JESUS CHOOSES THE TWELVE AND DESIGNATES THEM APOSTLES

JESUS CHOOSES THE TWELVE AND DESIGNATES THEM APOSTLES

JESUS CHOOSES THE TWELVE AND DESIGNATES THEM APOSTLES Slides

Luke 6:12-26
Key Verse: 6:13
“When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles…”

Last week Jesus confronted some opposing influences when his disciples were found eating in the grainfields on a Sabbath. In defense, Jesus reminded his critics of Abiathar providing day-old consecrated bread to David and his hungry men after confirming they were ceremonially holy. Then Jesus starkly challenged the establishment by healing a man’s hand on the Sabbath day, asking the critics whether it was legal to save someone on the Sabbath day or not. Jesus made a very bold claim in defense of his merciful activities saying, “… the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.” HIs merciful acts and challenging lectures naturally lead to increasing popularity, along with growing opposition. This week, we consider Jesus’ response to trying times.

12.  …he called his disciples to him and chose twelve …
    What could Jesus do now that numerous people were seeking his help while the powerful establishment began looking for ways to cancel his ministry? Should he send fire from heaven to destroy his enemies in their homes? Should compromise and figure out how to accomplish his mission, in a culturally acceptable way? Should he quit his ministry and get an easier job? No. How did Jesus handle the situation? Let’s read verse 12. “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” Jesus went to a mountain and prayed all night. Why is this important? The book of Hebrews recalls such nights with an interesting insight.

It says, “… he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered …” Jesus was not a know-it-all guru or self-sufficient superman while on earth. He had to submit himself to God and frequently sought his heavenly father’s direction through prayer. Knowing the result of this prayer meeting shows that it was a difficult time deciding what direction to guide the ministry.

One Christian who suffered much under Nazi occupation during WWII left an inspirational instruction about prayer. She said, “Make prayer your steering wheel, rather than your spare tire.” Jesus seems to be the best example of steering his course by prayer in this passage.

The result is in verse 13. “When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:” After the long night seeking wisdom, Jesus realized it was time to have some assistants and close disciples. Wondering why 12 always leads to remembering the fact that Israel overall was established by 12 sons of Jacob. Although it is unlikely these individuals could be considered descendants of each tribe, there maybe some hints in the Bible that 12 Apostles represent a new beginning for God’s people. Like individuals needing to be new wine-skins and sinners needing new garments to be righteous, there seems to be a new conglomeration of people belonging to God that begins with and grows from 12 disciples. It even seems to include people of all nations.

Apostle Paul welcomes them in Ephesians 2:19-21, saying “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” Another hint of their significance to God’s kingdom is recorded in chapter 21 of John’s revelation where he saw a Holy City with twelve gates, each one having the name of an Israelite tribe on it, but surprisingly, he looked below and said: “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” These portray the architecture of God’s kingdom in spiritual dimensions. Now the apostles hold up the gates for Israelites from all tribes to enter by faith. The foundations for the temple and holy city in Jesus’ eternal kingdom are established on 12 servants’ example, sacrifices and faith to follow Jesus and put his words into practice.

It is pretty certain the twelve Jesus chose could not grasp this big picture at the time though. So, we have to wonder what it might mean to them when they were designated apostles. Maybe they could only understand the definition. Literally speaking, apostle means “: a messenger, one sent on a mission” according to the Internet Greek Bible site. So, twelve chosen disciples this morning must understand at least, they will be tasked with communicating Jesus’ message to others. As a practical necessity, Jesus will need help to spread the message, simply because he is getting popular. Any supposed leader would need to send apostles here and there for public relations and as ambassadors of all sorts. So the twelve must have felt especially proud to be selected.

In the spiritual dimension however, and particularly in the Bible, apostles seem to be uniquely empowered with supernatural insights and abilities quite similar to Jesus’. We will see later in Luke chapter 9 how these twelve experience divine assistance, and again in chapter 10 when even more are sent out with similar grace. I don’t know if the twelve had any idea about such future hope this morning. They were pretty normal folks, though clearly ambitious and very interested in what Jesus was doing. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the significance of being designated an Apostle of Jesus because it was almost the highest honor, and will require much from those whom Jesus appointed to the position.

Who were the twelve that Jesus chose? (Their names are given in verses 14-16: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” Did you spend any time learning more about them?

