In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, the road by the sea, across the Jordan. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.  Isaiah 9:1-2 (Common English Bible) This fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, alongside the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who lived in the dark have seen a great light, and a light has come upon those who lived in the region and in shadow of death.  Matthew 4:14-16 (Common English Bible) Isaiah saw it coming centuries before it happened. The people walking in darkness would see a great light. The light wouldn't dawn in Jerusalem, the city already filled with light. It would dawn in Galilee, the place Isaiah describes as "pitch-dark." And Matthew wants us to understand that this wasn't a mistake or a backup plan. This was God's plan all along. God always intended to start in Galilee. God always intended to bring light to the people living in darkness rather than adding more light to the place that already had plenty. This week, we've explored what it means that Jesus started his ministry in Galilee instead of Jerusalem. We've examined why we expect God to work in the center when God consistently shows up at the margins. We've acknowledged the ways we dismiss places and people because they don't fit our categories. We've confronted the danger of being so invested in our expectations that we miss what God is actually doing. But it all comes down to this: Are we going to keep waiting in Jerusalem, or are we going to join God in Galilee? Because God is in Galilee. Right now. God is working in the overlooked neighborhoods, through the dismissed people, in the unexpected places. God is bringing light to those living in darkness. God is honoring what the world has humbled. God is doing powerful work at the margins while we're waiting for something impressive to happen at the center. So what does it mean to join God in Galilee? It means noticing the kingdom work happening in small churches, community organizations, and grassroots movements that will never make headlines. It means recognizing God at work through ordinary people doing extraordinary acts of love even when they don't have platforms or credentials. It means investing our time, our energy, and our resources in places we've been overlooking. It means showing up in neighborhoods we've been avoiding. It means partnering with people who are already doing the work rather than insisting they join our programs and fit our models. It means letting go of our need to control how God works. It means releasing our insistence that God should show up in the ways we expect, through the people we recognize, in the places we've decided are important. It means trusting that God's logic is better than ours, even when it doesn't make sense to us. And it means being willing to be part of Galilee ourselves. Because some of us aren't just being called to join God in Galilee. We are Galilee. We're in the small churches, the overlooked neighborhoods, the dismissed places. We're the ordinary people without platforms trying to love our neighbors well. And we need to hear this: God chose Galilee. God is working through you. God is bringing light through your faithfulness even if it never gets recognized or celebrated in Jerusalem. So stop waiting for permission from Jerusalem. Stop looking to the center for validation. Stop believing the lie that God only works in impressive ways through impressive people in impressive places. Because God chose Galilee. God is in Galilee. And God is inviting you to join what's already happening there. Isaiah saw it coming. Matthew showed us it happened. And it's still happening today. The people walking in darkness are seeing a great light. And that light is dawning in Galilee, not Jerusalem. At the margins, not the center. In the places we least expect. The only question is whether we're paying attention. The only question is whether we're willing to join God there. Prayer: God, you chose Galilee over Jerusalem. You chose the margins over the center. You chose the unexpected over the obvious. Forgive us for waiting in Jerusalem while you're working in Galilee. Help us join what you're already doing at the margins. Open our eyes to see the kingdom work happening in overlooked places through dismissed people. Give us the courage to invest ourselves in Galilee instead of waiting for something impressive to happen in Jerusalem. And if we are Galilee, if we're the ones being overlooked and dismissed, help us trust that you've chosen us, that you're working through us, that you're bringing light through our faithfulness. Thank you for consistently showing up where we least expect. Help us learn to expect you there. Amen.

