Tuesday, April 18, 2006

A Dozen Gammas?

Right now I don't have a lot of time for this. You can see that by my light posting here and light comment volume in my regular feeding grounds.

If I find a large volume of comments at someone's site, I'll read the first dozen, or so, than scan the rest. One of the comments I read/scanned at Vox's the other day stated that "Jesus's disciples were a bunch of gammas". I don't know if others commented in response to that statement. I didn't at the time, but I'll now correct that mistake here:

The most famous and influentual disciple was Paul. Hardly a gamma. Probably the most Alpha disciple of them all.

For those of you who want to ague that he doesn't count because he wasn't one of the original 12, I give you James. Wasn't it James who cut off the ear of one of the soldiers that arrested Jesus? Does that sound like gamma behavior?

How about Thomas who's most famous trait was his doubting? I'm sure he recognized his Lord and leader after the resurrection and yet he challenged and called him to clarify the issue he didn't accept at first. I think a gamma would have just followed suit and not demanded proof.

I think the fact that the miracles and things Thomas saw up to that point enabled him to accept Jesus teachings is a whole sermon in itself.

I know Luke was a physician. Have you ever known a physician to be a gamma?

I want to say that at least one disciple was a tax collector. Knowing the role of tax collector in those times I know he wasn't a gamma.

I'm running out of time, but I'm sure my list is not complete.