who would you pick?”

Network. Invite. Pray.

[john 1:35-51, matthew 4, luke 6:12]