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together in the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you didn't want that. Look, your house is abandoned. I tell you, you won't see me until the time comes when you say, Blessings on the one who comes in the Lord's name."  Luke 13:34-35 (Common English Bible) Jesus had a complicated relationship with Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the holy city, the place where God's presence dwelt, the center of Jewish religious life. Jesus taught in the Temple. He celebrated Passover there. He went to Jerusalem for the major festivals. Jerusalem mattered to Jesus. But Jerusalem also rejected Jesus. The religious leaders in Jerusalem plotted against him. They challenged his authority. They eventually arranged for his crucifixion. And in this passage, Jesus mourns over Jerusalem because the city refused to recognize what God was doing. Jesus says, "How often I wanted to gather your children together in the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you didn't want that." Jerusalem had every opportunity to recognize the Messiah. The religious leaders knew the scriptures. They knew the prophecies. They had all the right knowledge. But when God showed up in their midst, they missed it. They missed it because Jesus didn't fit their expectations of what the Messiah should be or how God should work. And there's a warning here for us. Because we can be so invested in our Jerusalems, the places and ways we expect God to work, we completely miss what God is actually doing. We can be so focused on attracting people to our church buildings that we miss the kingdom work happening in our neighborhoods. We can be so concerned with creating impressive worship experiences that we ignore the people right outside our doors who need love and justice. We can be so committed to defending our theological positions that we fail to notice when God is moving in ways that challenge our categories. This is the danger of waiting in Jerusalem. We can be so convinced that God will show up in the ways we expect, through the people we recognize, that we completely miss what God is doing at the margins. But while we're waiting in Jerusalem, insisting that God should work the way we think God should work, people are encountering Jesus in Galilee. Lives are being transformed. Communities are being healed. Justice is being done. The kingdom is advancing. And we're missing all of it because we refused to look beyond our expectations. Jerusalem rejected Jesus because he didn't fit their picture of what the Messiah should be. The religious leaders were so invested in their understanding of how God should work that they couldn't recognize God working in a different way right in front of them. And we do the same thing. We reject what God is doing in Galilee because it doesn't fit our picture of what God's work should look like. We dismiss kingdom work because it's happening through the wrong people in the wrong places in the wrong ways. We wait in Jerusalem, convinced we're being faithful, while God is working in Galilee. So here's the question we need to ask ourselves: What are we so convinced about regarding how God should work that we might be missing what God is actually doing? What expectations are we holding onto so tightly that we can't recognize God working in unexpected ways? What Jerusalems are we waiting in while God is working in Galilee? Because the danger isn't just that we'll miss what God is doing. The danger is that we'll actually work against what God is doing because it doesn't fit our expectations. The danger is that we'll become like the religious leaders in Jerusalem who rejected Jesus because he didn't match their categories. Prayer: God, we don't want to be like Jerusalem. We don’t want to be so invested in our expectations that we miss what you're actually doing. We don't want to reject your work because it doesn't fit our categories. Help us let go of our insistence that you work the way we think you should work. Give us humility to recognize that your ways are not our ways. And help us pay attention to what you're doing in Galilee instead of waiting for you to show up in Jerusalem. Amen.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent. Where are the wise? Where are the legal experts? Where are today's debaters? Hasn't God made the wisdom of the world foolish? In God's wisdom, he determined that the world wouldn't come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching.  1 Corinthians 1:18-21 (Common English Bible) While we're waiting for God to show up in the places that make sense – in the big churches with impressive buildings and large budgets, in the ministries with celebrity pastors and national platforms, in the movements that look successful and influential – God is working in the places we're not even paying attention to. God is working in the recovery group meeting in a church basement that most of the congregation doesn't even know exists. God is working through the community center in the overlooked neighborhood that's giving kids a safe place to go after school. God is working through the people organizing mutual aid networks to help their neighbors pay for groceries and rent. God is working in the lives of people doing kingdom work without ever calling it that – people who are loving their neighbors, fighting for justice, and serving the least of these while the church is busy protecting its reputation and its buildings. We miss this because we're looking in the wrong places. We're waiting for God in Jerusalem while God is working in Galilee. And we miss it because the work God is doing in Galilee doesn't look like the work we expect. It doesn't come with press releases or marketing campaigns. It doesn't have a large social media following. It doesn't fit our categories of what successful ministry looks like. Paul understood this. He told the Corinthians that God's wisdom looks like foolishness to the world. God works through what the world considers weak and foolish to shame what the world considers wise and strong. This is the same pattern we've been seeing throughout this series. God invited foreign priests to be among the first to worship Jesus. God stepped into the water with sinners. God called fishermen and tax collectors to be disciples. God started Jesus' ministry in Galilee instead of Jerusalem. Over and over, God works in unexpected places through unexpected people in unexpected ways. And we keep missing it because we're convinced God should work the way we would work. We're convinced God should show up in the center, not the margins. We're convinced God should work through people with credentials, not ordinary people doing ordinary acts of love. We're convinced God should bless what already looks blessed. But that's not how God works. God shows up at kitchen tables where people are caring for aging parents. God shows up in hospital waiting rooms where people are sitting with the grieving. God shows up in workplaces where people are fighting for fair wages for their coworkers. God shows up in neighborhoods where people are organizing to stop displacement and gentrification. And most of the time, the people doing this work have never been to seminary. They don't have platforms. They don't have large budgets or impressive buildings. They're just ordinary people loving their neighbors, and God is working powerfully through them. So maybe the question we need to ask isn't "Why isn't God showing up in the places we expect?" Maybe the question is "Why aren't we paying attention to where God is actually working?" Because God is working. Right now. In your neighborhood, in your city, in the overlooked places and through the overlooked people. The question is whether we're paying attention. The question is whether we're willing to look beyond our Jerusalems and notice what God is doing in Galilee. Prayer: God, forgive us for being so focused on where we expect you to work that we miss where you're actually working. Forgive us for waiting for you in Jerusalem while you're in Galilee. Open our eyes to see the kingdom work happening all around us—in basements and community centers, through ordinary people doing extraordinary acts of love. Help us recognize your work even when it doesn't come with press releases or platforms. And help us join what you're already doing instead of waiting for you to show up where we think you should be. Amen.

