Download Luke 6:12-16 “The Choosing of the 12 Apostles” Intro. We come now

Sermon outline and notes:
© Dr. Stephen Felker, Pastor
Swift Creek Baptist Church.com, 18510 Branders Bridge Rd., Colonial Heights, VA 23834
3/17/2013
Luke 6:12-16 “The Choosing of the 12 Apostles”
Intro. We come now to Luke’s account of the choosing of the 12 disciples. As I mentioned
previously, some of the disciples were introduced to our Lord when He went to Jerusalem. He
actually began to call disciples to follow Him during that Judean ministry. Later, walking by the
Sea of Galilee, He once again called those men to follow Him. Then, as we saw last week, they
went back to fishing, at least part-time. After a great miracle of catching two boat loads of fish,
Peter and the others “forsook all, and followed him” (Luke 5:11). Now we have come to the third
stage in Peter and others becoming a select group of the Lord’s disciples. Out of an unspecified
number of disciples, He chose twelve men to be His apostles.
I believe there is a lesson here for us. Many of us can look back and see several stages in
our discipleship. The first step is making that decision to trust in Christ as Savior, and follow Him
in baptism. Then, as we learn more, and through our experiences, we should move to a deeper level
of commitment.
I want to ask you this morning, “Are you a disciple of Jesus? Do you understand what it
means to be a disciple of Jesus?” Well I hope that this message will result in more of us accepting
the call of the Lord Jesus to become a faithful & committed disciple. We will also learn some
important truths from our Lord’s example concerning prayer. To be a disciple is to follow the
example of Jesus. Jesus certainly set a fine example in prayer.
So let’s learn more about the subject of the choosing of the 12 disciples. First of all,
consider with me:
I. THE PREPARATION FOR THIS CHOICE
Before Jesus made the very important decision of selecting His core group of disciples, He
first of all spent much time in prayer. V.12 says, “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.” Jesus provided a fine
example for us, expressing dependence upon His Heavenly Father for guidance in this important
decision.
Now let’s look & see how Jesus prepared Himself for this important choice. Notice with
me.
A. The Place of Prayer - Though Jesus was divine, He was also human, and in humanly
dependence upon His heavenly Father, Jesus retreated from the crowd, and v.12 says “that He went
out to the mountain to pray.” All around most of the Sea of Galilee are mountains. Everett and I
climbed part way up one of those mountains near the Sea of Galilee. We did not make it to the top!
So I can say this, Jesus was in good physical shape! And He was in good spiritual condition as
well. So there on that mountain He could be alone with His Heavenly Father in prayer.
Even so, when you really want to do business with God, you need to get alone, free from
distraction.
B. The Perseverance of Prayer – Notice in the last of v.12 that He spent the entire night in
prayer. Most of us do well to spend even 15 minutes in prayer. But Jesus prayed all night! Why?
Jesus was about to make a very important decision. He wanted the Father’s guidance as He selected
His twelve apostles, for the future of the Church rested with them. Do you think it’s possible that
He prayed so long because Peter’s name kept coming to mind, and He kept saying, “Father, are you
sure about that?” Actually, I believe He was also praying for the success of their training, and that
God would bless them with strength & wisdom. Also, He was about to preach a very important
sermon, known as “The Sermon on the Mount” (v.20ff). Furthermore, opposition against Him was
growing and would finally result in His crucifixion; so He prayed for strength as He faced the path
ahead.
There are two applications that I want to me. First, if we are going to be disciples of Jesus,
we must follow His example and be men & women of prayer. One thing you may notice as you
study the gospel of Luke is the prominence that Luke places upon the prayer-life of Jesus in his
Gospel. If Jesus prayed so much, how much more do we need to pray!
We also need to learn a lesson from our Lord about what we should do in preparation for
selecting spiritual leaders in the church. If the Lord found it essential and practical to spend the
entire night in prayer before selecting the twelve apostles, how much more should we pray before
selecting those who should lead us. Men chosen for God’s work should be selected on the basis of
much prayer. The last time we had deacon nominations, did you spend much time in prayer over
who you should nominate? The present-day procedure by the church for choosing men to fill an
office is often far from God’s standard. In two months we will elect a new Nominating Committee.
