There are many reasons, some good and some less good, of why people come to church.  I want to offer thanks to God and give myself to the upbuilding of his church, that’s a great reason. I come to church to see Santa or I come to church for the great food, those are less good reasons.  I have to come to church because mom and dad made me, or I have to come to church because I’m the pastor, those aren’t great reasons either.  But if we are honest with ourselves, at least sometimes we all have these mixed motivations within us-and we are not alone. 

In today’s reading, and throughout the Gospels, Jesus’s disciples—who are simply the church in embryonic form—they also seem to have good and bad reasons for why they are following Jesus.  Some it seems are in it to feel powerful, that’s the reason for all the arguments about who is the alpha apostle. Some are in it to preserve their ethnic-national pride and identity. Some are in it for the miracles, what God does for them, and resist what God does to them.  Well whatever their reasons, the astonishing thing, that again makes Jesus different from us all, is that he works with us all.  Time and time again-and particularly in today’s reading-Jesus demonstrates that it doesn’t matter what mixed motives a person has for following him, he’ll start with where we are-but you better believe he will lead us to a far better place.