Why did Jesus call the twelve apostles?

Jesus called twelve disciples. Mark 3:13-14 read, “And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) to be with Him and to send them out to preach.”

Jesus appointed twelve or literally “made twelve.” Why did Jesus select the twelve apostles? There are two primary reasons Jesus chose them.

First, they served as eyewitnesses. They were with Jesus. They witnessed His ministry and resurrection. Later in Acts 1:8 Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth.”

In Acts the apostles served as witnesses of the resurrection. In Acts 2:32 Peter said, “This Jesus God raised up again to which we are all witnesses.” In Acts 3:14-15 Peter said, “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Author of life, Whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.” Acts 4:33 says, “And with great power the apostles were bearing witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…”

The theme of witness continues in Acts 10:40-41 and Acts 13:31. Our faith is based upon witnesses- the testimony of twelve men. Deuteronomy 17:6 says that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. God provided twelve witnesses for us!

Second, Jesus gave a pre-authenticated list of New Testament authors. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would remind the apostles of the truth (John 14:26, 15:26 and 16:23).

The Book of Matthew was written by an apostle! 1 and 2 Peter were written by Peter. The Gospel of John, 1, 2 and 3 John and Revelation were written by the apostle John. Two other men were considered equal with the apostles- Paul and James. Paul was an apostle. Paul wrote fifteen Books in the New Testament. James, the half brother of Jesus and the pastor of the Jerusalem church, was equal to the apostles. James wrote the Book of James.

That leaves only five New Testament Books- Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews and Jude. Mark was written under the auspices of Peter. Luke and Acts were written by Luke under the influence of the apostle Paul. Jude was the half brother of Jesus. Hebrews was probably written by Apollos under the leadership of the apostle Paul.

Jesus took twelve ordinary men and transformed them into apostles. Think how different the twelve were! Matthew was a tax collector. He had a lucrative business. It was located in Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee on the main trade route between Africa and Europe and Asia. Matthew was excommunicated from the synagogue and considered a traitor to Rome. Our Lord Jesus changed his life. Matthew wrote the first Book of the New Testament- the gospel to the Jewish people!

Consider Simon the Zealot. The zealot’s theme was, “No King But God.” Their hero was Phinehas in Numbers 25. When the Moabite women seduced the Israelite men in the Old Testament, Phinehas killed an Israelite man and a Moabite woman at the tabernacle with a single thrust of his spear. No act was considered wrong if it stopped the hated Romans. Jesus transformed the life of Simon.

Christian, your faith is based on evidence! The fifteen post resurrection appearances by our Lord Jesus were witnessed to by the apostles. They went to their deaths affirming the truth.

Christian, the New Testament is trustworthy! The canon is perfect. Even today the apostles witness to us. Let’s be confident. Our faith is certain. We hear their testimony even today through their writings in the New Testament. Let’s be diligent students of God’s Word!

Ethan Hansen is a pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.