When my sister and I were teenagers, my mom was worried about the people with which we were friends.  Every so often, she would remind us to choose wisely.  “Bad company destroys good morals,” she would say.  Or, “You’re defined by the company you keep.”  Or my personal favorite:  “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.”  Like most parents, Mom wanted to protect us from those that might get us into trouble.

In that light, I wonder if anyone every warned the disciples about hanging around with Jesus.  Oh, I know that is almost heretical to ask, but if you read the New Testament you find that Jesus is always getting his friends into trouble.  In Matthew’s Gospel, for example, they get in trouble with religious leaders for eating with sinners, breaking the Sabbath rules, and faili…