The Twelve and the Three-in-One

Luke 6:12-13

“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”

It wasn’t a routine occurrence, these all night vigils, but on occasion, particularly at a time like this one, Jesus would do an all-nighter. Reading through the gospels, you get the impression that Jesus often stole away to be alone with God the Father. I have the feeling he talked with his Father in heaven all the time, stealing away being frequent but certainly not 24/7 as Jesus himself was not called to a monastic life.

On this occasion, Jesus seems to go off to pray, not so much for a designated period of time, but until the purpose of his going off to pray is fulfilled. Up to this point in Luke’s presentation Jesus has been calling various people to follow him. “Disciples of traveling rabbis” was a common notion in that day. Individuals would attach themselves to this or that religious teacher for a time or for a lifetime. John had his disciples, some of whom then became disciples of Jesus. Others did not. In fact, years later the Apostle Paul encountered some of John’s disciples in far off Ephesus.

By this point in the story, Jesus had been gathering quite a following. We know that after the resurrection there were at least 120 and perhaps as many as 500 still claiming to follow Jesus. The numbers tended to go up or down, depending on Jesus’ popularity. But among that larger number of followers, there were those who were committing themselves no matter what might come.

Among these faithful were twelve men, some of them prominent in the New Testament writings and some of them obscure even there. But for whatever reason, Jesus was about to choose these twelve to be a special category of followers Jesus would identify as apostles or “sent ones.” They who were not a cohesive group were soon to become such. Many of those not so designated would continue to follow Jesus, some even joining the ranks of the Seventy-Two. The Twelve, however, would remain intact as a special group until Judas’ self-imposed departure.

Up to this point in Luke’s story, Jesus is establishing his ministry on earth, calling people to follow him, developing a reputation as a teacher and healer, and solidifying his authority as separate from that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Now for the next several chapters, Jesus focuses on his followers, his disciples, and the first act is to set apart the Twelve, something he does only after this long night in prayer.

Does Jesus pray in order to know whom to choose? I think not. The Twelve were likely already quite fixed in his mind. But never was the Twelve a selection dictated by fate. Each of the Twelve always had a choice in the matter. Never was their future with Jesus beyond their own control. Once called they could agree or walk away. Jesus knows this. So he prays for them, perhaps very much along the lines of what we read of Jesus’ prayer for them in John 17.

Jesus also spends extensive time communing with God. It is a difficult thing to get the human mind around, this notion of Jesus and God the Father being one, of being two parts of a trinity with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God, the Scriptures clearly affirm, but however you want to phrase it, there is more to God than just Jesus. And for Jesus, his relationship with the rest of the Godhead is extremely vital.

At this critical juncture in his earthly work, Jesus knows that his highest priority is to spend some undefined time in communion, in conversation with God. Like some sci-fi character who cannot long be disconnected from the Mother Ship, Jesus knows that his earthly mission is entirely and completely dependent upon his connectedness with God in heaven. The more critical the action, the more vital the prayer that must go into it.