Luke 6:12-16
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Turn to Luke 6. Our passage this evening is going to be pretty short. It’s only five verses. To make up for it being short this week it will be extra long next week. It’ will be thirty-three verses. In our passage, Jesus chooses the twelve men who will become his apostles. An apostle is simply a messenger. There were lots of people coming to hear Jesus, many of whom might have even been called disciples, but he chose these twelve men who would carry his message after he died.
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Luke 6:12-16)
There were three stages of education at that time. Education for these men would have started at age six. This was called the Bet Sefer or House of the Book. It would last from age six to ten. All Jewish males would have been expected to attend. They would have gone to school at the local synagogue where they would have studied the Scriptures. They were required to have memorized the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, by the time they were ten.
After this, the best students were invited to attend the next level called Bet Talmud or House of Learning. The rest went home to begin learning a trade, usually whatever occupation their father held. Bet Talmud lasted another four years. There, they studied all of the scriptures.
Then, for the really, really smart student there was an additional level of education called the Bet Midrash or House of Study. Very few students made it this far. At this point you were given the opportunity to study with a rabbi. The application process was intense. They had to be worthy of the time and energy the rabbi would spend with them. Rabbis chose only the best students to become their disciples. They wanted students that would be willing and able to take all that they taught them and put it into practice. The goal of the disciple was to become like the rabbi. Next week we’ll read where Jesus says:
The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. (Luke 6:40)
Jesus was calling these men not just to be one of his disciples, but his apostles, his messengers and they all jumped at the opportunity. Let’s briefly review the lives of the twelve men Jesus chose as his disciples.
Peter: Peter’s given name was Simon and means “he has heard” or “obedient one.” Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter which means Rock. Peter is also known by Cephas which is Aramaic and also means Rock. Peter was originally from Bethsaida which was on the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee. By the time of Jesus’ ministry, Peter’s family had moved to Capernaum which is about fifteen miles southwest of Bethsaida and also on the sea. Peter was a fisherman.
Peter is often described as being impetuous. He often spoke and acted before the thought. This bold nature helped him in his leadership but it also got him into trouble. It was Peter who stepped out of the boat to walk to Jesus before he sank. Peter tried to correct Jesus when Jesus spoke about his crucifixion. Peter made great boasts when Jesus foretold that some would stumble. And though Peter was bold enough to follow Jesus into the courtyard during Jesus’ trial, Peter then denied even knowing Jesus when put on the spot. However, on the day of Pentecost it was Peter who preached the first gospel message. Peter became a great leader in the early church. Peter wrote two epistles: 1st and 2nd Peter. Many think that Peter was the source for much of what Mark wrote in his gospel. Tradition tells us that Peter was later crucified upside down by Nero in Rome.
Andrew: Andrew, Peter’s bother, was also a fisherman. Andrew is the one who brought Peter to Jesus.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. SLIDE 3 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. (John 1:40-42)
Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist. Andrew is the one who brought the boy with the five loaves and two fish to Jesus when he fed the five thousand. Tradition says that he was crucified.
James: James was the brother of John. Jesus referred to the two brothers as the sons of thunder because of their fiery temperament. Their father’s name was Zebedee. They were all fishermen from Capernaum. James was the first apostle to be martyred. He was killed by Herod the tetrarch.
John: As I mentioned, John was the brother of James and the son of Zebedee. John wrote the gospel of John, three epistles (1, 2, and 3 John) and the book of Revelation. In his gospel he referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved. As Jesus hung on the cross he gave John the responsibility of caring for his mother Mary. John was banished to the isle of Patmos by the Romans emperor Domitian. It was from Patmos that he wrote the Book of Revelation. He is believed to have died in Ephesus.
Philip: Turn to the first chapter of John. Philip was from Bethsaida. We shouldn’t confuse him with Philip who was one of the seven deacons chosen to help with the distribution of food to the widows. Like Andrew, after meeting Jesus, Philip immediately went and told someone. Philip told Nathaniel.
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” (John 1:43-51)
Bartholomew: aka Nathaniel. Bartholomew was Cana in Galilee. That’s where Jesus preformed his first miracle of turning water in wine at a wedding. ; also known as Nathanael; preached to the Indians, to whom he also gave the Gospel according to Matthew; was crucified and buried in Allanum.
Matthew: Matthew, also called Levi, was a tax collector in Capernaum. Mark says that he was the son of Alphaeus. Matthew wrote the gospel that bears his name.
