Event 51 — Choosing the Twelve
After praying all night, Jesus names twelve ordinary, unlikely men — the foundation of a renewed people of God — first to be with Him, then to be sent out in His name.
A night of prayer, then twelve unlikely men
Before the single most important personnel decision of His ministry, Jesus climbs a mountain and spends the entire night in prayer to His Father. At daybreak He calls His disciples and chooses twelve — a number no one would miss: twelve tribes of old, twelve apostles now, a renewed Israel founded on these men. Mark tells us why He chose them: first, “to be with Him,” and only then “to send them out to preach” with His authority. Being with Jesus comes before being sent by Him. And look at the twelve He picks — fishermen, a despised tax collector beside a fiery Zealot who would normally be his enemy, a man who would later doubt, and Judas Iscariot, “who became a traitor.” He calls ordinary, unlikely, even dangerous people, knowing exactly what each will become. The kingdom is built not on the impressive, but on the called.
The text
Underlined words (like named as apostles) link down to their original-language card in Word secrets below.
12It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: 14Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Luke 6:12–16 (NASB95)📖 Read both accounts
Read Luke 6:12–16 and Mark 3:13–19. Mark adds the purpose: Jesus appointed twelve “so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.”
What the original words mean
Five details behind the founding of the church’s first leaders.
One word in Greek means “to spend the entire night.” Luke shows Jesus praying before every turning point — the baptism, this choice, Gethsemane. The Son lives in constant dependence on the Father. If Jesus would not choose twelve leaders without a night on His knees, how casually we sometimes make our biggest decisions.
↑ Back to the passageAn “apostle” is an official envoy — one sent with the full authority of the one who sends him, like an ambassador. Jesus is not just gathering students; He is commissioning representatives who will carry His message and His authority into the world. The word marks a new stage: from following to being sent.
↑ Back to the passageMark names the first purpose before the mission: simply to be with Him. Before they preach or cast out demons, they spend three years in His company — watching, listening, being formed. Doing for Jesus always flows out of being with Jesus. Communion comes before commission.
↑ Back to the passageThe Zealots were firebrands who wanted to overthrow Rome by force — and they despised tax collectors as traitors. Yet here is Simon the Zealot standing beside Matthew the tax collector (Event 44), a man who had worked for Rome. Only Jesus could place mortal enemies in the same circle of twelve. The gospel reconciles people no movement ever could.
↑ Back to the passageLuke names it plainly: Judas Iscariot “became a traitor.” Jesus chose him with full knowledge of what he would do — not tricked, not surprised. That the betrayer was numbered among the Twelve, sharing every meal and miracle, is a sober reminder: nearness to Jesus is not the same as belonging to Him.
↑ Back to the passageNight, call, twelve, purpose
📜 Why exactly twelve? The new Israel
The number twelve is no accident. As Jacob had twelve sons whose descendants became the twelve tribes of Israel, Jesus deliberately appoints twelve men to be the foundation of a renewed people of God. He says as much: “you who have followed Me… will sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). When Judas falls away, the early church is careful to replace him (Acts 1) so the number stays twelve. And John’s vision of the new Jerusalem shows a city whose twelve foundation stones bear “the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). In choosing the Twelve, Jesus is not merely recruiting helpers — He is re-founding the people of God around Himself.
🏺 Meet the Twelve — an unlikely roster
Look at who made the list. Four are fishermen from the same lake towns: Peter and Andrew, James and John (Events 37, 41). Matthew is a former tax collector who collaborated with Rome; Simon the Zealot belonged to a movement that wanted to kill collaborators — and yet they serve side by side. Thomas will become famous for doubting before he believes. Philip, Bartholomew (likely Nathanael), James the son of Alphaeus, and Judas the son of James (Thaddaeus) round out the group with little fanfare. And last, always last in every list, is Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. Not one of them is a scholar, priest, or man of power. They are ordinary, flawed, mismatched people — which is exactly the point. God builds His kingdom out of the people He calls, not the people the world would pick.
How it ties to the rest of Scripture
| Passage | Connection |
|---|---|
| Mark 3:14–15 | The twofold purpose — “to be with Him” and “to send them out.” |
| Matthew 19:28 | The Twelve will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes — the new Israel. |
| John 15:16 | “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” — the call begins with Him. |
| Ephesians 2:19–20 | The church “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” |
Resources to explore
Play the video here, then dig into the text and its background.
🎬 Watch & listen
- Video: BibleProject — Luke 1–9Overview with study notes and downloads.
- Podcast: An Overview of LukeHow Jesus forms the community that carries His mission.
📖 Study tools
- Luke 6:12 interlinear + Strong’sSee “spent the whole night in prayer” in the Greek.
- Full passage (Luke 6:12–16, NASB95)Read the whole text on Bible Gateway.
🔗 Cross-reading
- Acts 1:15–26The church keeps the number twelve by replacing Judas.
- Revelation 21:12–14The new Jerusalem founded on the twelve apostles.
Discussion questions
- Jesus prays all night before choosing the Twelve. What does that say about how we should approach our own important decisions?
- Mark says the Twelve were chosen first “to be with Him” and then to be sent. Why does being with Jesus have to come before working for Him?
- The roster mixes a tax collector and a Zealot — natural enemies. What does that reveal about the kind of unity the gospel creates?
- Jesus chose Judas knowing he would betray Him. How do you hold together His sovereign choice and Judas’s real responsibility?
- Only after all that does the question reach us: He builds His kingdom on ordinary, unlikely people. Where do you disqualify yourself that Jesus might be calling you anyway?