Gospel Meditation

Luke 6:12–19

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.   After a period of non-stop ministry, Jesus retreats to the mountains and spends much time in prayer. It was time to identify those whom He would call “apostles” meaning ‘appointed representatives,’ to be ‘sent out’ to do the work to which they were being called.

2.   There were 12 of these: Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, Philip, James son of Alphaeus, Simon, Judas son of James (named Thaddeus in both Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel accounts), and Judas Iscariot. Matthias would be chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. (See Acts 1:12–14)

3.   Jesus, after naming the Twelve, comes down with these now apostles, out of a mountain, some say Mt. Hermon, others Mt. Tabor, and is greeted by throngs of people from all over Israel to be healed of their diseases and to be freed of “unclean spirits” or demons.

4.   Let it be noted that they came, not so much for the words Jesus spoke, but to be made well.

5.   Everything would change now; a kind of graduation had occurred, now about one year into Jesus’ ministry.