Jesus Built Teams, Not Enemies Like the Wizard
Daily Scripture
Matthew 10:2-4, Luke 6:13-16
Matthew 10
2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, who is called Peter; and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee; and John his brother; 3 Philip; and Bartholomew; Thomas; and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean [or zealot] and Judas, who betrayed Jesus.
Luke 6
13 At daybreak, he called together his disciples. He chose twelve of them whom he called apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter; his brother Andrew; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew; 15 Matthew; Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus; Simon, who was called a zealot; 16 Judas the son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
In Wicked, the Wizard said, “The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy.” “Instead of trying to bring together the citizens through hope and progress, the Wizard stokes their fears through falsities and propaganda.” * Not Jesus. He didn’t create enemies to unite people against but brought actual enemies (Matthew the tax collector who worked for Rome and Simon the Zealot who opposed Roman rule **) into his inner circle. He changed them into brothers serving God’s kingdom together.
- Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot were on opposite extremes in their society’s political spectrum—one working with Rome, the other violently opposing it. Yet Jesus called them both to be part of his closest group of followers. When you encounter people with very different political or social views from yours, how do you respond? What might Jesus’ example teach us about bridging such divisions?
- Jesus didn’t ask his disciples to ignore their differences or pretend they agreed on everything. But rather than focusing on their differences, he called them to a higher kingdom—following him and sharing his message—that transcended their divisions. What shared purpose or mission might help you work with people whose views differ from yours? How can focusing on Jesus help bridge those gaps?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, our earthly politics says for me to win, you must lose. You taught and acted on the principle that in the kingdom ruled by God’s love, everyone can win. Help me to make that kingdom my life’s guiding focus. Amen.
GPS Insights
Denise Mersmann
Denise Mersmann, who serves as the Care Coordination Director for the churchwide Care Central department at Church of the Resurrection, wrote today's Insights.
In Wicked, the Wizard’s big “insight” was, “The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy.” It makes me stop and recall times when I have jumped on the bandwagon with not liking someone or something. Not necessarily from my own experience but because I heard things that influenced my mindset.
This isn’t a character trait that I am proud of. As I have gotten older, I hope I am less apt to follow the crowd and more likely to take the opinions of others as just that, their opinion.
As someone who had not seen Wicked until recently, I only knew bits and pieces. One of the “wicked things” I was most familiar with was the song “For Good.” Our daughter, Kate, and her friend, Victoria, danced to that song as their senior duet, which meant I got to hear it about 500 times that school year!
Maybe because it was Kate’s senior year, or because she danced with a best friend, who is the daughter of dear family friends–whatever the reason, “For Good” became one of my favorite songs. I would like to think that part of my affection for the song is that it makes me reflect on some of my own behaviors. There are several lines in the song that truly cause me to pause and evaluate. Here are a few of my favorite lines:
“I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn, and we are led to those who help us most to grow, if we let them and we help them in return…” As I think about the people in my life, I am amazed by how much they have shaped who I am. In many cases, I didn’t even realize it was happening. I didn’t always accept their direction with grace. It was often much later before I realized how much I had needed their influence. I wonder how many people came into my life for a reason, that I refused to let help me grow.
“So much of me is what I learned from you. You’ll be with me, like a handprint on my heart…” I am blessed to have loved and been loved by many truly wonderful people. Together they have made me who I am and a small part of each of them lives within me. I cherish the moments with them and all that they have shared with me.
“And just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness for the things I’ve done you blame me for. But then, I guess we know there’s blame to share and none of it seems to matter anymore…” This line speaks volumes to me. How much better would the world be if I could ask forgiveness when my instinct is to be defensive? Even if the blame isn’t one-sided, the first step to a solution can be. It’s a reminder to set aside the issues and realize how so many things we hold a grudge about don’t really matter anymore.
These words affect me every time I hear them, but each time I find a little something I hadn’t considered before. With my new awareness of the Wizard’s words, I wonder how many other people I could have let into my life if I hadn’t viewed them as an enemy. I’ll imagine a world where I approach everyone I meet believing that they bring something for me to learn–and really believe that I have something to offer them as well.
I’m sorry, Wizard. What the world needs is not a real good enemy. Right now, we need people coming into our lives, leaving handprints on our hearts, and asking for and granting forgiveness.
© 2026 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Quote and reviewer comment by Caitlin Chappel at https://screenrant.com/wicked-best-quotes/.
** “A second Simon is listed; he is further identified as the Cananaean…. Most modern commentators understand the word to be an Aramaic equivalent of “zealot,” referring to the zealous group of Jewish revolutionaries who were anti-Rome. New American Bible renders “the Zealot Party member”; New English Bible “a member of the Zealot party”; Barclay “the Nationalist.” (Barclay M. Newman and Phillip C. Stine, A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew in the UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies, 1988, p. 285.)
