Jesus Trains His Disciples I. Introduction A. John 7:45-46 1. The officers sent to arrest Jesus confessed a great truth about Him 2. No one ever spoke as He did! B. Even those who do not profess Jesus as Lord recognize His greatness as a teacher C. As followers of Jesus, we do well to learn from Jesus and to consider Him our Master, Rabbi, and Teacher (Matthew 10:24-25, 11:29, Mark 9:5, 11:21) D. We can gain much from looking at His actual instructions 1. Ethics and morality, as in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:27) 2. About the Kingdom, as in parables (e.g. Matthew 13:1-52) 3. Apocalyptic expectations (e.g. Matthew 24:1-25:46) 4. These are always good and profitable for consideration E. Yet we can also gain much from seeing how and why Jesus taught as He did F. Let us consider how Jesus trained His disciples 1. Why was it so necessary to train the disciples? 2. Whom did Jesus select? Why? 3. How did He go about training them? 4. What can we learn about discipleship and instruction in the process? II. The Necessity of Training and Discipleship A. Jesus begins instructing us about training and discipleship by underscoring the importance of training and discipleship B. How does the Gospel get communicated? 1. These days we might imagine the communication of the Gospel is ensured through the transmission of the text of the Scriptures 2. While the transmission of the Scriptures is extremely important (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17), an earlier statement by Paul to Timothy indicates the importance of the teaching of what is recorded in Scripture 3. 2 Timothy 2:2: what Timothy heard in Paul from many witnesses was also to be communicated to faithful men who will teach others also 4. Despite protestations to the contrary, the mere text of Scripture proves insufficient, since what Scripture says can be twisted and distorted unto perverse ends (cf. 2 Peter 3:16) 5. From the beginning until now the Gospel has been communicated through its preaching by faithful men (Romans 10:12-18) C. And from whom did Paul hear the Gospel? Jesus (Galatians 1:11-12)! D. Whereas we might imagine that most of Jesus’ time would have been spent instructing the multitudes, in the Gospels, Jesus spends most of His time training the Twelve 1. Many would consider this foolish: why spend so much time on 12 people as opposed to hundreds or thousands? He is not reaching enough people! 2. But He is the Master Teacher, not us; we do well to learn from Him! 3. We do well to remember that we have no recorded writings of Jesus; everything we know about Him comes through the preaching of the Gospel by the Apostles 4. He instructed and trained the Twelve; the Twelve in turn instructed and trained the next generation; and so on to this day E. Not for nothing is the work of proclaiming the Gospel considered "making disciples" in Matthew 28:18-20 1. God is interested in the salvation of as many souls as possible (1 Timothy 2:4) 2. Nevertheless, God does not betray a desire for “factory made” Christians; throughout the New Testament emphasis is placed on personal encouragement and development 3. Jesus Himself provides the model: He pours Himself into twelve, who pour themselves into many disciples, expanding the Kingdom through such personal work and influence 4. If each does the work seen in 2 Timothy 2:2, the Gospel can be proclaimed powerfully, not only in spoken message but embodied practice and encouragement, throughout the world F. The need for discipleship itself merits consideration 1. Jesus did not consider the Twelve to be generally ready when called needing just a tweak or two 2. Whatever natural talents they had were not, in and of themselves, sufficient 3. All of them, no matter their standing when called, needed training and development 4. None were going to naturally become the men they needed to be! 5. None would have intuited how God was going to fulfill all He had spoken in the prophets through Jesus; they would have to see it and learn it in order to understand (1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Ephesians 3:1-6, 1 John 1:1-4) 6. The "natural man" will not understand these things; we must gain spiritual discernment, which only comes through God's revelation (1 Corinthians 2:1-16) 7. And so all are called to be disciples and to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 11:26, 20:30) 8. Whatever talents we have need to be refined and properly directed to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10-11) 9. We all have much to learn from Jesus' words and example; just as Christians considered themselves disciples long after having originally heard the Gospel, we do well to recognize our continual need to learn from Jesus' words and example, even if we think we "know" it well (Acts 11:26, 20:30, etc.; cf. 1 John 2:3-6) G. And so Jesus needed to call and train disciples in order to