Thomas: Thomas is also called Didymus or the twin. It’s possible that he was a fisherman. He is most often remembered as “Doubting Thomas,” but he should also be remembered as being very committed. After Lazarus died, Jesus announced that they would travel to Bethany where Lazarus lived. Bethany was just a few miles east of Jerusalem. The last time they were in the area the Jews had tried to kill Jesus so Jesus left with his disciples. Now, Jesus wanted to go back. There had to be some confusion among the disciples as to why Jesus would make the trip, but not with Thomas.
Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” (John 11:16)
Tradition says Thomas took the gospel to India where he died and was buried.
James: This James is sometimes referred to as James the Lesser in order not to confuse him with the brother of John. Nor is he to be confused with James, the brother of Jesus who wrote the book of James. He too is called a son of Alphaeus. Therefore, it’s wondered if he was Matthew’s brother. If so, there were three sets of brother, six of the twelve. Tradition says that while he was preaching in Jerusalem he was stoned to death by the Jews and was buried there beside the temple.
Simon: To distinguish him from Simon Peter, one of the brothers of Jesus, or other men with the same name in the New Testament, Luke refers to this Simon as a Zealot. The Zealots were a group of Jewish revolutionaries who opposed the Roman rule. My guess is most of those crucified were from this group. You’d have to imagine there was some tension between Simon and Matthew. Simon is openly opposing the Romans while Matthew was working with them. We don’t read about any heated exchanges they could have had.
Jude: Jude was also known as Thaddaeus (“warm-hearted”) because of the infamy that came to be attached to the name Judas; also called Lebbaeus; not to be confused with the author of the Book of Jude who was Jesus’ and James’ brother; preached to the people of Edessa, to all Mesopotamia, and died and was buried at Berytus.
Judas Iscariot: Judas was the son of Simon Iscariot from Kerioth. He was probably the only one of the twelve not from the region of Galilee. We’re told that Judas was responsible for holding the money bag used for buying food and necessities as they traveled. We’re also told that he would occasionally take some of the money for himself. Of course we remember him most for betraying Jesus.
These were the twelve men that Jesus chose. There were others that followed Jesus. In Acts 1, following the ascension of Jesus, Peter suggested they find someone to replace Judas. He quoted verses from Psalm 69 and 109 which talk about someone taking a place of leadership that had been left vacated. They decided the qualifications should be someone who had followed Jesus since the time of his baptism until the time of his ascension. Two men met that qualification: Joseph and Matthias.
So, what can we learn and apply to our lives from their stories?
The first thing we see is that God can use anyone.
Jesus spent time carefully considering who he would choose, and he intentionally chose a diverse group of guys. This wasn’t a haphazard drawing of lots to see who would be in the group. Remember, we’re told how Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before he made his final decision.
That is a lesson in itself. When we have major decisions to make then we should give an amount of time in prayer that’s equal to the decision. If God’s Son did it, we should do it as well.
I’ve read about a family that followed this idea faithfully. When faced with a big decision they would say, “We’re going to take three days of prayer. We are going to pray for three days and allow God the opportunity to answer.”
Jesus spent such a long time in prayer so we’re sure he got it right, but were the twelve men Jesus chose worthy to be his apostles? No one else saw them as worthy. That’s why they’d all learned trades. But Jesus saw something in them. He spent all night in prayer seeking his Father’s leading in who to choose and these are the men he picked. While we would certainly second guess his selection of Judas, none of the other eleven were standouts either.
What we see is an incredibly diverse group of just ordinary people. It reiterates the fact that God can use anyone. It doesn’t matter what your background is. It doesn’t matter how much money you have. The disciples came from blue collar and white collar backgrounds. Some had money, some did not. It didn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter what your political background is. Simon the zealot was from a revolutionary group that wanted to overthrow Rome. As a tax collector, Matthew worked for the Roman government. It didn’t matter. Jesus could use them both.
It doesn’t even matter what your education is. And I think this is where we see a huge departure from the way we do things. We want the best and the brightest. When we hire we want to know a person’s education. What school did you attend? Where did you finish in your class? What’s your academic achievement? But that’s not how Jesus did it.
Jesus didn’t see these people for what they had been or even what they were; he saw them for what they could become. He does the same with each of us.
The disciples had no formal training beyond what every Jewish male received. They had all graduated from the fourth grade. However, Jesus took them and worked with them so that we read about how they were received by the Jewish Sanhedrin.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
While there may have people wondering why Jesus chose those guys, he knew what he was doing and he chose to work a miracle through in them. It’s the way God works. God uses everyone. Paul told the Corinthians:
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. . . . 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
God can use anyone. You don’t have to be smarter than a disciple. You don’t have to be stronger, richer, more powerful, more important, or more popular to be used by God. God can use anyone. And the reason he can use anyone leads us right to our second point.