I want to encourage that committee to consult with our Heavenly Father in prayer, especially before
you make leadership nominations.
So we see the preparation of this choice. Now let us see:
II. THE PRESENTATION OF THIS CHOICE
By the time Jesus finished prayer, I believe He knew exactly whom He would choose to be
His inner circle of disciples. We are going to take a look at each of these disciples. Notice, that
God’s men were always chosen. John 15:16 says: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and
appointed you that you should go and bear fruit….” When I was about 17 years old, I began to
sense that God was calling me to preach the Gospel. Yet no one, including myself, ever dreamed
that God would call me to become a preacher. That was not my choice, but God’s choice. We
should choose those to lead us who are already chosen of God.
The names of the apostles are also given in Matthew 10:1-4, Mark 3:16-19, and Acts 1:13
(minus Judas). In all the lists, Peter is named first and, except in Acts 1:13, Judas in named last.
Let’s briefly look over each of these disciples that Jesus chose, and learn some lessons from them.
[Name them according to the following groups from memory?]
A. The Major Disciples – They were two sets of brothers. Three of the four were chosen to
be the inner circle of the disciples. First, there was:
1. Simon Peter – In v.14 we read that He chose “Simon, whom He also named
Peter….” As you probably know, Simon Peter was a fisherman by trade. At first he and his brother
Andrew lived in Bethsaida (John 1:44), but then they moved to Capernaum (Mark 1:21, 29). He
became the leader of the disciples. I believe he was endowed with leadership qualities. Jesus gave
Simon the new name of “Peter.” This new name, meaning rock, was a description not of what
Simon was when called, but of what by grace he was to become. At first, and for some time
afterward, he was impulsive, & constantly swayed from one position to its opposite. He turned
from trust to doubt when he tried walking on the water (Matt. 14:28, 30). At the last supper he went
from “You shall never wash my feet!” to “not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” (John
13:8, 9). That night he also went from a vehement declaration of loyalty, to base denial (Matt.
26:33-35, 69-75). Yet by the Spirit of God he became a great apostle, sealing his commitment to
Christ by a martyr’s death.
The church always needs leader types like Peter. Next, in v.14 we read about his brother:
2. Andrew – Actually, Andrew was probably listed with the major disciples
primarily because he was Peter’s brother. But Andrew had his good points. The main thing about
Andrew was that he brought people to Jesus. Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus (John 1:41,
42). Then in John 12:21 we read of some Greeks that came to Philip with a request. “Sir,” they
said, “we would like to see Jesus.” The Bible says that Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and
Philip in turn told Jesus of their desire to see Him.
Oh, how we need some disciples in this church like Andrew. You never know what an
impact you can have when you bring one soul to Jesus. S.S. teacher, you may be teaching the next
Billy Graham, for all you know. And we have some like Chris Lee! But we need more.
3. James (v.14a) – James, along with Peter & John, made up the inner circle of
Jesus’ disciples. They alone saw Jesus transfigured with all His glory in the Mountain. James was
one of the leading apostles of the Jerusalem church. James was the first of the Twelve to wear the
martyr’s crown (Acts 12:2).
4. John (v.14b) – John was probably among the youngest of the disciples. James and
John were brothers. Probably because of their fiery nature Jesus called them Boanerges, “sons of
thunder” (Mark 3:17). Thus, they were stormy, energetic young men. That the two did indeed have
a fiery nature may perhaps be inferred from Luke 9:54-56, where they boldly asked Jesus if He
wanted them to call down fire from heaven upon a Samaritan village that did not receive Jesus.
However, he became known as the apostle of love, because he preached and wrote about love so
much. He was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; etc.). I believe that John
became deeply spiritual, and contemplative. John was probably the only disciple that was not
martyred, though he did suffer banishment to a lonely island. While his brother James was the first
to arrive in heaven, John was in all probability the last of the twelve to remain on earth.
