Jesus Chooses the Twelve

“YE HAVE not chosen me, but I have chosen you,” said Jesus to his apostles with reference to the special place provided for them in the church. (John 15:16) It is the prerogative of all who hear the Gospel of Christ to make a choice as to whether or not they will accept the provisions of God’s grace through Christ, and through full consecration become his disciples. This is as far as our choice goes. In the matter of the place each individual occupies in the body of Christ, that choice is made by the Lord. “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him,” writes Paul.—I Cor. 12:18

“I have … ordained you,” Jesus further said. The twelve apostles ordained by Jesus (with Paul later taking the place of Judas Iscariot) are the only genuine apostles in the church of Christ. The theory of apostolic succession is not supported by any statement in the Word of God. The twelve apostles were not only specially ordained by the Lord, but were inspired by the Holy Spirit, in the sense that they were made infallible in what they said and wrote. No other servants of the church have had this authority bestowed upon them by the Lord, although many have claimed it.

MARK 1:16-20—Here is outlined briefly the manner in which Jesus chose four of his apostles—Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John. These were all fishermen, but when this is said about them we should not conclude that they were poor or unintelligent. We get a better picture of their standing in life by noting—in the case of James and John—that they had “hired servants.” This would indicate that they were in the fishing business, rather than being merely fishermen.

In calling Peter and Andrew, Jesus said that he desired to make them fishers of men. Thus he spoke to them in a way that they would especially appreciate. As we would express it today, Jesus talked to them in their own language, thus assuring them that he understood their position in life, and could utilize whatever natural talents they possessed.

There are certain things which a successful fisherman must know, and certain things which he must do. So it is with those who are “fishers of men,” and the Lord wants his people to use wisdom in their efforts to influence others by the truth. Perhaps one of the most important considerations in this respect is to let others know that we are genuinely interested in them, and that we have some knowledge of their problems.

There can be no change in the fundamental doctrines of the truth, but the application of the truth should vary according to the viewpoint of those to whom it is presented. A different approach, for example, should be used when presenting the truth to a Jew from what would be best employed in presenting the message to a professed Christian who still believes the God-dishonoring doctrine of eternal torment. The presentation and application of prophetic truth must, of necessity, also vary from what would have been effective fifty years ago.

LUKE 6:12-16—The choosing of the twelve apostles was considered by Jesus as a matter of great responsibility and he therefore took the matter to his Heavenly Father in prayer. The King James translation gives the thought that he prayed all night, but the Greek text indicates that what he really did was to spend the night in a place of prayer. The Diaglott rendering is that he “remained through the night in the oratory of God.” One of these special places of prayer is referred to in Acts 16:13. No doubt Jesus spent a great deal of time that night in communion with his Heavenly Father, but there is nothing in the text to prove that he prayed all night continuously.

Shortly before his death, Jesus referred to his apostles as those whom his Father had given to him. (John 17:6) Evidently his communion with his Father the night before he made the selections was so vital and so satisfactory that he knew his God was guiding him, hence that the apostles were not actually chosen by him, but by his Father. This was Jesus’ experience throughout the entire period of his ministry, for he said to his God, “I knew that thou hearest me always.”—John 11:42

Doubtless each of the apostles were given important services in connection with the affairs of the church, although the services of Matthew, Peter, James, and John stand out more prominently than that of the others. Peter, James, and John seemed to be taken into the confidence of the Master more than the others, and perhaps this was because they were being prepared for the vital service they were later to render to the church through their epistles and otherwise. It is often true with the Lord’s people that their experiences of today are in preparation for the privileges of service they will enjoy tomorrow.

QUESTIONS

Are all the followers of Jesus called to be fishers of men?

In what way did Jesus prepare himself for the responsibility of selecting those who were to serve as apostles?

Were all the apostles used equally in the service of the church?

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