The Chosen Disciples
Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, Whom You shall make princes in all the earth, Psalm 45:16
This beautiful verse explains the relationship between the Son of God, Lord Jesus, His fathers and His sons who will have a reigning role in the earth. God, in His great wisdom, chose the tree of Abraham’s family as a chosen nation, declaring Himself and His plans to them, appearing to them and blessing them in preparation for His coming, in the fullness of time, from their offspring. The forefathers and patriarchs; Abraham, Isaak and Jacob (Israel) received the covenant of blessing from God, to the extent that the Messiah and the Saviour of the world came from the branch of Jesse (David’s father). With this in mind, one can consider the twelve children of Israel as Jesus’ fathers.
When the Lord started His mission He declared clearly to His parents ‘I must be about My Father’s business?’, Luke 2:49, which meant that my heavenly Father’s strategy is to correct the way of life and future of the world including My forefathers descendants. He also said to the Jews more than once ‘You heard it was said ….but I say to you….’, Matt 5:38, and ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil’, Matt 5:17.Furthermore, to prove Himself to them, He performed numerous miracles, including creating eyes to the blind, healing the sick, raising the dead and also showing His power over nature. However, they did not accept Him but rather rejected Him and crucified Him. So, with His eyes which searched the thoughts of the hearts of the Phareses and with His divine foreknowledge, He had appointed twelve disciples who were children of the Israel and taught them everything they could perceive about Him and the kingdom of God. In preparation for His ascension, He promised to send them His own Spirit to remain always with them and to take from what is His and deliver to them, John 16:14. Indeed, ten days after His ascension the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and filled them with God’s power and wisdom, by which they preached the good news of the salvation of the world to all people starting from Jerusalem to the three continents. They made disciples, and established churches calling all nations to return to the Lord and accept His salvation in order to be united to Him and have eternal life.
Thus, the second fruit of the journey of Lord Jesus on earth, after fulfilling the salvation of the world, was His appointment of the twelve sons ‘disciples’ in place of His twelve forefathers and to send them to preach His salvation and to engraft believers in His tree. He entrusted them for the life of the world and also honoured them to the extent that He levelled them to Himself and said ‘He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me”, Luke 10:16. Indeed, they have become princes of Christianity who delivered to the world all the richness they received from Jesus the King of kings, most importantly His salvation and the gift of His Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Lord Jesus appointed them to judge His forefathers when He said “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Matt 19:28. Therefore, let us honour the Lord’s disciples who taught us the Word of truth and ask for their blessings and prayers that we may be worthy to follow in their footsteps and be considered true sons to the heavenly Father.
Prof Michael Henein,
June 2020