B. The Minor Disciples
1. Philip (v.14b) – Philip lived at least for a while in the same town as Peter and
Andrew, that is, he too was from Bethsaida. Philip was one of the earliest disciples of Jesus. In
John 1:43 we read that Jesus went and found Philip and said, “Follow me.” Having himself
responded to the call of Jesus, he found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found Him of whom
Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John
1:45). In the Gospels, Philip generally appears in a rather favorable light. Thus, when the Greeks
approached him with the request, “Sir, we would see Jesus,” he went and told Andrew, and these
two brought the inquirers to Jesus (John 12:21, 22). It must be admitted that Philip did not always
immediately understand the meaning of Christ’s profound utterances. Concerning feeding the
multitude, Jesus asked, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5). Philip
answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Then, after Jesus taught that He is the way to the Father, and reveals the Father, Philip said, “Lord
show us the Father, and we shall be content.” But in spite of these weaknesses, no doubt God used
Philip in a marvelous way.
2. Bartholomew (v.14b) – Bartholomew is the same as Nathanael (John 1:45-49).
Bartholomew said to Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”? Philip answered, “Come
and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him he said, “Look, truly an Israelite in whom
deceit does not exist.” Bartholomew was very honest. In contrast to so many religious people of his
day, he had very little hypocrisy in his life.
3. Matthew – He is mentioned in v.15. He was also known by the Hebrew name
“Levi.” Matthew was one of those despised tax collectors. His office was in Capernaum. We read
of Matthew’s conversion in call in Luke 5:27-28, “After these things He went out and saw a tax
collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he left all, rose
up, and followed Him.” I like the way Matthew was so decisive in his commitment to follow Jesus.
Also, Matthew used his influence to reach his unsaved friends and associates. V.29 of that chapter
says, “Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax
collectors and others who sat down with them.”
Are you using your influence to reach your old friends and associates for Christ? Of course,
Matthew & John were the only apostles to write gospel accounts that are found in our Bible.
4. Thomas (v.15a) – The various references to Thomas indicate that both
despondency and devotion marked this man. It was hard for him to believe good tidings when they
were brought to him. Yet when the risen Savior in all His tender condescending love revealed
Himself to him it was he who exclaimed, “My Lord and My God!” I don’t believe a Jew would
have said that unless confronted with overwhelming evidence that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.
There are plenty of doubters today. If you will just maintain an open mind and seriously
investigate the evidence, then with the aid of the Holy Spirit I believe your doubts will be turned
into faith!
C. The Obscure Disciples – We know very little about these men from the Bible.
1. James the son of Alphaeus (v.15b) - Mark (15:40) calls him “James the Less.” He
could have been called “the less” to distinguish him from James, the brother of John, who was a
major disciple. Or the title could mean “James the younger,” or “James small in stature.” He may
have been a cousin of Jesus (Ironside). According to Mark 15:40 his mother’s name was Mary, one
of the women who accompanied Jesus and stood near the cross. James must have been raised by a
godly mom. What an impact she must have had upon her son.
2. Simon the Zealot (v.15b) - The other Simon in the group was nicknamed
“Zelotes.” At one time he probably belonged to a group of fanatical Jewish patriots known as “the
zealots,” whose purpose was to deliver Israel from the tyranny of Rome. However, the term found
in Matt. 10:4 was Aramaic for “zealous.” Whether Simon was known for his zeal to honor God, or
his membership in a subversive organization, we cannot be sure. It is possible that both apply. But
little else is known about him.
3. Judas the Son of James – He is mentioned in v.16. He is called Thaddaeus in
Matt. 10:3 & Mark 3:18. He may have taken that name after the other Judas ruined what was a
good name. From what is said about him in John 14 it would seem that he wanted Jesus to show
Himself to the world, probably meaning: to get into the limelight. Yet it’s interesting that this
disciple was one of the disciples that shared the least amount of limelight, unless he was the one
who wrote the little letter in the Bible called Jude.
