And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
Luke 6:16 supplies the final two names in the calling and ordination of the twelve to the apostolate. The calling took place beneath the sheltering trees on a mountainside a little distance from the Sea of Galilee, where the Sermon on the Mount was given. Jesus prepared for the ordination by resorting to the solitude of the mountains and spending the night in prayer to His Father before the ordination and the Sermon on the Mount, as He did when preparing for some great trial or important work. The calling was the first step in the organization of the church that after His departure was to be His representative on earth.
With no costly sanctuary at command, He led the disciples to a retreat He loved, and the sacred experiences of that day were forever linked in their minds with the beauty of mountain and vale and sea, having withdrawn from the confusion of the city to the quiet of fields and hills as more in harmony with the lessons of self-abnegation He desired to teach. Fields and hills were His favorite resorts, and much of His teaching was given under the open sky rather than in the temple or synagogues, not only because no synagogue could have received the throngs that followed Him but because He loved the scenes of nature, to whom each quiet retreat was a sacred temple. The call offered no flattering prospects in this life and no promise of gain or worldly honor, and those called made no stipulation about what they should receive, but left all at once without question or hesitation, without demanding pay equal to former work or asking how to live and sustain family, content to be with Christ to hear His words and unite with Him in His work, and could afterward testify they lacked nothing.
The same call still requires making God's service supreme with clear conceptions of duty and unselfish aspirations, rejoicing to be co-workers with Christ and trusting His care rather than putting compensation first. Judas was included among those Jesus chose because the other disciples wanted him to join them and recommended him for his commanding appearance, keen discernment, and executive ability, thinking he could greatly help the work. The verse identifies Judas Iscariot as numbered among the twelve apostles although imperfect in character, even as the traitor who betrayed Jesus.
His place among the disciples did not mean his character was approved, but he was accepted despite his faults so he could learn from teaching and example, recognize his errors, repent, and be changed by divine grace, yet he rejected that opportunity, cherished sin, resisted correction, and ultimately betrayed his Master. His place among the apostles and Christ's experience with him show long patience with perverse human nature and teach followers to bear patiently with false brethren in the church.
Luke 6:16 supplies the final two names in the calling and ordination of the twelve to the apostolate. The calling took place beneath the sheltering trees on a mountainside a little distance from the Sea of Galilee, where the Sermon on the Mount was given. Jesus prepared for the ordination by resorting to the solitude of the mountains and spending the night in prayer to His Father before the ordination and the Sermon on the Mount, as He did when preparing for some great trial or important work. The calling was the first step in the organization of the church that after His departure was to be His representative on earth.
With no costly sanctuary at command, He led the disciples to a retreat He loved, and the sacred experiences of that day were forever linked in their minds with the beauty of mountain and vale and sea, having withdrawn from the confusion of the city to the quiet of fields and hills as more in harmony with the lessons of self-abnegation He desired to teach. Fields and hills were His favorite resorts, and much of His teaching was given under the open sky rather than in the temple or synagogues, not only because no synagogue could have received the throngs that followed Him but because He loved the scenes of nature, to whom each quiet retreat was a sacred temple. The call offered no flattering prospects in this life and no promise of gain or worldly honor, and those called made no stipulation about what they should receive, but left all at once without question or hesitation, without demanding pay equal to former work or asking how to live and sustain family, content to be with Christ to hear His words and unite with Him in His work, and could afterward testify they lacked nothing.
The same call still requires making God's service supreme with clear conceptions of duty and unselfish aspirations, rejoicing to be co-workers with Christ and trusting His care rather than putting compensation first. Judas was included among those Jesus chose because the other disciples wanted him to join them and recommended him for his commanding appearance, keen discernment, and executive ability, thinking he could greatly help the work. The verse identifies Judas Iscariot as numbered among the twelve apostles although imperfect in character, even as the traitor who betrayed Jesus.
His place among the disciples did not mean his character was approved, but he was accepted despite his faults so he could learn from teaching and example, recognize his errors, repent, and be changed by divine grace, yet he rejected that opportunity, cherished sin, resisted correction, and ultimately betrayed his Master. His place among the apostles and Christ's experience with him show long patience with perverse human nature and teach followers to bear patiently with false brethren in the church.