When some in the crowd heard these words, they said, "This man is truly the prophet." Others said, "He's the Christ." But others said, "The Christ can't come from Galilee, can he? Didn't the scripture say that the Christ comes from David's family and from Bethlehem, David's village?" So the crowd was divided over Jesus. Some wanted to arrest him, but no one grabbed him. The guards returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked, "Why didn't you bring him?" The guards answered, "No one has ever spoken the way he does." The Pharisees replied, "Have you too been deceived? Have any of the leaders believed in him? Has any Pharisee? No, only this crowd, which doesn't know the Law. And they are under God's curse!" Nicodemus, who was one of them and had come to Jesus earlier, said, "Our Law doesn't judge someone without first hearing him and learning what he is doing, does it?" They answered him, "You are not from Galilee too, are you? Look it up and you will see that the prophet doesn't come from Galilee."  John 7:40-52 (Common English Bible) "You are not from Galilee too, are you?" That question drips with contempt. It's not really a question. It's an insult wrapped in mockery. The Pharisees are essentially saying, "Surely you're not stupid enough to believe something good could come from a place like Galilee." This passage reveals just how much Galilee was looked down on. When people in Jerusalem thought about Galilee, they didn't think "charming rural area" or "quaint countryside." They thought "backward," "ignorant," "religiously compromised." Galilee was about 70 miles from Jerusalem. That doesn't sound like much to us today, but in the first century, it was a three or four-day journey on foot. So Galilee was far from the Temple, far from the center of Jewish life, far from where God's presence was supposed to dwell. But distance wasn't the only problem. Galilee had a reputation problem. It was called "Galilee of the Gentiles" because Jews and Gentiles lived side by side there. That meant Jewish people in Galilee were constantly interacting with people who didn't follow the Law of Moses, who worshiped other gods, who were ritually unclean. And all of that made Galilee religiously suspect in the eyes of people in Jerusalem. Galilee was also rural and working-class. Most people there were farmers or fishermen. They weren't educated like the religious elite in Jerusalem. They didn't have access to the same resources or opportunities. And apparently, they even had an accent that marked them as outsiders. When Peter denied knowing Jesus, someone in the crowd said, "Your accent gives you away." So when people heard that Jesus was from Galilee, they dismissed him. They assumed nothing good could come from a place like that. They assumed someone from Galilee couldn't possibly be the Messiah. They assumed that if God were going to do something important, it wouldn't happen there. And we do the same thing today. We have our own Galilees, places and people we've written off, places and people we assume God wouldn't work through, places and people we dismiss without really paying attention. We assume God wouldn't work through small rural churches struggling to keep their doors open. We assume God wouldn't work through people who don't have seminary degrees or theological training. We assume God wouldn't work through communities that don't look like the successful, thriving places we admire. We look at struggling neighborhoods and think, "Nothing good is happening there." We look at small-town churches and think, "God's not doing anything significant there." We look at people without platforms or credentials and think, "God couldn't possibly be using them." But that's exactly the kind of thinking that would’ve made someone dismiss Jesus because he was from Galilee. That's exactly the kind of thinking that would’ve missed what God was doing because it wasn't happening in Jerusalem. And here's what makes this even more challenging: sometimes we are the ones from Galilee. Sometimes we're the ones being dismissed because we're not from the right place or we don't have the right background. Sometimes we're the ones being overlooked because we don't fit people's expectations of what God's work should look like. If you're in a small church wondering if God can really use you, remember that Jesus started his ministry in Galilee, not Jerusalem. If you're in a place that others look down on, remember that's exactly where God chose to begin the most important movement in human history. If you've been dismissed because you're not from the center, remember that God has always preferred the margins. Because Galilee was wrong by every human standard. But it was exactly right for what God wanted to do. And the places and people we dismiss today might be exactly where God is working most powerfully. Prayer: God, we're quick to dismiss places and people because they don't match our expectations. We assume you wouldn't work through people without credentials, through places without resources, through communities at the margins. Forgive us for having the same attitude the Pharisees had toward Galilee. Help us pay attention to the places we've been dismissing. Help us see you at work in people and places we've been overlooking. And if we're the ones being dismissed, help us trust that being from Galilee doesn't disqualify us from your work. Amen.