I tried spending some hours researching any details, even on Wikipedia and found there are legends associated with most of them, but we don’t really know a lot of reliable information about them. That is disappointing because we would like to celebrate them like we do our heroes, but it is also encouraging to think we are not really much different in the big picture. Most of us will not be remembered very long in this world after we move on to our eternal home. But God knows each and every one. He purposefully sets every living stone where it belongs in the house of God. How precious to know that God is at work selecting us and adding us in, just like the first apostles in the foundation. There is a wonderful wisdom of God in that design. Here are some simple facts and a few legends to consider about the twelve:

Simon is listed first and is often thought of as the one Jesus trained the most. His name is Hebrew and means listening or hearing. It originated when Leah named her son Simeon because she thought God heard she was not loved. Jesus called him Peter indicating his new identity as one of the foundation stones in the temple. He became a missionary in the Bible to mostly Jewish communities, even visiting the Babylon area (a.k.a Parthian empire) and according to legend, settled in Rome where he was martyred.
Andrew was a Greek name meaning strong and manly. He was the first to follow Jesus when John the Baptist introduced him by the river. In the Bible he is a go-getter, he went and got Peter, bringing him to Jesus, and famously got 5 loaves and two fish to feed the crowd. Legends say he was a great church planter all around the Black Sea,  as far north as Kyiv in Ukraine and way south, even to the edges of Greece.
James & John seem to go together. They are sneakily ambitious in the Gospels, even asking their mom to ask Jesus to give them the best job in Jesus’ kingdom. John is a short pronunciation of the Hebrew name Yohanan meaning “Yahweh has been gracious”. James is a morphed English version of Jacob (meaning a deceiver in Hebrew). John is known as the beloved disciple and Jesus assigned him to care for Mary while he was dying on the cross. John seems to have survived the longest, all the way to AD98. James was probably the first of these twelve to die when Herod Agrippa attempted to appease the Jews in Acts 12.

Philip has a greek name meaning horse lover. He also went with Jesus from the river and invited his friend Nathanael to meet Jesus. Later Philip seems very different from Andrew. While Phillip was calculating what can’t be done to feed 5000, Andrew jumped into action trying anything to help them. So, Philip seems like an eager witness, but sort of distressed when a tricky situation pops up.
Bartholomew is a Hebrew name that translates to Ploughman (son of Talmai or “furrows”). He is among the least mentioned in the Bible and legends. But the claim he visited India with Matthew’s gospel and translated it then came back a little to the north, ending with a brutal execution in what we call Armenia.
Matthew is famous because he dramatically left his life as Levi the tax collector. Maybe Jesus gave him this nickname Matthew which in Hebrew means “a gift”. The most unusual thing is, although Matthew wrote a Gospel of Jesus, there seems to be very little written about Matthew outside the Bible. Even ancient legends are contradictory except that he may have visited and shared the good news in Ethiopia.
Thomas is Hebrew for “The twin”. We know he was brave one day to go and die with Jesus when he decided to visit Lazarus’ grave. But Thomas became famous for being slow to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. In legends, Thomas is said to have established a community of believers in modern India that remains even now.

James son of Alphaeus seems to be the most misunderstood among the 12 because many wish he could be one of several other Jameses mentioned in the Bible, but his specific name is only mentioned in these lists of Apostles in the Gospels. That is disappointing and legends from the time are the rarest about James son of Alphaeus. One Bible question page calls his life ” … the picture of obscure service” indicating nobody really knows what became of him. Yet, his reward according to Jesus’ promise is great, equal to the others who seem to have done something more memorable.
Simon, who was called the Zealot, was possibly a member of a Jewish group that eventually started the failed rebellion against Rome in A.D. 70. That would make Simon an early member, but traditions say he became a missionary to the south of Israel and later to the north east rather than a revolutionary. Praise God, he became zealous for Christ and seems to have repented his nationalism to become an international Bible messenger.
The next Apostle is Judas son of James who seems to have a nickname “Thaddeus” in the other gospels. His nickname supposedly means brave. Because Judas was such a popular name, there are many ideas about his identity, similar to the second James. They mostly center on Jesus’ brothers, because other gospels mention a Judas and a James among Jesus’ siblings in Nazareth. Legends propose that Thaddeus shared good news to Armenia and other places in the near east, and perhaps over to Libya until he was executed in the Lebanon area around 65AD.
Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He was pretty messed up. One gospel says, Judas Iscariot would help himself to money from the collections that supported Jesus’ ministry. His love of money led him to betray Jesus and he lost his mind, then hung himself. He missed the chance to serve Jesus’ world mission and he forfeited the kingdom of heaven for a few dollars. His story is the shortest, but it requires that we accept the inconvenient truth that not all who follow Jesus are doing so for Jesus’ sake or with real hope to inherit the kingdom of God. Some are seeking their own benefit and ill gotten gains.

So there is a long list of short stories about the twelve Jesus chose. Briefly thinking of them we see Jesus chose a diverse group to serve a diverse crowd, and to fulfill prophetic words. They were several hard working fellows, considering fishermen, a tax collector and a Zealot. Some got name changes to help them appreciate the new life Jesus called them to represent as Apostles. Considering 12 Apostles we see the work of God needs different kinds of people. The Biblical concept of the church is one body with many different parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). We need to have unity in diversity. That may require great humility, compassion and forgiveness among coworkers. Considering the Roman tax collector, Matthew, traveling and working together with the Zealous revolutionary Simon is the extreme example of bitter enemies being transformed into eternal brothers in Christ. Like Jesus’ twelve disciples, we are different from one another. We must respect others’ different characters and unique virtues. In doing the work of God, we need Jesus and we need one another. Some of the disciples may accomplish vast and far reaching ministry like Peter and Andrew, while others might serve more obscurely like James the lesser. But we should believe that when we form one body among all kinds of people, we can fulfill God’s vision to evangelize the whole world with the good news.