accomplish His mission; disciples are still being called to this day and still need training! III. The Twelve A. From Scripture we discern “circles” of association and connection with Jesus 1. Jesus preached to and taught the multitudes, and many multitudes followed Him (Matthew 4:23-25) 2. We learn of a group of seventy or seventy-two in Luke 10:1-20, distinct from the Twelve, whom Jesus sent out with a limited commission in His name 3. Yet first and foremost are the Twelve whom Jesus called and trained (Matthew 10:1-4) B. As Jesus trains and instructs His disciples, whereas many times the seventy and the women and others are likely present and receive instruction, the Twelve are assuredly there and are of Jesus’ greatest concern C. But who are these Twelve? 1. Four are Galilean fishermen: Simon, Andrew, James, and John (Matthew 4:18-22) 2. Matthew/Levi was a tax collector; Simon the Cananean, on the other side of the political spectrum, was a Zealot (Matthew 9:9-13, 10:4) 3. Judas is from Kerioth in Judah; the rest seem to be Galileans 4. We are not told much about their backgrounds, but we get no indication that any were of the upper classes; none seem to have specialized religious training; some were at least somewhat educated but none seem to be at Paul’s level of instruction and rhetorical skill D. In short, if one is attempting to set up a Kingdom, these are not the twelve men you would select for major administrative positions! E. Why, therefore, would Jesus select such men? 1. Such is a difficult question; we can begin by ascertaining the criteria Jesus did not require a. He did not require a particularly high level of education (cf. Acts 4:13) b. He did not require people to come from a particularly elevated class or to have already received a significant religious education c. He did not require a well-developed previously established accurate understanding of the nature of the Messiah or his work d. He did not require a particular political ideology 2. As we can see from how the disciples respond to Jesus, He clearly did not expect them to come to a full and immediate understanding of His purposes (e.g. Matthew 20:20-28, Acts 1:6) 3. In fact, at many times, the disciples often seemed untrainable, often maintaining their own petty squabbles and continually not understanding Jesus or His work (e.g. Matthew 16:21-23, Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:51-56, 22:24) 4. What many of us would seek from a set of disciples would have disqualified them in the sight of Jesus for His purposes 5. He was looking, first and foremost, for teachability: who would prove willing to follow Him wherever He would go? 6. And so John 6:68-69: for as often as Simon Peter blundered and failed, when he was right, he was exactly right; he and the others were willing to be convinced that Jesus was the Holy One of God who had the words of eternal life and would go wherever He led 8. The Twelve proved willing to try and fail, and then learn from their failures a. John may have wanted to bring fire on the Samaritans, but he would learn and become the “Apostle of love” (cf. Mark 9:33-37, 1 John 4:7-21) b. Peter blustered many times, and even denied Jesus once, but did not do so again (Matthew 26:69-75, Acts 4:1-22, 5:17-42) c. Thomas was as resolute in his confession of Jesus as Lord and God as he was in needing evidence for the resurrection (John 20:24-29) F. Above all things Jesus did not so judge the Twelve based on their current condition so as to miss or neglect what they could and would become 1. If we judged the disciples merely on the basis of what they said and did in the Gospels, Jesus’ project would seem to be an abject failure 2. While the transformation of the disciples into the Apostles of the book of Acts was no doubt helped by the Holy Spirit, it was only made possible because they had been with Jesus 3. As in all things related to Jesus, in the disciples God had lifted up what was humble and of little esteem to pride of place and standing (cf. Luke 1:48-53) 4. Jesus was no doubt aware of Simon and his glaring weaknesses, and yet in Simon He could see the leader and Apostle Peter would become (John 1:42) 5. And so it was with the rest of the Twelve: Jesus chose them not necessarily because of who they presently were but because of what they would become when they learned of Him and followed His ways! G. We do well to learn from Jesus’ example 1. As we proclaim the Gospel we tend to judge people based on their current situation 2. We consider people like us better prospects than those who are not 3. And yet how many times are we able to reach those who are like us? How often are those we are able to reach rather unlike us? 4. And yet the hope of God in Christ is the transformation of a person from worldly to someone looking far more like the Christ (Romans 8:29) 5. We would most likely have written off the Twelve as