When starting something important, you pick a place that already matters, usually somewhere big and prestigious. Everyone expected Jesus to begin his ministry in Jerusalem, the religious center of Israel, where God's presence dwelt.   But Jesus went to Galilee instead—a place looked down on and dismissed. While we wait for God in Jerusalem, God's working in Galilee. Are we paying attention?

Now when Jesus heard that John was arrested, he went to Galilee. He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, which lies alongside the sea in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, alongside the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who lived in the dark have seen a great light, and a light has come upon those who lived in the region and in shadow of death. From that time Jesus began to announce, "Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!"  Matthew 4:12-17 (Common English Bible) When you're starting something important, you don't pick just anywhere. You pick a place that already matters. If you're launching a tech startup, you go to Silicon Valley. If you're opening a new restaurant, you choose the busiest part of town. If you're starting a church, you look for a growing suburb or a thriving urban neighborhood. Because important things are supposed to start in important places.  This logic isn't just practical. It's strategic. You go where the people are. You go where the resources are. You go where the infrastructure exists to support what you're trying to build. You maximize your chances of success by starting in the center, not the margins. And this logic would’ve been just as true in first-century Israel as it is today. So when Jesus was getting ready to begin his earthly ministry, there was really only one place to start: Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem wasn't just another city. It was the center of everything that mattered to the people of Israel. The Temple was there. And the Temple was the place where God's presence dwelt among his people, where sacrifices were offered, where priests served. Jerusalem was also where Israel's greatest king, King David, ruled. It was the place prophets had been talking about for generations. It was where the religious establishment gathered. It was where pilgrims came from all over the known world during major festivals. If you wanted to reach people with your message, if you wanted to start a movement that would change the world, Jerusalem was the obvious choice. It had the people, the resources, the infrastructure, the significance. It had everything you needed for a successful launch. So when Jesus was ready to begin his earthly ministry, everyone would have expected him to start in Jerusalem. That's where God was. That's where the people were. That's where history was made. Starting anywhere else would have been foolish. So, of course, Jesus starts his ministry somewhere else. When it was time to start his ministry, Jesus began in Galilee. And Galilee wasn't just a different place. It was the wrong place. It was rural and working-class. It was religiously suspect, "Galilee of the Gentiles," Matthew calls it, a place where Jews and Gentiles lived side by side. It was looked down on by people in Jerusalem. It was about as far from the center as you could get and still be in Israel. Starting a movement in Galilee made no sense according to ordinary logic. It was like starting a tech company in a small town nobody's heard of instead of Silicon Valley. It was like opening a restaurant in a strip mall instead of downtown. It was strategically wrong. But Matthew tells us this wasn't a mistake. This was the fulfillment of prophecy. Isaiah had said that the people living in darkness would see a great light. And Matthew is showing us that God planned all along to start in the margins, not the center. God planned all along to begin in the place nobody expected. And this reveals something fundamental about who God is and how God works. We expect God to show up in our Jerusalems – in the big churches, the influential ministries, the places that look successful and important. We expect God to work through people who have credentials and platforms. We expect God to bless what already looks blessed. But God shows up where we least expect. God shows up where we least expect. This week, we're going to explore what it means that God started Jesus' ministry in Galilee instead of Jerusalem. We're going to examine why we're so convinced God should work in the center when God keeps showing up at the margins. And we're going to be challenged to pay attention to where God is actually working instead of where we expect God to be. Because if Jesus started his ministry in Galilee, then that's where God is still working today.  Prayer: God, we expect you to work in the center, in the places that matter, in the ways that make sense to us. But you chose Galilee over Jerusalem. You chose the margins over the center. You chose the unexpected over the obvious. Help us pay attention to where you're actually working instead of where we think you should be. Open our eyes to see you in the places we've been overlooking. And help us trust that your logic is better than ours, even when it doesn't make sense to us. Amen.

