A Study In Luke - Day 10

Day 10 - Luke 6:12-16
 
12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:
14 Simon (whom he named Peter),
Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip,
Bartholomew,
15 Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus),
Simon (who was called the zealot),
16 Judas (son of James),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

This is the first of two lists in Luke's writings that give the names of the twelve apostles. There are lists like this that occur in Matthew 10:1-3 and Mark 3:16-19. Although there are some variations in the lists' order, they all prioritize Peter and mention Judas Iscariot last. 

In verse 12, we see that Jesus went to pray for the whole night. We know Jesus often took time alone and sought solitude with God before big events. This is something that we all would do well to put into practice as well. 

From this time of reflection, Jesus brings together those who were following Jesus at the time and he chooses the 12 that we have come to know as Apostles, with the addition of Paul, later, although he did not know Jesus personally. 

We have Peter, James (Son of Zebedee), and John that made up Jesus’ inner circle. Peter was the leader and John was Jesus’ “Beloved” disciples. Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus, leading to his arrest and crucifixion. The other apostles included Andrew, Philip, Bartholemew, Matthew, Simon, James the Lesser, Jude and Thomas. 

Many books have been written about why these particular men. Some books pitch that we are to have these 12 kinds of people in our lives at all times. Some use Jung’s Archetypes and connect them to each of the apostles. There have been a myriad of discussions, arguments, and scholarly work done in this area. 

I don't think that Jesus chose these 12 to be the architecture of the relationships that we need, although there are things we can learn from these books and writings. These were the men who had the most trajectory in their faith in Jesus. These were the men who walked out of the upper room after the resurrection, after having seen Jesus in the flesh, and never denied or recanted the fact that they believed Jesus to have been resurrected from the dead. 

What is your faith trajectory? Do you have what it takes to go the distance when your faith is shaken and your commitment is put to the test? 

You may not be a Peter or a John, but you might be a Matthew, Thomas or James. All of which are mentioned as those that Jesus chose to be Apostles. 

1. Do you think you would stay faithful when your faith is put to the test? 
2. How do you think you might stay when others might fail n their faith in Jesus? 
3. How can you bolster someone else’s faith today?