How did Jesus choose the twelve disciples?
"On one of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called for his disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them and made them apostles. Here are their names.
Simon, whom Jesus named Peter, and 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 would later hand Jesus over to his enemies" (Luke 6:12-16).
Jesus prayed and God told Him who to pick as the twelve disciples.The twelve disciples followed Jesus for 3 years. They walked with Him and learned from Him. They watched His loving ways and saw His miracles that proved that He was Messiah.
Just before choosing the twelve, “…Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called for his disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them…” (Luke 6:12-13). God directed Jesus to choose the 12.
Jesus asked for wisdom from God, His Heavenly Father before choosing 12 men of faith who loved Him and would be faithful to His purposes (John 14:21-14). God alone knew how many would be needed to continue His ministry. They would need to have boldness and courage to share His new message of grace.
The twelve disciples could also represent the 12 Tribes of Israel, who were the ones God used to show the whole world through His mighty acts that He alone is God (Exodus).
Jesus taught us the importance of going to our Heavenly Father with our requests. If Jesus needed to be in prayer all night before making an important decision, how much more do we need to “never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and read His Word for His wisdom and guidance?