You are saved by God's grace because of your faith. This salvation is God's gift. It's not something you possessed. It's not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God's accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives. So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God's people, and you belong to God's household. As God's household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.  Ephesians 2:8-10, 19-22 (Common English Bible) We're all the rejects that Jesus called anyway. Every single one of us. The people who think they're qualified and the people who know they're not. The people who've been following Jesus for decades and the people who just started exploring faith. The people who have their theology figured out and the people who are still full of questions. All of us are the rejects that Jesus called anyway. None of us earned this. None of us qualified for it. None of us deserved it. Paul makes this abundantly clear: "You are saved by God's grace because of your faith. This salvation is God's gift. It's not something you possessed. It's not something you did that you can be proud of." We didn't make ourselves qualified to follow Jesus. Jesus called us when we were fishermen. Jesus called us when we were tax collectors. Jesus called us when we were outsiders, when we were unclean, when we had nothing to offer. Jesus tore down the barriers and invited us in. And this should change everything about how we relate to each other. If we're all the rejects that Jesus called anyway, then we have no business deciding who else is qualified. We have no right to rebuild barriers that Jesus destroyed. We have no justification for requiring others to meet standards that we ourselves never met. We're all standing on level ground at the foot of the cross. We're all saved by grace, not by our qualifications. We're all unworthy recipients of an invitation we didn't deserve. So who are we to look at someone else and say, "You're not qualified"? And if we're all the rejects that Jesus called anyway, then we also have no business disqualifying ourselves. We have no right to stand outside wondering if we're good enough. We have no justification for believing the lies that we don't belong. Because Paul tells us that we're no longer strangers and aliens. We're fellow citizens with God's people. We belong to God's household. We're being built together into a place where God lives through the Spirit. This week, we've explored what it means that Jesus tears down the barriers to becoming his disciple. We've seen how Jesus invited people to "come and see" rather than requiring them to prove themselves first. We've acknowledged the ways we exclude others by requiring qualifications Jesus never set. We've confronted the ways we exclude ourselves by believing we're not good enough. But it all comes down to this: Jesus called us when we were unqualified. Jesus welcomed us when we were outsiders. Jesus invited us when we were rejects. And now Jesus is calling us to extend the same radical welcome to everyone else. That means we stop deciding who's in and who's out. We stop requiring people to meet standards we never met. We stop rebuilding barriers that Jesus tore down. We stop treating people like they need to prove themselves when Jesus says they're already called. And it means we stop disqualifying ourselves. We stop standing outside wondering if we belong. We stop waiting until we're good enough. We accept the invitation Jesus has extended to us and we step into our identity as God's beloved children. We're all the rejects that Jesus called anyway. So let's stop acting like we're anything else. And let's start living like we actually believe that Jesus' answer to "who's qualified?" is everyone. Prayer: God, we're all the rejects that you called anyway. None of us earned this. None of us deserved this. None of us qualified for this. Thank you for tearing down the barriers and inviting us in. Thank you for calling us when we were fishermen and tax collectors. Thank you for welcoming us when we were outsiders. Now help us extend the same welcome to everyone else. Help us stop deciding who's qualified and start trusting that your answer is everyone. Help us stop disqualifying ourselves and start living like we really belong to your household. Because we're all the rejects you called anyway, and that's the most beautiful truth we know. Amen.

Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong. And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing—to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. So no human being can brag in God's presence. It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus. He became wisdom from God for us. He made us righteous, holy, and redeemed. This is consistent with what was written: If anyone wants to brag, they should brag about the Lord!  1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (Common English Bible) Not everyone who reads about Jesus tearing down barriers to following him feels liberated. Some people feel exposed. Because some of us aren't trying to decide if other people are qualified. We're trying to figure out if we're qualified. We're not rebuilding barriers to keep others out. We're standing outside the barriers wondering if we'll ever be good enough to get in. Maybe you've been told you're not qualified. Maybe you've been rejected by churches or faith communities that said you didn't meet their standards. Maybe you've internalized messages your whole life that you're not smart enough, not spiritual enough, not together enough to really follow Jesus. Maybe you look at other Christians – the ones who seem to have it all figured out, who pray eloquently, who know all the right Bible verses, who never seem to struggle – and you think, "I'll never be like them. I'll never be good enough." Or maybe you look at your own life – the mistakes you've made, the ways you've fallen short, the areas where you're still struggling – and you think, "If people really knew me, they'd know I don't belong here." But Paul tells us God didn't choose you because you were qualified. God chose you even though you weren't. Paul reminds the Corinthians that by ordinary human standards, not many of them were wise, powerful, or from the upper class. God didn't call them because they met the qualifications. God called them because God chooses what the world considers foolish, weak, and low-class to accomplish his purposes. This isn't meant to be insulting. It's meant to be liberating. Because if God only called people who were qualified, most of us wouldn't stand a chance. If God only welcomed people who had it all together, the kingdom would be pretty empty. If God only chose people who were good enough, none of us would be chosen. But that's not how God works. God calls fishermen who never went to rabbinical school. God calls tax collectors who collaborated with Rome. God calls people who are foolish by the world's standards, weak by the world's standards, nothing by the world's standards. And God calls you. Not because you're qualified. Not because you have it all together. Not because you're good enough. But because that's who God is and what God does. So if you've been standing outside wondering if you'll ever be good enough to follow Jesus, here's what you need to hear: You're not good enough. None of us are…but Jesus calls us anyway. If you've been waiting until you get your life together before you really commit to following Jesus, here's what you need to know: You'll never get your life together enough. But Jesus isn't waiting for that. Jesus is calling you right now, exactly as you are. If you've been disqualified by others or if you've disqualified yourself, here's what you need to understand: Jesus tears down the barriers to becoming his disciple. Including the barriers you've built around yourself. You don't have to be wise by the world's standards. You don't have to be powerful. You don't have to be from the upper class. You don't have to have perfect theology or a spotless past or a completely together present. You just have to be willing to come and see. Because Jesus didn't call qualified people. Jesus called fishermen and tax collectors. Jesus called people who were foolish and weak and nothing by the world's standards. Jesus called people like us. So stop waiting until you're good enough. Stop standing outside wondering if you belong. Stop letting others' rejections or your own doubts keep you from following Jesus. Because you're not good enough, and you never will be. But Jesus calls you anyway. Prayer: God, we're not qualified. We don't have it all together. We're not good enough by any reasonable standard. But thank you for calling us anyway. Thank you for choosing what the world considers foolish and weak and nothing. Thank you for tearing down the barriers we've built around ourselves. Help us stop waiting until we're good enough and start following you right now, exactly as we are. Help us believe that we really do belong because you've called us, not because we've earned it. Amen.

