1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these…

The naming of the twelve begins a time of intense discipleship training, preparing the harvesters He spoke about at the end of the last chapter. These men had been following Him for some time, but now it was time for them to begin emulating the Master. He gives them authority to cast out demons and perform healings—they had seen the Lord doing this on multiple occasions (see 8:16, 28, 9:32-34). They were to wield the same authority, delegated as it may be, that the centurion recognized in Jesus (see 8:9). Being a disciple involves doing what the Master does—by His authority!

Out of all the multitude who had followed Jesus, He hand-chooses twelve men. Why these and not others? There were clearly differing levels of responses to the Lord’s ministry. The apostle John tells us when Jesus’ teaching began to focus on commitment, the multitude abandoned Him, and only the twelve continued on (see John 6:66-69). The Lord is on the constant lookout for those willing to commit to Him. They are the ones He selects for discipleship.

There were many “secret” believers, particularly some religious leaders who accepted His teachings, but were afraid of the Pharisees (see John 12:42). Their commitment was low compared to the twelve who openly followed Christ. Nicodemus was one such example, coming by night to seek an audience with Christ. In fact, he admits that, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). Joseph of Arimethea was another, who along with Nicodemus quietly removed Jesus’ body from the cross for a proper burial (John 19:38-39). There were others, like Clopas, who was one of the two on the road to Damascus who was devastated by the death of Jesus (Luke 24:18), and his wife, who was a witness to the crucifixion (John 19:25). Following His resurrection and ascension, the committed followers numbered about 120 (see Acts 1:15).

But the twelve were given special training because of their unique task. They were to be the authorized agents of Jesus, His personally appointed witnesses (see Acts 1:8). They were promised perfect recall (John 14:26, 16:13) and supernatural guidance. It was their teachings about the life and ministry of Jesus that were foundational to the early church (Acts 2:42).

Lord, thank You for ensuring that Your teachings continued to spread long after You ascended and that Your apostles were faithful in passing them on.