God equips those he chooses.
We found his original calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be disciples in Luke 5 where Jesus invited them to follow him and that he would make them fishers of men. He invited Matthew in much the same way though he didn’t mention fishing. I think we can safely assume he called many others – including the other apostles – to follow him. And after he called them he began the process of preparing them to get ready to serve and to lead.
Jesus knew that he would have to leave it in their hands and so to get them ready he equipped them to succeed. How did he equip them?
First, he led them by example. He set the example in prayer. Do you remember when the apostles came to him asking him to teach them how to pray? They had seen his example and wanted to follow it. They saw his devotion to the father, his focus on the mission, and his compassion to the unfortunate. He didn’t ask them to do anything he wasn’t willing to do.
Secondly, he gave them increasing steps of responsibility. He sends them out on little missions. He didn’t ask them to preach to the masses on the first week. He gave them increasingly difficult tasks to build their faith and confidence. We can see their development in the gospels as Jesus equipped them for service. He not only delegated responsibilities to the twelve but he gave them the resources and the abilities to carry them out.
He’ll do the same for you. If God is calling you to a task he will also equip you to carry it out.
The final part of the process is this:
If God chooses you (which he does), and he equips you (which he will), then he has an expectation that you will be faithful in your calling.
We’ll get to this in a few weeks, but in Luke 9 we read:
1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. (Luke 9:1-6)
When Jesus sent them out he sent them out with an expectation to preach. Their job was to plant seeds. He expected them to do that. He didn’t expect them to harvest all the seeds planted, or even to make them grow. In this instance the expectation was to simply preach.
We all have different jobs. God’s expectation is that we will be faithful in whatever job he gives us. In time he wouldn’t call the disciples all to the same job. Not everyone got to preach at Pentecost. Not everyone got to help decide things at the Jerusalem counsel. Not everyone got to undertake a missionary journey. Sometimes you plant, sometimes you water. Sometimes you harvest.
What that means today is sometimes you teach a class, sometimes you mow the yard, sometimes you watch the nursery, sometimes you write the check. It doesn’t matter what you are called to, but whatever you are called to, there is a level of expectation, and a call to be faithful. Are we being faithful?
Jesus showed us that he can use anyone, and whoever follows him he will equip to serve, and whatever area he equips you in, he expects you to carry it out in faithfulness. The disciples, for all their faults, remained faithful – with the exception of Judas.
Joseph Parker, preacher of the City Temple Church in London, England, was once asked, “Why did Jesus choose Judas as a disciple? He knew Judas would betray him.” And Parker replied, “I admit that’s a mystery. But,” he said, “There’s an even greater mystery. Why did Jesus choose me?”
I don’t know. I don’t know why he chooses who he does, I don’t know why he chooses to use you, and I certainly don’t know why he chooses to use me. But I’ll tell you what, I’m glad he does. I appreciate that the Father loves us enough that he wants to use us in his service.
A preacher told this story about himself and his son.
My son Kyle is seven, and we have a little ritual that we like to go through. It’s a moment that he and I often share. Every so often as I’m tucking him into bed I will tell him, “Kyle I want you to picture a long line of little boys. You’re standing in that line. And there are every kind of little boy in that line. There are tall boys and short boys, boys with blond hair and boys with brown hair. There are boys that are good at music, or good at sports. There are boys that are smart, and some that aren’t so smart. There are boys with nice clothes and boys with big smiles. And there are hundreds and hundreds of these boys. And you’re in that line with them. Now here’s the thing Kyle, I get to pick any one of those boys to be my son. I wonder which one I should choose. I could choose this boy who is tall or this one who is short. I could choose one down here, or one over there. Which one should I choose to be my son?
We have done this ten times, and ten times, even though he knows the answer, he looks at me like “I hope you pick me.” And I play it up for a long time, and then finally, with a grin on his face, he asks as if he’s never heard the answer, “Which one do you choose dad?” And I always say, “Kyle, I choose you.”
We might go through the same routine with God. We might God and you ask, “Why in the world would you choose me? I don’t have much to offer.” And maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re not smarter than a disciple, or braver, or more faithful, or more skilled, but he still chooses you. He still considers you special. And he still wants to build that relationship as your father I heaven.