JESUS CALLED THE TWELVE

Luke 6:12-16

Key Verse 6:13

1. Compare verse 12 with Luke 6:11. Facing a problem, Jesus went to a mountainside to pray. What can we learn from Jesus about the way to understand: 1) the problem(s) in life; and 2) the way to approach it? 

2. Obviously what Jesus did in verse 13 is the result of his prayer in verse 12. What does this observation tell us about the nature of the work Jesus did in verse 13? 

3. Verse 13 describes two titles: disciples and apostles. How are they different? What do these titles tell us about the way the Lord God fulfills the work of salvation? 

4. In verse 13, Jesus chose twelve disciples. What is the significance of the number twelve? What does the number 12 indicate about God's will for all peoples on earth? 

5. Think about Simon whom Jesus named Peter in verse 14. Consider the meaning of the name "Simon" (an abbreviation of Hebrew name "Simeon") as it is explained in Genesis 29:33. Peter (which is Cephas in Hebrew) means "rock". The account of Simon's character as described in the four gospels does not indicate that he is a "rock" like person. (Luke 22:34) Yet, Jesus named him Peter. Why? (Matthew 16:18) How can a man like Simon be a man as stable as a rock? (Joshua 1:8)  

6. Consider the names of the twelve people listed in verses 14-16. How would you characterize the "selection"? (You may need to refer to the accounts of their characters on each of them in the Bible, particularly in the four gospels.) 

7. The selection begins with Simon and ends with Judas Iscariot who became a traitor. Why do you think God included in the selection even a traitor? 

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