II. A large crowd of his disciples … and a great number of people …

Right after appointing the Twelve, Luke describes a very big Bible conference. Look at verse 17-19: “17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” Jesus’ time of prayer brought him good insight to choose the first Apostles, but it also prepared him for an amazing time of serving many people with all kinds of troubles. It says, “power was coming out” and healing the people. It made the crowd so happy that God was visiting them. Jesus’ disciples glimpsed what it takes to minister to such people and the Apostles started on the job training. What could be the first training objective in this scene? Maybe the first thing to learn could be that they cannot do God’s work without power from on high to assist them. It should be understood that nothing will work for God unless God makes it work. We can make lots of programs and events, but we cannot help lost souls enter God’s kingdom until he opens the way. Let’s pray for his kingdom to come and petition the Lord earnestly to turn on the power and help us serve the large crowd at the International Summer Bible Conference.

After describing the practical ministry, Luke shares the summary of group Bible studies. There seem to be two groups. First, the disciples in verse 20-26 and then whoever hears what Jesus has to say from v27-49. Maybe the second group includes anyone from the crowd who hung around to consider Jesus’ teaching. Since this week’s lesson is focused on the Apostles, we just want to look at the first section and try to understand how it relates to the twelve and others who claim to be committed believers.

First, there are blessed people described in verses 20-22. Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” This seems contradictory to what most people might be expecting from a glorious messianic leader. It is assumed that when they left their jobs, the fishermen and the tax collector were hoping to advance in society and rule the world next to Jesus. They might feel very confused. So why are the poor, the hungry, and those who weep blessed? The key is verse 22: “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” The key phrase is “because of the Son of Man.” That is, because of Jesus. When the disciples follow Jesus, they will share his suffering, being misunderstood and persecuted by their unbelieving community. Jesus’ disciples were already being hated, accused, insulted and rejected as evil because of Jesus. They were foolish in the eyes of the world. But they were wise and blessed in the eyes of Jesus. Now they have to put their hope in the everlasting kingdom of God rather than a worldly empire where they rule at random like little dictators over their territories. It will take much training to help them see the light and it won’t be easy when they are persecuted, but there is a sure promise for them in verse 23. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.” Jesus likens his followers to the true prophets of God, who proclaimed God’s message faithfully, even when society did not agree. Likewise, twelve apostles must share Jesus’ message and expand his ministry to all nations. All believers should expect some sort of misunderstanding and be willing to forgo this world’s treasures to any degree Jesus requires in hope of spending eternity with him. God has prepared everlasting joy and comfort for them beyond this world.

The opposite case is described in verses 24-26. Jesus said, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.” At first glance, it seems that anyone who has money in the bank, food in the pantry, laughter in their home, and is spoken well of are in for trouble. Does this mean Jesus’ disciples can no longer enjoy a square meal, and they must not laugh at all? We hope not. Even Jesus defended his disciple having something to eat in the grainfields. Verse 26 helps understand the context: “for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.” False prophets said nice things that the politically powerful people wanted to hear, so they were rewarded and treated well. They ridiculed and laughed at the true prophets when they were punished by the establishment. This is a dreadful warning to Jesus’ disciples about the dangers of compromising with the worldly people for selfish gain. It was the lesson Judas Iscariot never took to heart, but Apostle John got the message. Later he challenged the believers with a similar principle 1 John 2:15-17. He said, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Let’s read today’s key verse one more time together. Let’s go. “When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles…” This passage shows Jesus’ desire to prepare some disciples to succeed him and expand his ministry, and his hope to unite people from all over the world as God’s children. He prayed and implemented God’s plan, choosing twelve disciples to be the foundation for the temple of living stones where God is worshiped and adored under the new covenant in Jesus’ blood. The twelve were not super special people, but God gave them what they needed to accomplish his work in his time. One of the twelve did not appreciate God’s plan and became a woeful loser. Can you remember who took his place in the early chapters of Acts? (Mattathias) Extra credit if you can remember the name of the other candidate among two who were qualified:) We should carefully consider Jesus’ basic instructions for disciples and weep for those who do not accept his salvation and for our own sins that sent him to the cross. Then commit our souls to follow Jesus, hungering for his righteousness rather than worrying for our daily bread. We will likely be rejected and face exclusion or cancellation in our day, for standing on Jesus’ side, but we can believe his promise that there is a great reward waiting in heaven. Pray God may empower us with his spirit to endure any training and keep our hope and treasure always in heaven.

Let’s pray.