Before 12.12.12. made 12 big

"These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot." Matthew 10:2-4


So, I'm a day late on the whole 12 thing. Of course, people were fascinated with the whole idea of 12.12.12. We won't see a date like that until 01.01.01...and I'll be long gone by then. People were doing lists of 12 things, giving their favorite #12s. Michael Jordan wore #12 one night when his #23 was stolen before the game. Now you know something you didn't.  And a quick run down of some of my favorite 12s:

• John Lastinger -- took my Dawgs to an SEC title and 11-0 regular season in '82 and a victory over #2 Texas in the '84 Cotton Bowl.
• The 12 days of Christmas -- They're hard to beat.
• Eggs.  I like eggs and they come in 12 and they're good for you.
• Krispy Kremes when they're "Hot Now".  12 never seems like enough.
• Sidney Eugene Bream - Thanks for magical moment, Sid.
• Tom Brady -- I admit it, I'm mesmerized watching him play.  One of the best.
• Joe Namath -- Gotta love Broadway Joe, though he's gotten crazier with age.
• Tavares King -- TK gave my son a pair of gloves and they've loved him forever.

But, 12 has always been an important number in the Bible. There were 12 tribes of Israel. And, as the Scripture above points out, 12 disciples. I don't know why Jesus chose 12 instead of 10 or 15. 12 just seemed right to Him. Maybe he only found 12 that were ready. Maybe he was thinking 10 but was surprised to find a couple of brothers that fit the bill, too. Maybe it has significant meaning that we'll learn about in heaven. Who knows? Here's what I do know about the 12 disciples: they were regular folk. They weren't Bible Scholars or professors. They weren't deemed as deeply religious. They were certainly God-fearing, but they were fishermen and tax-collectors. They were misfits...and they changed the world. After Jesus' death and Judas betrayed Jesus and left the group, the 11 remaining picked another one to join them to become 12 again. Then they set off to transform planet earth. 12 regular people. People often think they aren't talented enough or good enough to be used by God. That's hogwash. The 12 disciples changed history because of what Christ did in them, not because of their talent or skill. The testimony of the disciples is that it's all about Jesus, not about our skill-set. We have no room to boast because it is about Him. You can change the world, too. You can change your family, your team, your office, your neighborhood, and your community. Jesus is not looking for the uber-talented, he's looking for people that would be willing to be his disciples and follow Him. And there's plenty of room for more than 12.