It’s NFL draft time, and I happen to live in Green Bay, WI. And we happen to own a brewery/restaurant. Usually, I don’t care all that much about the NFL draft, but this year it has been on our minds for quite a while. Amidst prepping our business and thinking about the logistics of the whole event, I recently let my mind wander to the players who might be in town. The players who are yearning for their big break into the NFL, hoping their efforts have paid off and their hard work is noticed by the people who have the power to change their lives forever. The players who are praying they are seen, recognized, chosen specifically by a coach they want to play for. They are picking out their outlandish outfits for opening night, gathering their families for a joyful celebration, excited to don the hat of their new franchise, and ready to uproot and move wherever a coach has prepared a place for them. For many of them, it seems they have been working toward this moment their whole lives.

Meanwhile, back in Jesus’ time, a bunch of nobodies had no idea they were about to be seen, chosen, and picked out for a special team. The Son of God was about to make his ministry public, and he wanted to build his team of followers, the people he could inspire with a pep talk, huddle up with, and make a game plan to spread the good news together. And so, Jesus had his own draft. However, it seems like he was a terrible general manager. He could have had his pick of the Pharisees—hardworking Jews who strove to keep the laws perfectly and even added extra two-a-day ceremonial workouts for good measure. They were teachers of the law who boldly called out the plays and captained their teams righteously. Full of confidence and swagger, decked out in their finest outfits, the Pharisees were made for this moment. But GM Jesus passed them over.

Let’s take a look at Jesus’ lineup, the ones he called up out of oblivion and put on his team:

Coming up from the fisherman’s league was Simon Peter—since John beat him in a footrace to the tomb, we know Peter couldn’t run a 4.4 40-yard dash. The only thing fast about Peter was his mouth, and it got him in big trouble sometimes. In what could have been the clutch moment of his career, Peter dropped the ball three times by denying that he even knew Jesus. Butterfingers.

Next up was a pair of competitive brothers—James and John—nicknamed the Sons of Thunder. These two were good candidates, but they had a little bit of an anger issue. They got themselves in trouble trying to bring down the fire on their opponents, and although the zeal was impressive, they lost a bit of credibility when their mom got involved, asking Jesus to give them special positions on his team.

And how about Matthew? Maybe this guy would have been a better stat keeper for the team because he had more hours in the tax collector booth than on the field … but maybe not, because nobody likes a cheater. His own people didn’t even want him around and would have rather given him a wedgie and stuffed him in a locker before the game even started.

And Thomas? He was no day one plug-and-play starter, that’s for sure. Even after witnessing miracle after miracle, he still didn’t trust the coach and wanted to see the playbook again.

Dull. Brash. Traitors. Cowards. What kind of GM was Jesus? Why did he pick these guys to be on his team and follow him to victory? And I haven’t even mentioned some of his other friends and teammates—Mary Magdalene’s most impressive stat was how many demons possessed her at the same time. Judas left the team and betrayed his coach. Lepers, prostitutes, Samaritans—all matter of unclean people—Jesus hung out with some tough crowds and some shady folks. With all his almighty knowledge, with his ability to analyze the game and the hearts of men better than any nerdy intern, the question remains: Why did he choose them?

 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31,32).

Oh. Jesus wasn’t trying to put a team together that could win the Super Bowl victory over sin, death, and hell. He could and he did gain the victory all by himself. He didn’t pick his team because of all the hard work they had done, the crazy talent they possessed, or their charisma on the mission field. And this should make us so thankful. Because maybe you sense the underlying question that is coming next: Why does he choose us? What makes us even think we could be first round draft picks or even make the cut at all?

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6,8).

Powerless sinners. And Jesus picks us. Chooses us out of oblivion. This is even crazier than an NFL GM giving me a call on draft night to be their next star quarterback (although I was a decent wide receiver in grade school at recess). But GM Jesus gives us that crazy call, even though we have done zero work in the offseason to deserve it. We are now known, loved, redeemed, noticed, elevated, ready to be a part of the team of believers and wear our new franchise’s hat: a crown of righteousness. We’re ready to go where God has prepared a place for us, not because of the work we have done but because of his great love for us. To be sure, God has given each of us skills and talents to use on the playing field, to further the efforts of the team. We have different strengths and spiritual gifts, and we have very real work to do. But we’ve already been chosen. We’ve already been drafted onto his team. We’ve already won.