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October 29, 2021 12:00 am
Fascinating.
Jesus did not choose one rabbi, not one slide would be great to get one right, not one member of the religious establishment bypasses the high priest connections man that's I have is not figuring out a way to pad his resume is going to personally train representatives with a radically new message and it's as if they're not know 12 men to become his close followers.
We call these men. The 12 disciples.
This was not a flippant selection. In fact, before selecting these special followers.
Jesus spent extended time in prayer. These disciples follow Jesus and they model for us what it means to walk in the footsteps of our Savior. Welcome to wisdom for the heart. Today Stephen Devi begins a three-part series called the Masters men joined Stephen as we learn from the lives and examples of these 12 followers of Jesus. There's an old saying in the commentary of Jewish tradition and culture cultivation. It's an ancient expression that referred to disciples following so closely along with their mentor that they were said to where the dust of their teacher mother was a walk so closely to their master teacher that they were literally covered by dust kicked up by his sandals. The Greek word for disciple my phytase means learner someone being taught student someone registered as it were in the required curriculum of their teacher were about to meet 12 dust covered men we know them as the 12 disciples of Jesus. When they graduated they will become apostles commissioned ones sent out as it were, in fact, their mission is to do nothing more than make more disciples of the gospel by Lucas reached that point.
If you been with us where the gloves are coming off and the hostility of the religious world is becoming obvious and intentional by the time you finish verse 11 of chapter 6, the religious leaders are intentionally unashamedly planning the murder of Jesus at this point, Jesus happens that hundreds of disciple that the one point little later on will send 70 of them out to pre-some of them are sincere followers.
Some of them are not. They just want a free meal Jesus has less than two years before he will be crucified and it's at this point now that the Lord believes it's time to gather a very close intimate group of men around them. They're going to assist him in his miracles are going to travel everywhere with him to listen to sermons repeated there got be involved in every listening to every question and answer discussion. There are going to camp out with him as he travels her to learn to replicate his attitude and his perspective and his ministry. These are the 12 men who will literally walk in his footsteps. They will begin to bear his dust, and more importantly share his heart for the world.
If you have a copy of the New Testament turned of the gospel by Luke were in chapter 6 and Jesus here in verse 12 is going to precede the selection of his core team. These 12 men by spending the night in prayer, we often skip over this is probably because were a little too convicted that he spent the night in prayer, but that's what he's going to do. Notice verse 12. In these days he went out to the mountain to pray and all night. He continued in prayer to God that this phrase spending the night in prayer comes from a word that only appears here in the entire New Testament I when you know it's a medical term, it would be familiar to Dr. Luke the physician. Perhaps he was aware of.
This is an experience that is a word used for a physician spending an all-night vigil at the bedside of a critically ill patient sitting up all night with the desperately ill individual.
You don't want to go to sleep because of the intensity of the moment, and Dr. Luke uses that here. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that Luke right to the Jesus continued. You could literally translated in the prayer of God or prayer with God. What you have here is a prayer meeting of the Trinity. This is this is holy gathering. This is a sacred event of communion as the members of the Trinity, father, son, and Spirit are literally spending the evening community with one another magically.
This is so sacred so otherworldly that look really doesn't provide any descriptive commentary just tells us this is what happened. I need to keep in mind. Jesus is not out here praying and a father, I need to choose 12 men. I'm just not sure about Peter. He seems a little imbalanced. I'm not sure about you as a Jew disease is a little shifty to me. Matthews got the worst reputation in the community. I don't want out of do what should I do know the omniscient God the son is fully aware of these 12 men and his choice of them from eternity past. He already knows everything about Jesus is not here. You know, cramming for the final exam. So this be sent you is not community communicating with God the father or got the spirit you know what I do now.
These communicating the time God is over the significance of this moment in human history plan before time began.
Anything. One author commented Jesus isn't praying about whether or not he should choose one of the other. Jesus is beginning to pray for them.
His ministry of intercession is intensifying for these men killed. He knows their flaws.
He hardly knows who they are. He knows what they're going to face. He knows their future is praying for them that Jesus will later on.
Tell Peter in Luke's gospel. Later in chapter 22 of Peter, Satan is trying to sift you in a biblical language phrase try to mess your life up but I want you to know I've already prayed for you while this is reassuring because it is true for them. It's true for you. He knows every flaw you knows your past and those your future. Jesus knew everything about you before you took the first and following in his footsteps that the very outset of our study. I want you to keep a couple of truths in mind.
