Our strongest allegiance is to Christ, who gives us unity with each other.

He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach. Mark 3:14

When we come across a list of names in the Bible, we might be tempted to skip over it. But we can find treasures there, such as in the list of the twelve apostles whom Jesus called to serve in His name. Many are familiar—Simon whom Jesus called Peter, the rock. Brothers James and John, fishermen. Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. But we could easily overlook that Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot must once have been enemies.

Matthew collected taxes for Rome, and therefore, in the eyes of his fellow Jews, collaborated with the enemy. Tax collectors were despised for their corrupt practices and for requiring the Jewish people to give money to an authority other than God. On the other hand, before Jesus’s call, Simon the Zealot was devoted to a group of Jewish nationalists who hated Rome and sought to overturn it, often through aggressive and violent means.

Although Matthew and Simon held opposing political beliefs, the Gospels don’t document them bickering or fighting about them. They must have had at least some success in leaving their previous allegiances behind as they followed Christ.

When we too fix our eyes on Jesus, the God who became Man, we can find increasing unity with our fellow believers through the bond of the Holy Spirit.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You exist in perfect harmony. May Your Spirit dwell in us that the world might see You, and believe.

祂就设立十二个人，要他们常和自己同在，也要差他们去传道。-马可福音3章14节

当我们看到圣经里一长串的人名，往往会想要略过不读。其实，我们可从中寻到宝贵的真理，比如耶稣所召的十二个使徒的名字。这些奉主名服事的使徒，有许多是为人熟知的，例如被耶稣改名为彼得的西门；身为渔夫的雅各和约翰两兄弟；出卖耶稣的加略人犹大。但很容易被我们忽略的是，税吏马太跟奋锐党人西门必定曾经是敌对的。

马太替罗马政府收取税金，因此在犹太同胞的眼中，他是与敌人同伙的。税吏常受人鄙视，一方面是因为他们自身贪污的劣行，另一方面则是因为他们要求犹太人把钱交给罗马政权，而不是交给上帝。耶稣的另一个使徒，奋锐党人西门在接受耶稣呼召之前，则曾参加一个犹太民族主义团体。这个团体不仅仇视罗马，更企图以激进暴力的手段推翻罗马政权。

虽然马太与西门所持守的政治理念相互对立，但福音书中并没有记载他们曾因此有过龃龉或争端。当他们跟从基督时，想必已经成功地将各自之前所拥戴的理念都抛诸脑后了。同样地，当我们定睛在降世为人的耶稣，我们就可以藉着圣灵的联络，与主内的肢体更加合一。

圣父、圣子、圣灵，祢是三位一体的真神，完美和谐。
愿祢住在我们里面，好让这世界能够看见并相信祢。

我们忠心的对象，是让我们彼此合一的基督。

Mark 3:13-19

Jesus Appoints the Twelve

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

整理：于姊妹