Now I want to draw two lessons from these obscure disciples. First, if Christianity was an
invention of these 12 apostles, the Bible would have been far different. These obscure disciples
would have insisted upon more prominence in the Gospel accounts. But the focus of the Bible is
not upon man, but upon Jesus! Second, you may be obscure in the eyes of men, but you are not
obscure in the eyes of God. If you serve Jesus faithfully, God will remember you and reward you,
even if you have served Him in obscurity, and with little recognition.
Last of our, we see that Jesus chose:
D. The Notorious Disciple: Judas Iscariot (v.16b) - Iscariot probably means “man (ish in
Hebrew) of Kerioth,” a town in southern Judah (Josh. 15:25). Thus, he was apparently the only
Judean of the 12. Even though he was intimately associated with Jesus Christ, he did not change on
the inside. Being a very selfish person he was unable or “unwilling” to understand the unselfish and
beautiful deed of Mary of Bethany, who anointed Jesus (John 12:1 ff.).
Jesus is an example of the wrong kind of discipleship. Judas followed Jesus was selfish
reasons, hoping to rule and reign with Jesus in a new earthly kingdom. After all, who would make a
better leader to overthrown Rome than a man who could work miracles, and attract such large
crowds? Yet when he realized that such a kingdom was not going to happen, he turned against
Jesus and betrayed Him.
Are you following Jesus for the right reasons? Don’t become His disciple because you think
you will become more prosperous or famous. After all, following Him could lead to just the
opposite. Follow Jesus because He is Savior & Lord. Follow Him to serve Him, & advance His
spiritual kingdom.
Something else prominent about Judas was his hypocrisy. He remained a thief; yet he hid it
very well, for he was elected to serve as the treasurer of apostles (John 12:6; 13:29). While other
people, when they felt that they could no longer agree with or even tolerate Christ’s teachings,
would simply disassociate themselves from Him (John 6:66), Judas remained, as if he were in full
accord with Him. Then, when Judas served as guide for the detachment of soldiers and temple
police who were sent to arrest Jesus, he identified Jesus to them by means of a kiss to his Master, as
if he were still a loyal disciple. What hypocrisy! May God help each of us to avoid religious
hypocrisy!
E. The Lessons Regarding These Men - What an interesting group of men!
1. God Uses Common Men - Perhaps seven of them were fishermen, one was a tax
collector, and the other four are anonymous as far as their vocations are concerned. They were
ordinary men. He did not choose any of the religious leaders. He did not choose any of the political
leaders, or the influential business leaders of Jewish society. Matthew was wealthy at one time, but
because of his occupation, he was an outcast of society. They illustrate what Paul wrote in 1 Cor.
1:26-29.
This fact out to be an encouragement to us today. After all, if God can take common people
and do extraordinary things with them, can He not use us? After all, the vast majority of us are just
common people. When God uses us He gets the glory!
2. God Uses Different Men - Included in the group were all types of men: fishermen,
a tax collector, a Zealot, Galileans, a Judean, tempestuous, kind, loving, leaders, followers, men of
faith, and at least one was prone to have doubts. Their personalities were different; yet to such a
representative collection as this Jesus would entrust the message of redemption, and the leadership
of His early church.
What points up the greatness of Jesus is that He took such men as these, welded them into
an amazingly influential & unified community! Yes, He accomplished this miracle with such men
as these, with all their faults, & in spite of their various backgrounds and temperaments. We cannot
fail to be impressed with the majesty of the Savior.
We need to accomplish today what Christ was able to accomplish then. The evidence of the
power of Christ is not seen in a group of Christian family members & friends with similar
backgrounds getting along well. The power of Christ is manifested when people who are different
physically, socially, & in temperament are united in love, in worship, & in a common mission for
our Savior. When that happens God is truly at work.
3. God Uses Young Men – John was probably an older teenager when he began to
follow Jesus. Most of the disciples were probably in the 20s or 30s. These men were young enough
to continue serving Christ for decades to come. Youth is the time to become a committed disciple
of Christ.
III. THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHOICE
Why did Jesus choose these men? I believe there are at least 3 reasons. First:
A. To Call them to His Service – In v.13 we read, “And when it was day, He called His
disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles.” Two words
are used here to describe their work. First of all, we need to:
1. To Be a Disciple - A “disciple” is a learner. Are you reading your Bible? Are you
attending Bible study? But a disciple is more than a student. Rather, he is an adherent, a follower.
Mark 3:14 says, “He appointed twelve... that they might be with him....” They were to be with Him
and to learn, not only learned from His teachings, but also from His example. After washing the
disciples’ feet, Jesus said in John 13:15, “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I
have done to you.”
Are you a disciple of Jesus? Jesus said in John 8:31, “If you abide in My word, you are My
disciples indeed.” You need to spend time in prayer, & time in Bible study. A couple hours/month
in the Word & prayer is not discipleship! Furthermore, the truth learned must be put into practice. It
must enter into the very being of the person involved. Especially if you are young in the faith, you
need to attach yourself to a mature believer, and become their disciple. Likewise, those of us who
are mature believers ought to mentor other believers.
2. To Be an Apostle - An “apostle” is one commissioned to deliver a message. Thus,
an apostle is clothed with the authority of his sender. Furthermore, an apostle represents his Sender,
and they were to go out to represent Him as His ambassadors. Indeed, these apostles eventually
took the Gospel over much of the Roman world, planting churches in His name. It is believed that
Thomas went all the way to India.
Though we are not apostles today in the full sense of the word, we are still being sent out
into this world, to carry the message of salvation. A missionary is an apostle in that sense of the
word. We still represent Jesus in this world, and we are to go and carry His message of salvation.
B. To Continue His Work - It had already become clear that the enemies of Jesus were
increasing in numbers and in the intensity of their opposition. Look at v.11 of this chapter, “But
they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (cf. 5:21,
30; 6:2-10). He also knew that according to God’s eternal decree that He had come to die, and that
the preaching of the gospel must continue. For that reason He was about to surround Himself with a
little band of witnesses, so that through their testimony this important task might be carried out
after His own death and departure to heaven.
We need to think about this same principle as it applies to us. Jesus prepared apostles to
continue His work after He was gone. Even so, we need to see to it that we are always training
someone to fill our shoes. If you are a teacher, you ought to be mentoring a teacher. One reason I
give Aaron the opportunity to preach at least once a month is because I have a responsibility to
prepare the next generation of preachers. If you lead a committee or ministry, you need to involve
& train workers who can fill you shoes someday.
C. To Create a New People of God - Why did Christ chose twelve apostles? The fact that
Jesus appointed exactly twelve men, no more and no less, indicates that he had in mind the
establishment of a new people of God. Already it was clear that Israel in the flesh, led by their
leaders, was going to reject their Messiah. The new people of God was going to be gathered from
among all the nations, not based on physical relationship, but based on faith, & a spiritual
relationship to God (see 1 Peter 2:9).1
Conclusion: Are you a disciple of Jesus? Have you answered the call of Jesus to become one of His
disciples? Today, you can begin the exciting journey of being a disciple of Jesus. The first step is to
repent of your sins and trust in Him as Lord & Savior. Then you need to follow Him in baptism. If
you have already taken that first step of discipleship, I call upon you to take your discipleship to the
next level. Become a truly committed disciples of Jesus Christ!
Sources: Virtus E. Gideon, Luke: A Study Guide Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1967); William Hendriksen,
New Testament Commentary: Luke (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978); H. A. Ironside, Addresses on the Gospel
of Luke (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1947); J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, Vol. 4 (Pasadena, CA: Thru The
Bible Radio, 1983); Larry Pierce, Online Bible [Ver. 4:23] (Ontario: onlinebible.net, 2012); Warren W. Wiersbe, Be
Compassionate: Luke 1-13 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1988). Other sources listed in the footnotes. Unless otherwise
indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982).
ABOUT THESE SERMON NOTES
© Dr. Stephen Felker. These notes may be used and even shared for personal study or ministry, but not for
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1
Romans 9-11 indicates that God is not through with Israel. They have been set aside as the means whereby the
blessing of salvation reaches to the ends of the earth. But he will restore Israel as a true people of God someday.