Choosing the Twelve (Luke 6:12-16)
Now that we are seeing much more opposition to Jesus among the religious leaders, Luke also begins to show us the way Jesus organizes His followers. He will call out 12 from His many followers to train and prepare for mission. The teaching to follow will often be for the larger crowds, but more and more we see Jesus teaching and apprenticing His Apostles.
Jesus prepares for the selection of His key followers with a night of prayer. Jesus is often seen withdrawing to spend time in prayer and with His Father, but this is the only “all night prayer vigil” we see. (Unless we see the night in Gethsemane as a similar event.) JJesus is not doing things on His own. He spends time with God, open to hear what God wants and keen to follow the Father’s leading. We see this in other places, such as in John 12:49,50,
Simon, whom he named Peter
Andrew, his brother
James
John
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James, son of Alphaeus
Simon, the Zealot
Judas, son of James
and Judas Iscariot
This list is problematic for some, as it differs slightly from the other accounts. Compare:
Luke 6:14-16 Matthew 10:2-4 Mark 3:16-19 Acts 1:13
1. Simon Peter 1. Simon Peter 1. Simon Peter 1. Simon Peter
2. Andrew 2. Andrew 2. James, 2. John
son of Zebedee
3. James 3. James, 3. John 3. James
son of Zebedee
4. John 4. John 4. Andrew 4. Andrew
5. Philip 5. Philip 5. Philip 5. Philip
6. Bartholomew 6. Bartholomew 6. Bartholomew 6. Thomas
7. Matthew 7. Thomas 7. Matthew 7. Bartholomew
8. Thomas 8. Matthew 8. Thomas 8. Matthew
9. James, 9. James, 9. James, 9. James,
son of Alphaeus son of Alphaeus son of Alphaeus son of Alphaeus
10. Simon, the Zealot 10. Thaddaeus 10. Thaddaeus 10. Simon, the Zealot
11. Judas, 11. Simon, the Zealot 11. Simon, the Zealot 11. Judas,
son of James son of James
12. Judas Iscariot 12. Judas Iscariot 12. Judas Iscariot
The differences in the lists actually argue for their genuine authenticity. Instead of an after-the-fact harmonization, we have a messy list of 12 men with different names and ordered in different orders.
Many of the disciples had, or may have had, multiple names. This is the sort of frustration we see in literature, particularly Russian novels. The Brothers Karamazov is an example that springs to mind, where each character has 2 or 3 names.
Peter, who is also Simon, is first in all the lists. John, James, and Andrew, who were all fishermen and worked together, as well as being two sets of brothers, come next in all the lists. These four seem to be the disciples who were closest to Jesus.
Philip heads the next set of four disciples in each list. He is followed by Bartholomew, who it has been argued is also Nathanael in John’s Gospel. Matthew (known also as Levi) and Thomas (known also as Didymus) come next.
The last four are James, son of Alpaeus (maybe the same man as James the Lesser, and also possibly a brother of Matthew), Judas, the son of (another) James, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.
Jesus prepares for the selection of His key followers with a night of prayer. Jesus is often seen withdrawing to spend time in prayer and with His Father, but this is the only “all night prayer vigil” we see. (Unless we see the night in Gethsemane as a similar event.) JJesus is not doing things on His own. He spends time with God, open to hear what God wants and keen to follow the Father’s leading. We see this in other places, such as in John 12:49,50,
“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”After the night of prayer, Jesus picks 12 of His followers to train them for leadership and the mission He has for them. The 12 are:
Simon, whom he named Peter
Andrew, his brother
James
John
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James, son of Alphaeus
Simon, the Zealot
Judas, son of James
and Judas Iscariot
This list is problematic for some, as it differs slightly from the other accounts. Compare:
Luke 6:14-16 Matthew 10:2-4 Mark 3:16-19 Acts 1:13
1. Simon Peter 1. Simon Peter 1. Simon Peter 1. Simon Peter
2. Andrew 2. Andrew 2. James, 2. John
son of Zebedee
3. James 3. James, 3. John 3. James
son of Zebedee
4. John 4. John 4. Andrew 4. Andrew
5. Philip 5. Philip 5. Philip 5. Philip
6. Bartholomew 6. Bartholomew 6. Bartholomew 6. Thomas
7. Matthew 7. Thomas 7. Matthew 7. Bartholomew
8. Thomas 8. Matthew 8. Thomas 8. Matthew
9. James, 9. James, 9. James, 9. James,
son of Alphaeus son of Alphaeus son of Alphaeus son of Alphaeus
10. Simon, the Zealot 10. Thaddaeus 10. Thaddaeus 10. Simon, the Zealot
11. Judas, 11. Simon, the Zealot 11. Simon, the Zealot 11. Judas,
son of James son of James
12. Judas Iscariot 12. Judas Iscariot 12. Judas Iscariot
The differences in the lists actually argue for their genuine authenticity. Instead of an after-the-fact harmonization, we have a messy list of 12 men with different names and ordered in different orders.
Many of the disciples had, or may have had, multiple names. This is the sort of frustration we see in literature, particularly Russian novels. The Brothers Karamazov is an example that springs to mind, where each character has 2 or 3 names.
Peter, who is also Simon, is first in all the lists. John, James, and Andrew, who were all fishermen and worked together, as well as being two sets of brothers, come next in all the lists. These four seem to be the disciples who were closest to Jesus.
Philip heads the next set of four disciples in each list. He is followed by Bartholomew, who it has been argued is also Nathanael in John’s Gospel. Matthew (known also as Levi) and Thomas (known also as Didymus) come next.
The last four are James, son of Alpaeus (maybe the same man as James the Lesser, and also possibly a brother of Matthew), Judas, the son of (another) James, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.
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