Playing Favorites?

The charge of favoritism arises inevitably whenever real disciple-making happens. Disciple-makers recognize that, as humans, we cannot build into everyone we know equally. This is ministerial humility. We are not God; we haven’t the ubiquity to be able to be all things to all people in our sphere of influence. And so choices must be made. We must choose to devote ourselves to some—a student or member of the youth group, a friend or co-worker—to the neglect of others.

When the ineluctable outcry swells, the simplest defense is to note that we are following after our Master. Jesus did not offer himself equally to everyone when he walked the earth. He had concentric circles of depth. To the crowds he scattered occasional seed (compare Mark 4:1-9 with 4:10-12); to others he shared brief, passing moments only (cf. Mark 5:18-19). Though others followed him throughout his ministry, were with him from the beginning (cf. Acts 1:21-23), he chooses twelve only to be his disciples. And even of those twelve, he devotes especial time to three—Peter, James, and John (cf. Mark 9:2).

One can only imagine the petty jealousy that must have been felt from time to time. Why James and not Matthew? Why Judas and not Matthias? Did the disciples respond with snickers and snide comments when Jesus called Peter the rock? Such puerility was not beneath them (cf. Mark 10:35-37, 41). And yet, the apparent unfairness notwithstanding, this is the course Christ chose.

Each of those men went on to make disciples of their own; did they follow in their Master’s footsteps? Peter had Mark, if tradition is correct; Paul had Timothy and Titus; John had Polycarp and Ignatius. They knew that the kingdom of God would expand not by spreading ourselves too thin, but by building deeply into a few men or women at a time—who could turn around and make disciples of their own.

So must it be with us. We build into the few in order to reach the many. We make disciples who make disciples who make disciples (ad infinitum). Remember, especially when you face complaint and accusation, if Christ had been “fair,” none of us would be here in the church today.