Luke 6:12-17 The Twelve Apostles
“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”
Jesus knows that he has only a short time on earth and that he must thoroughly train a few men who will pass on his teachings. Even though Jesus has already called some men to be his disciples, now he wants a select few to become apostles. The term “disciple” means “a believer,” while the term “apostle” means “one who is sent.” Although sometimes writers of the Gospels use the terms interchangeably, Jesus has many disciples but only twelve apostles. Jesus doesn’t simply look around his disciples and begin making random choices but goes out to a mountain and prays all night to make certain he will choose the right men to become apostles.
If Jesus has devoted all this time to prayer, why does Jesus choose Judas Iscariot? Doesn’t Jesus know ahead of time that Judas will steal from the offerings for the poor and will eventually betray him? We won’t actually know the answer to that question until we reach heaven; however, it’s quite possible that God the Father warns Jesus and tells him to choose Judas anyway. Just as God the Father knows all the earthquake faults along the Jordan Valley, He also knows all the breaking points of Judas’ character. But Judas will have the same opportunities as all of the other apostles to preach, teach, heal, and proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. When Judas chooses to break bad, it will be his free choice, not anything that is forced upon him.
How does Jesus know whom to pick? After praying all night, Jesus greets his disciples in the morning. As Jesus looks at these men, the Holy Spirit quietly speaks to him, causing these men to come forward in Jesus’ mind while the others fade into the distance. How am I so certain that this process occurs? At many points in my life, I have had occasion to pray for guidance. Each time, one choice will suddenly become right while all other choices will retreat into the distance so rapidly that I can’t even grab them mentally. Throughout God’s Word, He promises to lead us and guide us if we will only allow him. God will guide anyone who asks for wisdom as long as they are serious about the request.
Jesus Heals a Great Multitude
Luke 6:17-19 “And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.”
Jesus has prayed all night, and the power of the Holy Spirit is upon him to heal all who will come to him. At some point, Jesus might not even have to touch people, but merely wave his hand over the crowd. As Jesus does so, cries of delight ring out! “My eyes! My eyes! I can see! I can see!” “Look, I’m leaping!” “My leprosy, it’s gone!” “The demons are gone! My daughter is free!” “My mind is clear! I am no longer having fits!” Thousands of people are healed in a single moment as God’s power moves through the people.
Later, after Jesus has briefly joined Moses and Elijah on a mountaintop, Jesus will descend and heal a demon-possessed boy who has repeatedly fallen into fire and water during epileptic fits. When the disciples ask why they have been unable to cast out the demons, Jesus will tell them that “This kind only comes out by prayer and fasting.” Although Jesus spends a great deal of his time ministering to huge groups of people, he also spends hours and sometimes entire nights praying. These long hours of prayer prepare Jesus for continuing his ministry. Jesus doesn’t urge his disciples to fast a great deal; however, he fasts privately. Jesus also advises his disciples that when they fast, they should do so privately, avoiding making a show of their self-denial.
How many times do we actually devote to praying over critically important decisions? Sadly, many of us make judgements based on superficial qualities without asking God for His Wisdom. A phenomenally successful Korean minister described the secret of his achievements succinctly: “I pray and I obey.” But if we don’t pray in the first place, how do we know what orders we are obeying? Only when we get quiet before God can we possibly know what God wants us to do.
May God help us, so that we will continue to seek His guidance and then obey. May we “pray and obey!”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to continually and persistently ask for Your leading. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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