First of all, Jesus chose his disciples not because he needed them, but because they needed him is fascinating that Jesus did not choose one rabbi. I mean, they could've turned of escrow. I then started reading these guys on the book of Genesis from the book of maps is right. Not one scribe would be great to get one done right, not one member of the religious establishment bypasses the high priest and his family and those are connections.
Man, that's how you get. I have Jesus is not figuring out a way to pad his resume as the Messiah. He is going to personally train representatives with a radically new message and it's as if they're not tainted by religion 70 miles away in Jerusalem.
He chooses disciples who realize they need him to walk closely with them to learn of.
Second, you don't want to keep in mind is this Jesus chose his disciples not because of who they were, but because of who they would become. Think about who they were for minute or two-year-old with the faith you'll probably know more than is younger in the faith that we know some things about them. What an interesting selection of men not only an interesting selection because what we may know, but generally speaking, but think about how different they were from from each other you read this list and you can almost feel they're not gonna get along with each other very well. They're all over the political spectrum assignment.
This zealot that Simon Peter another Simon known as the zealots.
The zealots were red hot patriots. Simon is going to get into a fist fight with anybody as is anything bad about Israel and if they don't overthrow the Roman government.
Simon the zealot has nothing to do with them.
And now he puts Simon the zealot to join up with Matthew the tax collector amanuensis sold out his nation Israel purchase from around the ability to turn around and tax his own people. Jesus puts these two guys in the same 10 overnight in the morning. Matthew is going to be missing or dead additive that these 12 men are all over the emotional personality spectrum peters fast. He's impetuous. He's a talker he's a risk taker. Philip is careful, methodical, he would've had eight pens in his pocket calculator nearby's always figuring out how much money they're going to need to do whatever Jesus wants Nathaniel.
He's known by his Hebrew surname Bartholomew. He has a tendency to believe everything he hears paired up with Thomas.
As you know, the ability that disbelieve just about everything here. Some are from the upper class. It seems a few most of middle or lower class. Some slightly educated, most of them uneducated and they're all over the mat, how they were going to get all the other four lists in the New Testament to give us the names of these 12 disciples. Matthew chapter 10 Mark chapter 3 acts chapter 1 and here in Luke chapter 6 in every list the names show up in relatively the same exact order that in every list. Peters name is first Judas Iscariot is listed last. These are significant, even in their placement when you read them in the text. If you track their ministry.
You'll discover that the disciples are divided into ministry groups. Three groups of four each.
The first group is the most prominent among the others.
They talk the most, they interact with Jesus about the most. They are invited by Jesus into closer communion at at times the most information provided in the New Testament is about this first group and the first grouping of disciples is always the same.
In the New Testament Peter Andrew James and John, two sets of biological brothers, the leader in the first group of closest disciples, of course, is the most well-known Simon Peter.
His name is mentioned in the Gospels more than any other name. Besides the name Jesus. No one speaks as often as Peter often much to his chagrin, and no one is spoken to by the Lord more than Peter.
No one is rebuked more by the Lord than Peter that no one rebukes the Lord except Peter not ready knows about Peter's failures. Everybody knows about the rooster everybody knows about that event, you're probably young, if you're in church and you learned about the time of Peter clambered over the side of that boat and and decided to walk on the water to come out to where Jesus was, was walking. Matthew 14 Peter just couldn't wait.
He's now course as he gets a little distracted by the waves and whinnies. He started to say Peter is also now Jesus as the Dragon back to the boat throw Megan just don't forget peters the only disciple even willing to try to walk on the water.
All the other disciples are back in the boat. Hang on to their seat cushions for dear life right think it's interesting that Peter will ask more questions than all the other disciples combined the name Peter is actually a nickname given name is Simon. This nickname is given to Peter or Simon by Jesus when they first meet John recorded in chapter 1 verse 42 Jesus looked at him and said your Simon son of John. You shall be called Cephas, which means or equal to Peter. Peter is Greek Cephas is aromatic and they both mean the same thing pebble rock stone floor essentially gives Simon I nickname not because he was rock like not because he was strong or steadfast, but because the Lord was going to make him strong and steadfast and would take his entire lifetime. At this moment here. Luke chapter 6 and moving forward. Peter is unpredictable.
