The Twelve

Dawn broke over the Sea of Gawlee-law as Yeh-shuah climbed down the mountainside to meet with his disciples. They spent the night sleeping while Yeh-shuah went up to pray until the first light of morning.

They stood in small groups, and each sensed something important was about to happen. Yeh-shuah stood a few paces off, occasionally studying one or another as they stood talking among themselves. One by one he read their characters with Spirit power, sensing their weaknesses and errors and the responsibilities that would fall to them.

Petros was impulsive, yet generous;
Simone, a fiery patriot who hated the authority of Rom-ah;
Tho-mas, true-hearted, yet afraid;
Filip, slow to believe;
Yah-kobus and Yo-hawn, so-called the Sons of Thunder because of their fierce tempers and instant indignation at any insult directed at their Master.

Petros, Yah-kobus, and Yo-hawn were the closest to him, but Yo-hawn was his best friend. Andre, Filip, Nethan-ale, and Mat-thah-yos were next, followed by Bar-tholom-ahyos, Tho-mas, Yah-kobus Alfah-yos, and Simone.

To each of them, Yeh-shuah spoke words of encouragement, just the right words that each of them needed to hear. As he spoke, someone came up to the group and interrupted Yeh-shuah, exclaiming, “Master, I will follow you anywhere.”

Yeh-shuah looked into the man’s soul and said, almost sadly, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own.” He said this to discourage the man’s hopes for a high position in a new government.

“Yewdas Ker-ee-yoth is a good man, Master,” one of the disciples spoke up. “He has a sharp business mind and will serve the cause well.”

Yeh-shuah sensed Yewdas’ dishonest and treacherous heart, but neither encouraged nor discouraged him from joining the group. So Yewdas remained among them. Yeh-shuah finished speaking to them and had them come close around him while they all kneeled. He put his hands on their heads and dedicated each one of them to his service.

Why 12 disciples, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 gates on the New Jerusalem? Perhaps the New World will be divided into 12 sectors and only those living in a particular sector will be allowed entrance into the city through their assigned gate. There will be passwords and personal ID's, i.e. a new name known only to the recipient and God, and, the white stone each entrant possesses.

Jesus didn't send his handpicked team to some great university or to the religious schools of the day. This would have made them completely unfit for his service. He led them to a quiet retreat on a mountain near the sea of Galilee to teach them how they could save the world. He prayed all night for them.

All flawed to some extent, by reading their thoughts with Spirit power, Jesus saw in them great potential, even though some of them were still rough around the edges. His plan was to turn these uneducated men into sparkling jewels who would bring light to a dark world.

They looked around at each other and wondered why there weren't more men like Judas who possessed a keen intellect and much-needed leadership abilities. Also, they wondered why Jesus had not yet secured the cooperation of the leaders of Israel.




All of the disciples suffered from some degree of self-interest, each hoping to obtain high positions in the new government after Jesus conquered the world. Then they wouldn't have to work so hard to provide food and shelter for themselves and their families. Judas, too, hoped for wealth and power by associating with Jesus, but he was possessed by the demon of selfishness.




Even Judas, greedy and dishonest as he was, could have become a subject of the Kingdom of God if he had only opened his heart to Christ. This would have banished the demons of pride and selfishness, but he resisted conviction and kept his mean-spirited mindset and his selfish ambitions. He had already chosen the path to doom and infamy. The Kingdom of the Stars was within his grasp, but he let it slip through his fingers, and lost his ticket.

Jesus reproved, warned, and cautioned his disciples, but they did not leave him; they chose Jesus. He did not reject them because they were weak or made mistakes. They stayed with him until the end, sharing his trials and learning lessons from his life. This is what transformed them from beer-drinking fist-banging slobs into a fearless and formidable team.

The disciples had their tests, grievances, and differences of opinion, but in the end, they became one in faith, doctrine, and in spirit. To complete their mission, there could be no dissension.



Christ is the Great Center, and all who approach the Center will be of one Mind and one Spirit. Those who approach the Center will also in direct proportion approach one another.



We must take hold of this power to become efficient for good. Imperfect and sinful as we are, the LORD is calling us to learn from him so we can become his partners and work for him.

Without this connection, even though we attend church and do many wonderful church things, we are the LORD's enemies, driving sensitive souls away from him, unaware of our glaring faults and blatant hypocrisy.

If this power transformed the disciples, in spite of their weaknesses and flaws, we too can find encouragement that this same power will transform our ugly, selfish selves into the sparking jewels of light we can all become.

There are people troubled with doubt, plagued with infirmities, weak in faith, unable to grasp the Unseen. We can be their friend in place of Christ. We can be their Connecting Link to fasten their trembling faith upon the LORD.

Once we give ourselves to the LORD in wholehearted devotion, his messengers, with their telepathic connection to us from across the universe, can speak through us to reveal God's love.