"Come, follow me." In Jesus' world, rabbis used this phrase to recruit their star pupils for advanced studies. If directed to you, it meant you were the elite–you'd made the grade, passed the test, proved yourself worthy.

Jesus (yet again!) turns things upside down: "Come, follow me! You, the tax collector. You, the fisherman. You, the prostitute. All of you who never made the grade, who dropped out, who barely feel adequate, let alone exceptional. All of you who've been passed over: Come, follow me! You are the Kingdom of God!"

(with thanks to Vicki Garvey)

Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.