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THE APOSTLES CHOSEN
THE short period of our Lord’s ministry on earth rendered it expedient for him to employ others as his co-adjutors in the work. Accordingly, in reference to the twelve Patriarchs, who might be considered as the fathers of the Jewish Church, he selected twelve of his Disciples, who should be his instruments for planting and establishing his Church. There were other seventy, whom at a later period he sent forth, two and two, for the purpose of preparing the minds of the people for his personal ministry among them [Note: Luk_10:1.]; but the Apostles were to be his stated servants after that he should have left this world and returned to his heavenly Father. The circumstances of their appointment were peculiar, and deserve our most attentive consideration. The night previous to their appointment he spent in prayer to his heavenly Father [Note: If we suppose ð ñ ï ó å õ ÷ ῇ to mean “in a place of prayer,” we still can have no doubt what his occupation there was.]:which remarkable occurrence it will be proper to notice in a threefold view:
I. As an act for our benefit—
The appointment of the Apostles was a work of singular importance—
[They were to be employed in the Church as his messengers to declare his truth—his witnesses to attest it—as patterns also to illustrate—and as martyrs to confirm it. But whence could a number of poor fishermen attain “a sufficiency for these things?” — — —]
Hence our blessed Lord continued the whole night in prayer for them—
[His heavenly Father was able to furnish them for this great work, and to give them success in it; and therefore our Lord importunately sought for them the grace which they stood in need of: nor would he cease from his exertions, till he had obtained all that their necessities required. The benefit of his prayer was fully manifested as soon as they were endued with power from on high: then nothing could withstand their wisdom, or subdue their courage: they were deaf to menaces, and regardless of death. Their success was rapid, extensive, permanent: and we at this day enjoy the fruits of their labours. Through that prayer the Apostles were richly furnished unto every good work; and were enabled so to establish the kingdom of our Lord, that neither earth nor hell have ever been able to prevail against it.]
II. As a lesson for our instruction—
The ordination of ministers is also a most important work—
[On them, under God, depends the everlasting welfare of thousands. We need only compare the state of those congregations where the Gospel is faithfully preached with those which are under the superintendence of careless ministers: in the one will be found little but ignorance and irrehligion; in the other, there will be many whose minds are enlightened with divine truth, and whose souls are quickened to a new and heavenly life.
But where shall persons be found duly qualified for the work—where those who will be willing to undertake it? True; if the ministry of the word be made a source of temporal emolument, there will be multitudes ready to engage in it: but if the “signs of a minister,” or accompaniments of the ministry, be like those in the Apostles’ days, “reproaches, necessities, and distresses for Christ’s sake [Note: 2Co_12:10; 2Co_12:12.],” and the only pluralities be “labours, stripes, prisons, deaths [Note: 2Co_11:23-28.],” there will not be many candidates for the office, nor will the qualifications for it be thought so common as they are at present. How few are ready to go and preach to the heathen, where the labour and self-denial are great, and the earthly recompence is small! Large benefices, where little is to be done, or the work can be done by proxy, are caught up with avidity: but if nothing but a future reward be held forth, and God say, “Who will go for us?” there are few indeed that will answer with the prophet, “Here am I, send me [Note: Isa_6:8.].”]
This, therefore, should be the subject of our devoutest prayers—
[God himself has commanded us to commit the matter to him in prayer: “The harvest truly is plenteous, and the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth (thrust out [Note: ἑ ê â Ü ë ῃ Mat_9:37-38.]) labourers into his harvest.” And truly, all ranks and orders of men are concerned to “labour earnestly in prayer” concerning it.
How fervently should they pray, to whom the office of ordaining others is committed! for “if they lay hands suddenly on any man, they make themselves partakers of other men’s sins [Note: 1Ti_5:22.].” Nor should they be less earnest who are to be ordained. When we consider how arduous their work is, and how great their responsibility before God; when we reflect that their word will be “a savour of life to the life and salvation of many, or a savour of death to their death” and condemnation [Note: 2Co_2:16.]; and that the blood of all that perish through their neglect will be required at their hands; methinks it is a wonder that any one can be found, who, for the sake of filthy lucre, will dare to undertake it. Were the weight of the office duly considered, no one would presume to enter upon it without much prayer to God to qualify him for the discharge of it, and to bless his labours to the edification of the people.
But the people themselves also are no less concerned to pray, that God would “send them pastors after his own heart;” for the welfare of their souls essentially depends on the kind of ministry which they attend: if Christ be not exhibited to them in his person and offices; if they be not encouraged to receive out of his fulness all the blessings of salvation; if they be not led into discoveries of the evil of their own hearts, and instructed in the nature of that change which the Holy Spirit will effect within them; if, in short, they have not “the whole counsel of God set before them,” they will be left to rest in very low attainments, if not to “perish utterly through lack of knowledge.”
This lesson then should be learned by all; and so learned, as to be reduced to practice.]
III. As a pattern for our imitation—
Prayer is both the duty and the privilege of all—
[Our blessed Lord had doubtless more intimate communion with his Father than we can possibly have; yet are we also authorized to call God “our Father;” yea, we are commanded to do it, and to “open our mouths wide, that he may fill them.” It is not, indeed, required of us that we should spend whole nights in prayer to God; for that would probably, unless in some very peculiar circumstances, render us unfit for prosecuting the duties of the ensuing day: but we are required to “continue in prayer, and to watch thereunto with thanksgiving [Note: Col_4:2.]:” and the more nearly we can approach to the example of our blessed Lord in the frequency and urgency of our prayers [Note: Psa_22:2. Heb_5:7.], the more remarkable will be the answers that we shall receive, and the more abundant the communications of God to our souls. If we wrestled more like Jacob, we should certainly prevail to a much greater extent than in general we do [Note: Gen_32:24-26.].]
We should therefore resort to it on every particular emergency—
[Though the particular object of our Lord’s continuance in prayer does not occur to us, yet we all have some occasions that call for more than ordinary direction and assistance from God. On these occasions, whatever they may be, whether they relate to the body or the soul, to time or to eternity, we should go and spread our wants before God. His own command to us is, “In every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” “In all our ways we must acknowledge him, and he will direct our paths.”
In this then must all of us resemble the Lord Jesus Christ. In this has “he set us an example, that we should follow his steps:” and “we must walk as he walked.” By this must all his followers be distinguished; for they are “a people near unto him.” They are hypocrites, of whom it is said, “They will not always call upon God:” all true Christians can say, “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”]
Application—
[Learn hence the real state of your souls before God. Prayer has often been called the pulse of the soul: and truly it is so; for by that you may discern the state of the soul, incomparably better than you can by the pulse the state of the body. If you are prayerless people, you are dead, altogether dead in trespasses and sins. If your prayers are habitually cold and formal, they are such as God will never accept. No prayer will enter into the ears of the Lord of Hosts, but that which is offered “in spirit and in truth.” Let us then beg of God to give us a spirit of grace and of supplication; and let us interest ourselves with God for the welfare of his Church. Let us especially remember “those who are over us in the Lord,” and “labour always fervently for them in prayer,” that they may be enabled to fulfil their ministry with diligence and success. Thus shall we both ensure blessings to our own souls, and be instrumental to the hastening on of that day, when “all shall know the Lord, from the least to the greatest,” and “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”]