The Upper Room of Nashville, Tennessee, United States Daily Devotional for "THE HIDDEN DISCIPLE" Wednesday, 16 August 2017 - Read Acts 12:1-5

The Upper Room of Nashville, Tennessee, United States Daily Devotional for "THE HIDDEN DISCIPLE" Wednesday, 16 August 2017 - Read Acts 12:1-5
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Acts 12:1 It was around this time that King Herod began arresting and persecuting certain members of the Messianic community; 2 and he had Ya‘akov, Yochanan’s brother, put to death by the sword. 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Judeans, he went on to arrest Kefa as well. It was during the Days of Matzah, 4 so when Herod seized him, he threw him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, with the intention of bringing him to public trial after Pesach. 5 So Kefa was being held under watch in prison, but intense prayer was being made to God on his behalf by the Messianic community.
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[Jesus] saw James and John . . . in their boat repairing the fishing nets. At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers. [Mark 1:19-20 (CEB)]
Jesus called brothers James and John at the same time. They followed immediately and were with Jesus throughout his ministry. Interestingly, almost every reference to James is in relation to John and Peter. James is what I call a “hidden disciple.”
James was one of the original disciples and, after Jesus’ resurrection, went on to help build the church. He seemed to be one of Jesus’ three closest friends, who sometimes were invited to experience events that the rest of the Twelve were not. But we know almost nothing else about James — neither his personality nor his ministry. He died early in the Book of Acts and unlike Stephen, whose martyrdom is described over two chapters (Acts 6-7), James’s death is given only one line (Acts 12:2).
This does not mean that James was unimportant. Jesus called him for a purpose that played out uniquely in his life and death. We can honor James simply because we know he was a follower of Jesus.
Many followers of Christ are “hidden” among us. Some serve in the background; others are isolated by various circumstances from the body of Christ. But Jesus cherishes every believer, calls each of us to a unique path of discipleship, and values each member of his Body, the church.
The Author: Claire Bell (South Australia, Australia)
Thought for the Day: Christ sees and cherishes each person who follows him.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that our worth to you is not measured by how well known we are to other people, for none of us is hidden from your loving eyes. Amen.
Prayer focus: THE “HIDDEN” DISCIPLES IN MY LIFE
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