WHY JESUS CHOSE TWELVE

Jesus had more than twelve disciples. The Twelve were a specific group chosen from among them, and their number points directly to the twelve tribes of Israel. Before choosing them, Jesus spent the entire night in prayer. Then Luke records: “And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;” Luke 6:13 KJV. The connection begins with Jacob, whom God named Israel. His twelve sons became the fathers of Israel’s twelve tribes. Genesis 49:28 identifies them plainly as “the twelve tribes of Israel.” Centuries later, Israel’s Messiah chose twelve apostles. Jesus explained their connection to those tribes when He spoke about His future kingdom: “ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:28 KJV. There’s your connection. Twelve apostles, twelve thrones, twelve tribes. You don’t need to turn the Bible into a math puzzle when Jesus gives you the explanation Himself. Their calling reached far beyond preaching in Galilee. These men were being appointed to a future role under the authority of the King. Even Judas’ betrayal didn’t leave the group permanently at eleven. Acts records that the believers prayed for the Lord to show whom He had chosen to take Judas’ place. Matthias was selected and numbered with the eleven apostles. Acts 1:24 through 26. Then Revelation takes us all the way to New Jerusalem, where both groups appear in the city’s description. The twelve gates bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The wall’s twelve foundations bear the names of the Lamb’s twelve apostles. “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:14 KJV. Israel’s tribes are still named. The apostles have their own place in the same city. God remembers exactly whom He called and exactly what He promised. We meet these men beside fishing boats and at a tax collector’s table. By Revelation, the names of the Lamb’s apostles are written in the foundations of New Jerusalem. I’d say Jesus knew what He was building. #MoreJoyMinistries