Six Ordinary People Who Helped Jesus Fulfill His Divine Mandate

Introduction

In His earthly ministry, Jesus was helped by many people to fulfill the will of God for His life. As He stated, He came to do the will of the Father who sent Him (John 6:38). He demonstrated by people helping Him that ministry is not a one-man show, but rather, we need the help of others who will hold our hands in one way or another.

In His incarnation, He came through Mary and Joseph, who cared for Him until He was of age to take off in ministry. He called 12 disciples who walked with Him and were imparted by Him to further the work He started when He went to the Father.

This article explores six ordinary people who helped Jesus fulfill His divine mandate on earth. We must learn from Him and pray for God to open our eyes to the people who can help us.

1. John the Baptist

John was older than Jesus by about six months. He started ministry before Jesus did and had many followers who believed it was the finger of God at work in his life. He baptized and introduced Jesus to the Jewish people (John 1:29-34). Jesus took over the ministry and never ceased to mention John’s name as being sent by God (Matthew 11:11).

Can you genuinely use your platform to help advance an upcoming minister of the gospel? Can you discern the hand of God on them and declare to people what you know the Spirit will do in their lives? We can learn from John to help other ministers to do the work of Christ.

2. Peter

Peter was a failing fisherman who met Jesus at his workplace. He loaned his boat to Jesus to preach on it at the seaside (Luke 5:3). He was a failure who was turned into an apostle who won many people to Christ (Acts 2:41).

Can you release what you have to be used for the propagation of the gospel? When Peter let go of his boat, Jesus gave him more than he gave (Luke 5:6-7). God is able to give us more than we give to Him. He can multiply our efforts and bless us more than we can contain (Malachi 3:10).

3. The Woman at the Well

She offered to give Jesus water to drink when He was tired and thirsty (John 4:7). She was broken emotionally, but by the time Jesus was through with her, she had become an evangelist (John 4:28-29).

The Lord can use broken people for His good. He can transform their experiences and make them have a stable relationship with Him. This woman offered to give water, but Christ in turn gave her rivers of living water (John 4:14). She came for water but encountered the man above all men. As we open our arms to help God’s people, we are positioned to be blessed.

4. Mary Magdalene

Mary was seriously demon-possessed when Jesus cast the demons out and set her free (Luke 8:2). She wiped the feet of the Son of God with her costly perfume to anoint Him for His burial (John 12:3). Her act of benevolence has never been expunged from the gospels (Mark 14:9).

As the Lord changes our story, we must seek to serve Him with our best and not our surplus. Mary teaches us to give our finest because God gave His only begotten Son to us (John 3:16).

5. Simon of Cyrene

He was the unknown man who helped Jesus to carry His cross to the place of His crucifixion (Mark 15:21). Many were those He healed, cast demons out of, and performed wonders for, but this unknown man helped Him in His hour of need. We still remember his deed on our lips.

You might be very unknown, but God will not forget your act of help when one of His children needs it most (Hebrews 6:10). The Bible instructs us to help one another (Galatians 6:2). In the book of Acts, we saw the early church demonstrate this in their act of generosity to the needy (Acts 4:32-35).

6. Joseph of Arimathea

He was a follower of Jesus Christ and also a ruler of the Jews with much wealth. When Jesus was dead, it took Joseph to use his connection in high places to request the body of our Lord and give Him a befitting tomb in his newly hewn tomb (Matthew 27:57-60).

There are Josephs in our midst today who can use their network of influence to request favor for the sake of the gospel. What are you using the influential people you know for? How is it helping you to advance the gospel of Christ? Reflect on this and decide how you can be useful.

Conclusion

It is clear from the above that Jesus Christ was helped by human beings during His earthly ministry. It supposes that we must position ourselves to be helped to fulfill God’s purposes for our lives. God can use anyone to be of help to us if we are well positioned to receive from Him.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV). Let us pray for discernment and openness to those God places in our lives to help us fulfill our divine mandates.