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| What does Rudy have to do with following Jesus? Let's find out! |
If you have seen the movie Rudy you know Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger grew up in Joliet, Illinois during the 1960s harboring a deep desire to play football for the University Of Notre Dame. The only trouble came in that Rudy was not big enough, fast enough, or strong enough to play for the Fighting Irish. Well, that and he did not make good enough grades to make it into the academically rigorous institution. Oh, and he did not have the money to actually afford schooling at Notre Dame. Still, for Rudy he would not give up his dream.
Attempting to get his grades up, Rudy attended a local community college near South Bend where Notre Dame is located. He worked on the grounds crew for minimum wage. Being homeless he snuck into the groundskeeper’s office to sleep somewhere at night. All the while Ruettiger kept alive his dream of playing for the football team.
When Rudy discovered he was dyslexic he sought help to overcome his learning disability. He pulled up his grades just in time to transfer from the junior college to Notre Dame. After walking on to the team—playing without a scholarship—Rudy garnered the affection of teammates as he worked harder than most out of the spotlight on the practice squad. Eventually the coach promised to allow Rudy to dress for one home game his senior year, but that coach was let go and a new coach was brought in to coach the team.
Finally, during the last home game the other seniors including some All-American players said they would give up their spots to allow Rudy to play in their place. Eventually the coach conceded allowing Rudy to dress against Georgia Tech. The crowd began to cheer for Rudy as the game got out of hand in Notre Dame’s favor. Still the coach would not allow Rudy to see playing time. As Rudy played defense he needed the offense to score quickly at the end of the game so that he might get to play—and that was exactly what happened.
When Rudy got onto the field on kickoff duty he sprinted down the field, but as he did not make a tackle he would not be in the record book. He stayed on to play one defensive series. As he did, Rudy sacked the quarterback and the game ended with the other players carrying Rudy off the field. The story of Rudy stands out as a profound example of staying faithful to God’s calling for us in much the same way that God called Matthias whom we celebrate today.
The disciples decided that this person need have been with them throughout the whole of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Joseph called Barabbas and Matthias were disciples of Jesus. They were there at Jesus’ miracles and at his teachings, they were there during Holy Week and Jesus’ Passion, and they were there even as all felt lost. Barabbas and Matthias were not practice squad disciples, nor were they B-team apostles. They were quiet, persistent, and faithful servants of Jesus. Perhaps even more than Peter, James, or John these disciples responded to God’s calling without any of the popularity or spotlight.
As the Spirit called through the casting of lots, Matthias was chosen to take Judas’ place. We do not know anything more than this about the life of Matthias, and to tell you the truth, it is better this way. The out of the way example that Matthias provides us inspires us not to be disciples for show or for some award. Rather, we are called to hear God’s calling, God’s dream for us and to pursue it without wavering or hesitation. Like Rudy we are charged to hold fast to the hope God puts into our hearts. When obstacles arise may we trust that God’s dream stands bigger than them.
May we follow the good example of Matthias trusting that there are no B-team disciples. May we dream with God hearing the calling for our lives. May we live as quiet, persistent, and faithful servants of Jesus following him whether or not we get praise or condolence in the process.
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