week of 08/03/11 2nd recorded HighQuest Luke 6:12-17

The passage I read was Luke 6:12-17

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206:12-17&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:

As I reflect:

A man once asked a theologian, "Why did Jesus choose Judas Iscariot to be his disciple?" The teacher replied, "I don’t know, but I have an even harder question: Why did Jesus choose me?"

Though short this, reflection time for me has had great revelation and will continue to carry great meaning in my daily life. He chose me… A few questions do arise as I reflect though:

1) Why Judas?

So , this one I think has to go un answered until I enter into eternity. I could speculate that perhaps the usage of a follower that would one day betray you was only for the purpose of later followers better relating to a Savior who knows how it feels to be betrayed. But again, this would be speculation as it is not written why He chose Judas. Perhaps it is because God the Father needed an instrument to hand Christ over to be crucified, and choosing someone who would walk among His closest friends, would allow that infidel the only opportunity to hand the Son of God over to the hands of man and the wrath of God that He took in our place. Perhaps…

2) Why 12?

Seems fitting really that God’s chosen people were the 12 tribes of Israel and that in order to relay the information of the new covenant and the loving grace shed on the cross, Jesus chose 12 people to spread the Gospel. Perhaps he even knew ahead of time that later Matthias would replace Judas. Again, this is only speculation though, as a reason is not given.

3) What was He praying about all night?

It has been said that He was likely praying about which disciples to choose the following morning. I’m not sure if that’s really what He spent the night praying about or not. If this is what His prayer regarded though, one may ask then, why He needed to pray at all when He is also fully God and more than capable of answering His own questions on who to choose. Which brings us to “why?”.

4) Why?

Why would He pray to God for answers that He could certainly in His also being God already know? Yet again, speculation is required to answer these questions. In this case we have a bit more evidence to go on. During all of His earthly struggles, Jesus faced them as a man and never as God, though He was fully both. It was necessary for Him to face those trials as a man, just as it was necessary for Him to set the example of communication with the Father as a man so that no one later could say that He only was able to do something because He was God. Ex. The temptations in the wilderness, handling the temptations of life, healing, knowingly walking obediently into His final trials as a man, etc. He felt all the pains of these trials and tribulations and overcame them as a man so that you and i may know that it is something that can be done and that Christ did it all for us.

These are all just back of the mind type of questions. They aren’t currently relevant to my walk with God. What is relevant is the thought that had these twelve not been chosen, I may never have come to hear the Gospel and walk this broken path that has brought me to Jesus. I am thankful for the 12 He chose and the replacement Matthias was for Judas, and I am thankful for what they did to begin the spreading of a wonderful, loving message that eventually reached me and made me new.

My response to the Lord:

My Holy God, that you are outside of time is beyond my feeble mind’s ability to fully comprehend. That you always have been and always will be, I rejoice, but again do not fully understand. You knew before the creation of man, all that would take place. You knew as Jesus knelt before you that night, everything that would follow. You knew about Judas and yet had your Son chose him anyway. I hope to one day understand better. Father, I am thankful that you can so perfectly predict the choices of man, and guide us to our predestined callings. I thank you that when you chose those 12, you had me in mind to be reached 2000 years later. I thank you for everyone that that gospel message reached who was changed from the inside out as a result of your loving plan. Lord, I trust you with my future and with my wife and my children’s future, and with their children to come. I know that you already have it planned and will guide them on the path you have laid for them to do your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.