He's full of self-confidence is brash is hot when these cold he's great at making promises that he cannot keep open every time you hear him call Peter, do you not think that meant something to him as a little reminder. The master is wanting him to become and he will later on, become steadfast, you will not be moved by pressure. He will be unwilling to back down under persecution. He will preach the inaugural sermon of the church age in acts chapter 2 from church history we learned that after decades of faithful ministry according to Eusebius and Clement and aged apostle Peter will be forced to watch his own wife crucified history records that Peter encouraged her to remain steadfast as she was led away when it came his turn to die.
He asked to be crucified upside down, testifying that that he was not worthy to die in the same manner as the Lord died and they agreed and nailed him to a cross upside down will see him appearing as we travel through the gospel by Lou the next cycle mentioned by Luke here in chapter 6 is Simon Peter's brother, Andrew, Peter and Andrew lived together with our families.
There were actually fishing partners in the family fishing business there off the coast of the Sea of Galilee that we don't know for sure. But history considers Andrew to be the older brother of Peter, which, frankly, to me makes it all the more interesting that Andrew is willing to live in Peter shadow factor at the New Testament. Many of the verses in a manner just for that. That little commentary, Simon Peter's brother as if to indicate that the only significance he had was that he was related to Peter Nady you got sibling only. I hear so-and-so's sister or brother. Maybe you've grown up in the shadow of another.
This is Andrew. You mentioned nine times in the New Testament. Most of it in passing, but what's even more interesting to me is that Andrew was the first brother and his family to show any kind of spiritual interest. We put the clues together we find out that he's been traveling out to hear John the prophet John the baptizer preaching his message of repentance.
He believes the message he is personally baptized by John, the prophet and invited by John to become one of his disciples, and he agrees.
So Andrew now is juggling two things is going out during the daytime to be with John the baptizer, the prophet any coming back more than likely spend the evening.
Try to stay awake. Fishing with his younger brother Peter, who probably is not all that happy about the fact that man is fallen asleep. Peter evidently shares no interest there in spiritual things, but they were given this incredible encounter in John's gospel in chapter 1.
The next day.
Again, John. That's the prophet, the baptizer was standing with two of his disciples and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, behold a lot, the Lamb of God, the two disciples heard him say this and then I they followed Jesus. They let John and follow Jesus wanted to hurt John speak, and follow Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. Which means Andrew follow Jesus before Peter. In fact, Andrew could put all that together, it seems very likely that he was the first of the 12 disciples called to follow Jesus, believing him to be the Messiah that you're wondering if Andrew is thanking you not to keep this to myself.
I want to keep you know the truth. Here I discovered to myself. I mean after all of Peter find that is in the coming years. In a bowl bowl. Everybody offering to take charge and I'm tired of being under his shadow and I'm ready to launch out you'll be my own man, I was here first. Well, verse 41 sets the record straight up what actually happened. Andrew then first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, we have found the Messiah. Chris costs the anointed one, and he brought an Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. The first thing Andrew does is tell his family. Specifically, his brother, you will believe it. But I've met the Messiah, you got a meeting to ever thought about the fact that without Andrew there may never have been Simon Peter and the mystery of the way God rolled out this choosing. There is however, the willingness on the part of Andrew to be remarkably humble. You never hear him complain about Peter's leadership. There's no indication in any of the New Testament accounts to be undergoing that's Peter brother what you gonna do now why CHR brother anyway and did I mention I was here first.
Even if it meant taking a backseat to his brother. If you track Andrew through the New Testament, you discover he is simply and constantly involved in bringing people to Jesus in the history of Eusebius. This third century historian. He wrote that Andrew would blaze a trail with the gospel to what is now modern day Russia.
He would also be martyred by crucifixion, as if to insult him following the crucified one. Evidently here's how it happened, is an older man is delivering the gospel any let the wife of a powerful politician to faith in Christ and this political leader and Roman Empire was so absolutely infuriated that he demanded that his wife recants her conversion to Christianity and she refused. So this political leader retaliated by arresting Andrew and then putting him to death, and it struck me that he ended his ministry like he began bringing people to Jesus and of the church needs more of our programs. More money more endorsements by famous people more appreciation and respect. Not hardly need are more Andrew people who are simply bringing people to Jesus, Simon Peter and Andrew their brothers. First, their fishermen and then they become spiritual brother fishers of men disciples who model for us what it means to where with perseverance and joy. Dust of our mass as we walk along footsteps of Jesus. This was part one of a part series called the Masters men when we come back next time will continue looking at the biographical sketches of the 12 men that we call the disciples. This is wisdom for the hard with Stephen Devi between now and our next broadcast. Would you take a few moments and contact us.
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