Jesus praying the whole night

Jesus placed fellowship with the Father (prayer) at the center of His life. Jesus Himself testified in this way: “The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing” (John 5:19). When faced with the critical moment of choosing the twelve apostles, Jesus prayed even more earnestly than usual (v 12). The decision to appoint twelve apostles was likely immediately linked to the twelve tribes of Israel. The question was whom to choose. Jesus must have struggled in prayer as He sought the will of the Father. Are you now standing at a major crossroads in life, troubled and unsure? Or are you facing a serious problem and feeling restless? If so, pray earnestly. Just as Jesus did, throw yourself into the arms of the Father and seek His will.

The mystery of Jesus’ choice

At daybreak, Jesus called His disciples to Him and chose twelve from among them, whom He also named as apostles. It becomes easier to remember the twelve if we think of them in three groups of four. The ones who played leading roles in each group were Peter, Philip, and James the son of Alphaeus. Among the twelve apostles, the first eleven were likely chosen with relative ease. However, with the last, Judas Iscariot, there must have been inner conflict, uncertainty, and struggle. “Iscariot” means “man from Kerioth.” He was the only one not from Galilee and was a sophisticated city person. The selection of Judas is truly mysterious, but at the very least, the following can be said. (1) Judas was given the highest privilege of serving as an apostle. (2) At first, he desired to faithfully serve the Lord Jesus. (3) Into his heart, Satan entered (Luke 22:3). (4) Jesus, to the very end, desired that he would repent, and spoke to him with words that only he could understand. Seeing it this way, we understand that the idea that Judas was destined for destruction is far away from the heart of Jesus. God does not desire that even a single sinner perish. The greatest life is one that fulfills the calling of God. If there is any part of you that is turning away from God’s light, now is the time to repent. God is waiting for your return.