Why Jesus should not have chosen His twelve disciples?

Jesus came into this world with a divine purpose, as foretold by many prophets. Unexpectedly, He handpicked twelve disciples. While We are not in a position to judge God’s choices, it is worth exploring the qualities God seeks when selecting His disciples. It’s hard to find why Jesus chose these twelve but very easy to point out why Jesus should not have chosen them.

Disciples who disliked the crowd.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. Mark 10:13

Some of the disciples seemed to despise the crowd. When people brought little children to Jesus, the disciples rebuked them. It appeared that they were not inclined to be crowd gatherers. They were uncomfortable with numerous followers and even discouraged people from approaching Jesus. Some even rebuked Blind Bartimaeus when he called out to Jesus as the “Son of David.” They suggested Jesus to dismiss the crowd as night approached, that they could find food. Another instance when a woman sought healing by touching Jesus, and He questioned who had touched Him. The disciples responded by highlighting the crowd, displaying their discontent with the situation.  

Indeed none of us appreciate being overwhelmed by crowds, especially when we desire a personal connection with Jesus. We may defend the disciples using this argument. However, the harsh truth is that there were others who drew crowds. For instance, in John 4: 39 which says, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.””. We learn about a Samaritan woman who, upon realizing that Jesus was the Messiah, gathered the entire town through her testimony. In this regard, she seemed more effective than the twelve disciples. Jesus could have chosen her as a disciple.  

Disciples who lacked faith.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? Mark 4:40

When Jesus and his disciples decided to go to Gerasene, a huge wave and storm suddenly struck their boat, causing great fear among his disciples. When they called out to Jesus, he rebuked the wind, and it immediately became calm. After rebuking the wind, He rebuked the disciples for not showing any faith. He says “Do you still have no faith.” Despite witnessing numerous miracles, these disciples consistently struggled with their faith.  The disciple of Jesus one needs to show immense amount of faith in God. But they lacked it that doesn’t mean that no one in Israel had faith. As disciples of Jesus, one must demonstrate an immense amount of faith in God. However, one should not mistake their deficiency in faith as an indication that no one in Israel had faith.

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” Matthew 8:10

A centurion approached Jesus, seeking healing for his servant. When Jesus expressed his readiness to visit the centurion’s house, the centurion humbly declared that he was unworthy of having Jesus come under his roof. Instead, he believed that if Jesus simply spoke the word, his servant would be healed. For which Jesus says that He has not found anyone in Israel with such faith. If Jesus wanted His disciples to possess such faith then why not simply call upon the centurion to follow him.

Disciples who lacked prayer life.

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. Matthew 26:40

Among Jesus’ disciples, Peter, James, and John were considered to be His closest companions. However, even they struggled with maintaining a consistent prayer life. When Jesus went to pray, they fell asleep, and Jesus rebuked them for their inability to stay awake. It is understandable that their travels and physical exhaustion contributed to their weariness. Despite witnessing the transfigurations of Jesus, where they saw Moses and Elijah, they still failed to remain awake during his prayer time. They could have stayed awake, at least with an expectation to meet the prophets or angels.

The disciples, including Peter, had their share of shortcomings. God could have chosen other individuals, such as Paul (formerly Saul) who had studied under Gamaliel and showed great potential. However, Jesus intentionally selected these twelve disciples. One possible reason is to demonstrate how He raises up the weak to shame the strong because He eventually transformed them. On the day of Pentecost, these disciples boldly stood before the crowd and testified about Jesus, overcoming their fear. Ultimately they came to understand what genuine faith implies. They stood firm in the face of adversity, relying on Jesus. They learned to overcome their sleepiness and devoted themselves to prayer. (Example: When they gathered in a house to pray while Peter miraculously escaped from prison).

These disciples had no qualifications to become Jesus’s followers, but willingly left everything behind to follow Him. Their willingness to follow Jesus set them apart from others. God calls us based on our commitment and obedience, not our merits. If we commit ourselves and obediently follow Him, He will completely transform us. Our weaknesses can become strengths through His grace. Transformed disciples are found in the QUIVER OF GOD.