As Jesus continued on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. He said to him, "Follow me," and he got up and followed him. As Jesus sat down to eat in Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples at the table. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard it, he said, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. Go and learn what this means: I want mercy and not sacrifice. I didn't come to call righteous people, but sinners."  Matthew 9:9-13(Common English Bible) In first-century Jewish society, tax collectors were considered traitors. They worked for Rome, the occupying power. They collected taxes from their own people and often charged extra to line their own pockets. They were seen as collaborators who'd sold out their community for personal gain. So tax collectors weren't just unpopular. They were considered morally compromised, ritually unclean, and spiritually unworthy. No respectable rabbi would associate with them, let alone call one to be a disciple. But that's exactly what Jesus did. Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his tax-collecting booth and said, "Follow me." No interview. No background check. No waiting period to see if Matthew would clean up his act first. Just "Follow me." And then Jesus went to Matthew's house and ate with him and his friends, who were also tax collectors and sinners. This wasn't a private meeting. This was a public statement. Jesus was identifying with people that everyone else had written off. The Pharisees couldn’t believe it. They asked Jesus' disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" The implication was clear: if Jesus were a real rabbi, a real teacher, a real man of God, he wouldn't associate with people like this. He wouldn't lower his standards. He wouldn't compromise his reputation. But Jesus didn't see it that way. Jesus said, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do." In other words, Jesus came for people who know they need help. Jesus came for people who are broken, struggling, and disqualified. Jesus came for people who don't meet the standards. And then Jesus said something even more radical: "I want mercy and not sacrifice. I didn't come to call righteous people, but sinners." This is who Jesus is. This is what Jesus does. Jesus doesn't call people who have it all together. Jesus calls people who are falling apart. Jesus doesn't choose people who meet the qualifications. Jesus chooses people who've been disqualified. Jesus doesn't wait for people to prove they're worthy. Jesus calls them anyway. But we keep trying to impose qualifications that Jesus never required. We keep deciding who's worthy and who's not. We keep writing people off based on their past, their present, or their potential. But Jesus called Matthew. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus said, "I came to call sinners, not righteous people." So who have we decided isn't qualified? Who have we written off because their life is too messy or their past is too complicated? Who have we excluded because they don't meet our standards? Because here's the truth: if we're requiring people to clean up their lives before we'll welcome them, we're requiring something Jesus never required. If we're making people prove they're worthy before we'll call them disciples, we're rebuilding barriers that Jesus tore down. If we're treating people like they're disqualified when Jesus says they're called, we're working against what Jesus is doing. Jesus came for sinners. Jesus calls the unqualified. Jesus welcomes the people we've written off. And if we're going to follow Jesus, we need to stop deciding who's worthy and start welcoming everyone Jesus calls. Prayer: God, forgive us for deciding who's qualified to follow you. Forgive us for requiring people to meet standards you never set. Forgive us for writing off people you've called. Help us see people the way you see them, not as projects who need to be fixed before they're welcome, but as beloved children you're inviting to follow you right now, exactly as they are. Give us courage to welcome the people we've decided aren't qualified. Amen.

The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph's son, from Nazareth." Nathanael responded, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said, "Come and see."  John 1:43-46 (Common English Bible) "Come and see." That's all Jesus said to his first disciples. Not "prove yourself." Not "convince me you're worthy." Not "pass this test." Just "come and see." And that's all Philip said to Nathanael when Nathanael was skeptical. Nathanael had his doubts. He questioned whether anything good could come from Nazareth. He wasn't sure Jesus was legitimate. But Philip didn't argue with him. Philip didn't try to convince him with theological arguments. Philip just said, "Come and see." There's something profound in this simple invitation. Because "come and see" means you don't have to have it all figured out before you start following Jesus. You don't have to be certain. You don't have to have perfect theology. You don't have to resolve all your doubts. You just have to be willing to come and see. This stands in stark contrast to how we often approach faith. We act like people need to have everything figured out before they can follow Jesus. We require them to believe the right things, accept the right doctrines, and resolve all their doubts before we'll welcome them as fellow disciples. But that's not what Jesus did. Jesus invited people to come and see. He invited them to experience him, to spend time with him, to watch how he lived and listen to what he taught. He didn't require certainty up front. He invited exploration. Think about what this means for how we engage with people who are skeptical or questioning. We often treat doubt as a disqualification. We act like people need to overcome their doubts before they can be part of our faith communities. We want them to have all the right answers before they're welcome to come along. But Jesus didn't work that way. Jesus invited skeptics to come and see. He welcomed people with questions. He allowed people to explore and discover rather than demanding they arrive with everything figured out. And when we invite people to "come and see" rather than requiring them to "believe and then come," we create space for genuine transformation. We allow people to encounter Jesus for themselves rather than forcing them to accept our version of who Jesus is. We trust that Jesus is compelling enough, gracious enough, and transformative enough that people who spend time with him will be changed. This doesn't mean we abandon all standards or that anything goes. But it does mean we lead with invitation rather than qualification. It means we prioritize relationship over correct belief. It means we trust that transformation happens in community with Jesus, not as a prerequisite for entering that community. So what would it look like to adopt "come and see" as our primary posture toward people who are exploring faith? What would change if we invited people to experience Jesus with us before requiring them to believe exactly what we believe? What would happen if we made space for questions, for doubts, for uncertainty? Maybe we'd discover that Jesus is still calling disciples the same way he always has…not by requiring qualifications, but by extending invitations. Not by demanding certainty, but by saying, "Come and see." And maybe we'd discover that when we stop acting like gatekeepers who determine who's qualified, more people would be willing to explore what it means to follow Jesus. Because they'd know they don't have to have it all figured out. They'd know they don't have to pretend to be certain when they're not. They'd know they're welcome to come and see. Prayer: God, thank you for inviting us to come and see before requiring us to have it all figured out. Thank you for making space for our questions, our doubts, our uncertainty. Help us extend the same invitation to others. Help us create communities where people can explore faith without having to pretend they're certain. Help us trust that you're compelling enough that people who spend time with you will be transformed. Give us courage to lead with invitation rather than qualification. Amen.

