230 - Jesus Selects Twelve Apostles and Begins to Teach Them
- Gwen Diaz
- Aug 18, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 31
AUGUST 18- Nº 230 Mark 3:7-19; Luke 6:12-26; Matthew 5:1-12
Jesus continued to travel and teach. He cured the sick and cast out demons. People came from all over hoping just to be able to touch Jesus and be healed. The crowds grew so large that Jesus sometimes climbed into a small boat and set sail on the Sea of Galilee just to get away from the pushing and shoving.
One evening Jesus went up into the hills by himself. He spent the whole night praying with his Father. The next morning, he called all of his disciples together and chose 12 of them to be his apostles (meaning “sent ones”).
From then on, those twelve men became the focus of his attention. He knew that they would have to carry on his ministry when he left this earth. In order to do this, they needed to understand everything they could about having a relationship with God. In addition, they would also receive special power to heal the sick, as well as authority to drive out demons.
The 12 apostles Jesus selected were:
Simon (whom Jesus had already renamed Peter);
Andrew (Peter’s brother);
James and his brother John (Jesus nicknamed them the “Sons of Thunder”);
Philip (who was one of his very first followers);
Bartholomew (also called Nathanael);
Thomas (who was a twin--and whom we often call "Doubting Thomas");
another disciple named James;
Thaddaeus (who was also called Judas. He is not the same Judas who later betrayed Jesus);
Simon the Zealot (a member of a religious group that violently opposed the Romans);
Matthew (the tax-collector who had worked for Rome);
and Judas Iscariot, the man who eventually betrayed Jesus.
This was an eclectic group of men from very different backgrounds. But Jesus brought them together to change the world.
Whenever Jesus began to teach his apostles, crowds of people would gather around. They were drawn to him because of his miracles, but they were also fascinated by what he taught. It was completely different from the teachings of the Pharisees. Instead of focusing on all the external rules they had to follow to receive God’s blessings, Jesus focused on what was going on inside their hearts. One time when he was teaching on the side of a mountain, he shared with them eight heart attitudes that God wants his followers to have--eight attitudes that will lead to His blessing. We call them the Beatitudes. He said:
You will be blessed if you are depending on God instead of filling your spirit with pride. Heaven is reserved for humble people!
You will be blessed if you weep for those who are hurting. God Himself will comfort you!
You will be blessed if you are more successful in God’s eyes than in the worlds' eyes. He owns this earth and will give you everything you need!
You will be blessed if your deepest longing is to have a right relationship with God. You will never feel empty or worthless!
You will be blessed when you show mercy instead of condemnation. God will show you mercy too!
You will be blessed if the desire of your heart is to please God. He will show you amazing things about Himself!
You will be blessed if you help others find peace with God and with each other. God will delight in calling you His child!
You will be blessed if you are willing to endure hardship here on earth because of your faith in God. You will be greatly rewarded when you get to heaven!
God wants to bless us!
Check back over the list of heart attitudes that Jesus gave us.
In how many of these eight areas can God bless you right now?
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