Have you ever wondered how Jesus made the decision about his disciples?

Who would you call as your disciple? What kind of characteristics would they have?

Let’s consider three important considerations about the disciples of Jesus.

First, Jesus spent intense time in prayer before calling the disciples.

Luke is the gospel writer who gives us the most information about the process Jesus followed in calling His disciples. You can find that process by reading the fascinating account in Luke 6:12-16.

Luke tells us that Jesus went out into the hills to pray. We don’t know how long He stayed in the hills, but Luke tells us that He prayed all night long the night before He named His disciples.

How should you make important decisions? We really don’t have to answer that question, do we? Jesus gave us a tremendous example about making important decisions.

Think of what He did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Before His betrayal by Judas, Jesus went to the garden to pray about what was going to happen very soon.

It seems that Judas knew where to find Jesus because Jesus often went to the garden to pray.

Luke’s Gospel makes it clear that Jesus was a man of prayer. He sought the Father’s guidance and the Father’s encouragement by means of prayer. We should do the same with all our decisions in life.

Second, Jesus called and His disciples responded.

Jesus chose, according to Luke, from those who were already His followers. Luke’s Gospel presents a number of followers of Jesus, including both men and women. Estimates generally number the disciples at more than 50 at this point.

Third, Jesus called His followers to make a commitment. He asked them to leave fathers, mothers, and family to follow Him. He asked them to yield their lives.

We know the disciples in their weakness and failings, but we also know them in their dependence on the Holy Spirit after the resurrection. They spoke boldly about the gospel. They lived courageously for Christ. They took the gospel to the known world, and they gave their lives for Jesus.

The eleven remaining disciples (minus Judas) suffered greatly for the call of Christ. Ten of the disciples were martyred for the sake of the Gospel. John, the remaining disciple, suffered imprisonment and exile for the cause of the resurrection of Jesus.

These men changed the world.

I thank God for the prayer life of our Lord and for the commitment of those He called.

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