Up the mountain

In the Gospel of Luke, it is recorded that Jesus prayed more fervently than usual when appointing the twelve disciples (Luke 6:12). It is likely that having twelve disciples had connection to the twelve tribes of Israel. The disciples were chosen for two common purposes: (1) to be close to Jesus and directly learn about the kingdom of God, and (2) to be sent as messengers of the gospel. They were also given the authority to cast out demons at that time. Do you desire to be a disciple of Christ? Let’s spend more time with Jesus and learn to listen to His words daily. And let us go out into the world as messenger of the gospel with the authority given by Christ.

Twelve disciples

At dawn, Jesus summoned His disciples and chose twelve from them. The first three were Simon Peter, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. These three formed the core of the disciple group. The three had the privilege of witnessing the events of the transfiguration (in Ch.9) and the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (in Ch.14). The remaining nine were Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. You can also think of the twelve disciples divided into three groups of four. The leaders of each group were Peter, Philip, and James the son of Alphaeus. Judas Iscariot is mentioned last. Iscariot means “from Kerioth.” He was the only one not from Galilee, a sophisticated urbanite. Judas initially desired to serve the Lord faithfully, but Satan entered his heart (Luke 22:3). However, Jesus hoped until the end that Judas would repent and spoke to him in a way, only he could understand. The idea that Judas was destined for destruction is contrary to Jesus’ heart. God does not desire the destruction of any sinner. Living out God’s calling is the best life. If there is a part within you that is turning away from God’s light, now is the time to repent.