Dan Barber is a picky eater, but it’s his obsession with selectiveness that has made him famous.

Barber owns the Blue Hill restaurants in New York. Over and over again he has been named among the top chefs in the world.

Barber is a pioneer of the farm-to-table movement. He’s careful to select produce and meat from farmers that grow sustainable, ethically farmed, organic, beautiful tasting foods. This means, he isn’t always serving up what’s expected. For a season he cooks with buckwheat, cowpeas, barley and mustard greens, crops rotated in to enrich the soil. But in return, Dan is able to serve nutrient-filled produce that makes for award-winning restaurants.

Jesus’ ministry could be likened to Dan’s gourmet cuisine, for it is based on careful selectiveness as well.

Jesus also has a habit of choosing what isn’t expected. Like Dan, He picks from the inside out, choosing those ripe for harvest, those with potential for His great plans.

Jesus’ own simple-minded but passionate-hearted disciples were the cowpeas and barley of God’s great menu. Though seemingly unfit on the outside, they were packed with healthy potential.

If we’re longing to be at God’s table but feel like we’re the mustard greens of the farm, then we’re perfecting for picking too!