A Certain Man

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” Colossians 3:23-24).

“Go into the city to a certain man . . .” Jesus spoke these words to his disciples when they asked where they should prepare the Passover meal. (Matthew 26:18) As I read that passage recently the words, “a certain man” caught my attention. Mark and Luke record this incident saying the man was carrying a jar of water. That certain man was serving his master and took time to lead the disciples to his master’s house where a room was prepared for them.  Jesus used “a certain man” to direct the disciples to the place where they would eat the Passover meal.

I thought about others in the Bible that Jesus used to fulfill His work. As Jesus chose his disciples, he finds them already engaged in work. Peter and Andrew were fishermen, as were James and John. Peter preached the gospel on the day of Pentecost when the Church began. He was also the “certain man” who received God’s message that Gentiles were to be accepted as Christ followers. (Acts 10) John wrote one of the gospels and three letters to Christians.  Matthew was collecting taxes. Matthew wrote one of the gospels recording more of Jesus’ sermon from the mountainside than the other gospel writers. Jesus stopped Saul (Paul) on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians. Paul was a Pharisee and zealous for God. He was “a certain man” who was to take the gospel to the Gentiles and Jews. He wrote a large portion of the New Testament.

I think, perhaps, we are all “a certain man or woman.” We may be the link between Jesus and someone who needs Jesus. We may think we’re unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but we may be that one for a particular task. Without the cooks and dish washers we could not enjoy the meal. Without the equipment operators and construction workers, the engineers could not build the highway.

God wants to use us for His glory. Are we willing to be used, to be the link? That “certain man” carrying the water jar was just a servant doing his job. I want to be “a certain man or woman” carrying the Living Water, sharing the good news of Jesus with everyone.

“Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).