Making Important Choices
Luke 6v12-16
INTRODUCTION
During the past week, we have all made choices. This coming week will be no different. Some choices are more important than others. This brings us to Luke 6:12-16 where Jesus chose twelve apostles from those who followed him. Observing how Jesus made this decision could help us when making important choices today. Notice first that it was…
A SPECIFIC CHOICE
Choosing from many
Luke 6:17 says, “A large crowd of Jesus’ disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon.” From these people, Jesus chose twelve to be his apostles. Here are their names…
- Simon Peter (always mentioned first)
- Peter is a nickname Jesus gave to Simon. It means a small piece of rock or stone (see Matthew 16:18). Cephas is the Aramaic equivalent.
- Andrew
- The disciple who brought his brother Peter to Jesus. He also brought the boy with bread and fish and some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus (John 12:20-22).
- James
- The son of Zebedee and a brother of John. He did not write the Epistle of James.
- John
- Wrote the fourth Gospel, the three Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation. We have now had two sets of brothers: Peter and Andrew and James and John
- Philip
- Philip is the one to whom some Greeks came—asking about Jesus. He was a disciple of John the Baptist.
- Bartholomew
- Possibly the same person as Nathanael who in John 1:46 said to Philip, “What good could come out of Nazareth?”
- Matthew
- This is Levi the tax collector who had a party for Jesus. He wrote the first gospel.
- Thomas
- Also known as Didymus and later as one who doubted.
- James the Son of Alphaeus
- Nothing more is said of him. He is not the writer of the Epistle of James.
- Simon the Zealot
- Zealots were a nationalist group opposed to foreign rule.
- Judas Son of James
- He is Thaddaeus in Mark’s list. Nothing more is known of him.
- Judas Iscariot
- The infamous betrayer who is always mentioned last.
Though others were called apostles later, this group of twelve lay the foundation of Jesus teaching in the New Testament. See Ephesians 2:20.
A recipe for social disaster
This disparate group is a recipe for social disaster. If Jesus can unite such a diverse group, he can do the same for us. He can do the same for us with all our frailty, faults, and failings. 1 Corinthians 1:26-30 says, “Not many of us were wise by human standards; not many influential; not many of noble birth, 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. He chose the lowly things of this world… so that no one may boast before him.” Like the apostles, those who follow Christ today have been called by God to do his will and to fulfil his purpose in the world. This should affect all our choices and leads from who Jesus chose to why. From a specific choice to…
A SPECIAL CHOICE
Announcing the twelve
Luke 6:12-13 says, “Jesus went to a mountainside to pray. He then spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.”
God’s appointment through prayer
Jesus had a lot of work to do with this group, but he was prepared to work with them and help them become effective workers in his kingdom. He was prepared to do this because when God calls he also equips. Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “Christ himself gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers to equip God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
God’s choice is the right choice
When choosing leaders, we may have our preferences, but the decisive factor is God’s call. In this context, it is important that church leaders are chosen and respected because of God’s call and not because of their personality or business skills. 1 Thessalonians 5:12 says, “Respect those who are over you in the Lord.” This leads from who Jesus chose and why Jesus chose to how Jesus chose. It was a specific choice and a special choice because it was…
A SPIRITUAL CHOICE
Free from distractions to talk with God
Verse 12 says, “Jesus went to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. After this, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them.” Jesus went away to avoid as many distractions as possible. He then prayed. After this, he made his choice.
The need to spend time in prayer
Such was the importance of his decision that Jesus spent the whole night in prayer. Notice at least three things about this:
First, Jesus prayed. That the Son of God should pray before making important decisions is enough encouragement for us to do the same.
Secondly, Jesus prayed to God who knows before we ask. God does not want robots serving him—he wants responsible people who are in touch with him and his ways.
Thirdly, though Jesus prayed for guidance, he still named Judas as an apostle. In John 6:70 Jesus said, “Have I not chosen you twelve… Yet one of you is a devil!” This was not a mistake. John 17:12 says he did this so that Scripture would be fulfilled.”
After prayer, not everything fits in with our personal desire or expectation, but it does suit God’s purpose. Romans 8:27–28 says, “He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”
The need for prayer today
In applying this today, it is important to note that this is the only place that says Jesus prayed throughout the night. It was a significant event. There are other examples too.
Genesis 32:24 says Jacob wrestled with God until daybreak. 1 Samuel 15:11 says when he was troubled, Samuel cried out to God all night. In 1 Timothy 1:3, Paul said, “Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” There is no command in Scripture to pray all night, but these examples should encourage us to take prayer more seriously and to devote ourselves to prayer. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
Bernard Cartledge