In Jesus' day, becoming a disciple required proving yourself worthy. You had to demonstrate your qualifications and convince a rabbi you had what it takes. So most people were rejected.   Then Jesus called fishermen and tax collectors—people already rejected or who never bothered applying. He tore down the barriers. But we keep rebuilding them. Who have we decided isn't qualified?

The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus walking along he said, "Look! The Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, "What are you looking for?" They said, "Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?" He replied, "Come and see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Christ). He led him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).  John 1:35-42 (Common English Bible) We live in a world obsessed with qualifications. Want to go to a good college? You need the right GPA, the right test scores, the right extracurricular activities. Want to get a good job? You need the right degree, the right experience, the right connections. Want to move up in your career? You need the right certifications, the right track record, the right recommendations. At every stage of life, we're told we need to prove ourselves. And if we don't meet the standard, we don't get in. And this system wasn't invented in the modern world. It's been around for thousands of years. And it was alive and well in first-century Judaism when it came to becoming a disciple. Becoming a disciple wasn't something that just happened. It was a privilege reserved for the best students. If you wanted to become a rabbi's disciple, you had to seek him out and ask, "May I follow you?" Then the rabbi would examine your credentials. He'd want to make sure you'd memorized enough of the Torah. He'd test your ability to debate and interpret the law. He'd determine whether you were the kind of student who could one day become a rabbi yourself. Most people didn't make the cut. Most people who wanted to become disciples were rejected and sent back to their family's trade. That was just how it worked. The system had standards, and those standards kept most people out. And if a rabbi rejected you, it wasn't just about that one opportunity. It was a statement about your potential. It meant you weren't disciple material. It meant you'd never be more than a fisherman or a carpenter or a farmer. The door to a life of studying Torah and teaching others was closed. So when we read about Jesus calling his first disciples in John 1, we need to understand how different this was from the normal system. Jesus doesn't examine their credentials. He doesn't ask them to prove themselves. He doesn't test their knowledge of Torah. He just says, "Come and see." And when Andrew brings his brother Simon to meet Jesus, Jesus doesn't interview him either. Jesus doesn't ask Simon to demonstrate his qualifications. Jesus just welcomes him. This would’ve been shocking to everyone who understood how disciples were chosen. Rabbis were supposed to be selective. They were supposed to have standards. They were supposed to protect their reputation by only choosing the best students. But Jesus wasn't interested in maintaining that system. Instead, Jesus tore down the barriers to becoming a disciple. But the church keeps trying to rebuild these barriers today. Sometimes those barriers are explicit. We say you can't really follow Jesus unless you believe exactly the right things, or come from the right background, or live the right way. Sometimes those barriers are implicit. We create cultures where certain people feel welcome and other people don't. We communicate through our words and our actions that some people belong and other people need to prove themselves first. But we need to remember that Jesus didn't require people to prove themselves before calling them to follow him. Jesus called fishermen who'd been passed over. Jesus called tax collectors who'd never been considered rabbi material. Jesus called people who didn't meet the qualifications. So if Jesus tore down the barriers to becoming his disciple, why do we keep trying to rebuild them? Prayer: God, we confess that we're comfortable with systems that require people to prove themselves. We like having standards that determine who's qualified and who's not. But Jesus tore down those barriers. He called people who didn't meet the qualifications. Forgive us for rebuilding barriers that Jesus destroyed. Help us welcome people the way Jesus welcomed his first disciples—without requiring them to prove themselves first. Amen.