either hopelessly ignorant, too politically motivated, too morally compromised, or for some other reason; we do better to get past what people look and seem like now so as to see what they could be in the Kingdom of God! IV. Jesus Trains the Twelve A. How did Jesus go about training the Twelve? B. As would be expected, much of the training featured oral instruction 1. They heard Jesus’ teachings to the multitudes a. Luke 5:1-11: Simon, etc., called in the context of using their boats to provide opportunity to go out and teach multitudes b. Matthew 5:3-7:27: Sermon on the Mount; instruction to the disciples in the hearing of the multitude c. Matthew 13:1-50: the Twelve heard the parables 2. Jesus would provide explanation or expansion of what He taught the multitudes to the Twelve at another opportunity a. Parables: Matthew 15:10-20, Mark 4:10-20, 33-34, 7:14-23, Luke 8:9-15 b. Teaching about marriage and divorce: Mark 10:1-12 3. Jesus also provided specific instruction only to His disciples, sometimes specifically the Twelve a. Instruction in commission: Matthew 10:5-42, Luke 10:2-16 b. Explanation of apocalyptic expectations: Matthew 24:1-25:46 c. Specific instruction before His death: John 13:1-16:31 d. Complete explanation of all things in the resurrection: Luke 24:27, 44-47 C. And yet Jesus did not approach the training of the Twelve as if in an academic context; He also embodied and demonstrated the instruction 1. They saw Jesus teach the people, heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. (Matthew 4:17, 23-25) 2. They saw Jesus have compassion on the people, resist the spiritual tyranny of the religious authorities (Matthew 9:36, 23:1-36) 3. They saw Him pray and wished to learn of prayer from Him; they heard His prayer to the Father on their behalf (Luke 11:1-13, John 17:1-20) 4. They personally experienced Jesus’ love and care (John 13:1-4); John encouraged Christians to love one another on account of the model of love Jesus provided for them (1 John 3:16, 4:7-21) 5. They would see Jesus prove willing to suffer and die for sin; Simon would later encourage Christians to persevere in suffering because of the example Jesus left for us (1 Peter 2:19-25) 6. So it can be that the Hebrew author considers Jesus the embodiment of God’s character (Hebrews 1:3); the disciples experienced this (1 John 1:1-4) D. Jesus did not merely tell the Twelve and show them; He provided opportunity for them to learn by experience, and earlier than we might have imagined 1. Matthew 10:1-42: having called all the Twelve, He commissioned them with a limited commission to proclaim the upcoming Kingdom to the neighboring cities and villages in Israel 2. Commission likely while in Galilee; before Jesus instructs about His impending death, before Peter’s confession, etc. 3. The Twelve were by no metric fully ready or prepared for this; they went out with what they knew and gained valuable experience in the process 4. By commissioning the Twelve at this point Jesus provides an opportunity for them to learn while He is present throughout the process 5. They would have made mistakes and failed often; they would have learned from those experiences; as they watched Jesus from that point on they would have better understood the things He was doing and why E. Jesus’ forms of instruction are relentlessly practical and focused 1. In them He establishes the ethics and guidelines of the Kingdom 2. He demonstrates what God would have them do; for the rest of their lives, whenever the Twelve were confronted with any challenge or issue, they could think back to how Jesus handed or dealt with a similar situation 3. While He expected the Twelve to learn from their experiences, He also warned them in advance about many of the difficulties they would encounter (cf. Matthew 10:1-42) 4. And yet He also took great care to comfort and reassure them, giving them plenty of comfort and consolation in advance to sustain them through the post-crucifixion and pre-resurrection moment of crisis (John 13:1-16:31) 5. He did not dwell on obscure topics, nor did He chase rabbits and tangents; He had a purpose with all of His instruction in all of its forms F. Many might imagine that once Jesus was raised and ascended, and the disciples became the Apostles and proclaimed the Gospel, that their instruction was finished; the text would not support such an assertion! 1. Acts 1:1: the Gospel of Luke spoke only of what Jesus began to do and teach 2. The Apostles kept learning through their experiences 3. Acts 10:9-16: the Lord Jesus needed to instruct Peter in understanding that God would welcome Gentiles into the Kingdom as Gentiles 4. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9: Paul had to learn humility and value in weakness through experiencing the thorn in the flesh and hearing Jesus' instruction about it 5. All of what the Apostles experienced and taught, while in the Spirit, still worked unto their sanctification and further in their discipleship G. Jesus, therefore, trained the Twelve through a holistic program incorporating many different elements 1. He directly instructed them; He demonstrated what was to be done; He commissioned them to participate in the work themselves 2. Meanwhile He prayed for them; He was willing to let them work even before they had a full understanding; their failures did not automatically disqualify them but provided learning opportunities 3. Even after He ascended and the Apostles were doing the work they were commissioned to do He would provide further instruction and demonstrations H. In all of these matters the disciples are empowered to become the Apostles; yes, the Holy Spirit helped, but in all things the Spirit would point back to what Jesus said and did and bring it to their remembrance (cf. John 14:25-26) V. Conclusion A. Jesus knew His mission and purpose; part of that mission was to train others to proclaim the Gospel after His ascension B. While the Twelve He chose would not be the ones we would most likely choose, He knew exactly what He was doing C. Over a few years these men went from being regular Jews who were fishermen, etc., to bold proclaimers of the Gospel of Christ; they had learned from Jesus’ instruction, example, their own experiences, and presence D. The Apostles recognized that future generations would not be able to experience Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as they had, but knew that the Gospel would need to be proclaimed after their death, and so they themselves trained others to proclaim that message as well, and so on E. To this day we must do the same: we must be trained by Jesus according to the message of the Apostles, and seek to train others in the message and its proclamation F. Scout Leadership Training 1. As a Scout leader I have experienced much training in that program 2. Wood Badge: an intensive and immersive leadership program, not inconsistent with a lot of business training a. We were not just instructed about leadership principles by presentation; we were kept in small groups and were supposed to demonstrate leadership principles through experiencing various challenges and trials b. The environment and experiences reinforced the instruction in ways mere words could never do c. To instruct youth and others, the EDGE model: explain, demonstrate, guide, enable d. And the ultimate purpose of leadership is to become replaceable: to so instruct and empower others to take over the responsibilities and to render one no longer necessary 3. Are these not the same principles manifest in Jesus’ training of the Twelve? G. We do well to give serious consideration not only to the substance of Jesus’ instruction, but also how He trained the Twelve and why, so that we might more effectively become replaceable and empower future generations to continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ! H. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: And [Jesus] appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach (Mark 3:14). Jesus is the Master Teacher. We might imagine that such a teacher of great skill would try to influence as many as possible. Jesus did teach the multitudes, but He focused His instruction on twelve men. They were not the twelve we would likely select. And yet they developed as Jesus had planned and proved effective at their work. May we learn of Jesus and encourage others! 2: And without a parable spake he not unto them: but privately to his own disciples he expounded all things (Mark 4:34). Jesus often trained His disciples through instruction. He provided specific instruction to them and also fully explained whatever He taught the multitudes. His instruction proved relentlessly practical. He continued to provide such instruction even after His resurrection and ascension. May we learn from Jesus’ teaching! 3: These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them... (Matthew 10:5). Jesus did not instruct the disciples merely by telling them. While He also embodied the teachings He proclaimed, He also expected them to go out and proclaim the Gospel in a limited commission. The Twelve were sent out earlier than we might expect; they were by no means fully ready. And yet afterward they would have better understood Jesus’ instructions and example. May we go forth and embody what Jesus taught! 4: And the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Jesus knew His mission: He had to train the Twelve so they could proclaim the Gospel and train others in turn after His ascension. The Twelve themselves had to train others to proclaim the Gospel and train others in turn after they departed. And so Timothy also is instructed to do the same. To this day we must continue the tradition, proclaim the Gospel ourselves, and train others in turn to carry on the work after we depart!