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Day 2839 – “The Twelve” and Their Marching Orders – Luke 6:12-49
Welcome to Day 2839 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
Day 2839 – "The Twelve" and Their Marching Orders – Luke 6:12-49
Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2839
Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2839 of our trek. <#0.5#> The purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. <#0.5#>
Each Tuesday, I will share the messages I have delivered at Putnam Congregational Church this year. <#0.5#> This is the sixteenth message in a year-long series covering the Good News as narrated by Luke. <#0.5#> Today’s message covers Luke six, verses twelve through forty-nine, and is titled “"The Twelve" and Their Marching Orders” <#0.5#>. I pray it will be a conduit for learning and encouragement for you.
Putnam Church Message – 03/15/2026
Luke’s Account of the Good News - “The Twelve and Their Marching Orders”
Last week, we continued our study of the ministry of Jesus Christ with a message titled “The Defiant Messiah.” We learned that He is not defiant against the Father. He is defiant against anything that misrepresents the Father.
Today, we continue with the sixteenth message in Luke’s narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ in a message titled “The Twelve and Their Marching Orders.” Our Core verses for this week are Luke 6:12-49, found on page 1600 of your Pew Bibles.
The Twelve Apostles
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Blessings and Woes
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Love for Enemies
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Opening Prayer
Father, thank You for Your Word and for the Lord Jesus Christ, who not only saves us but teaches us how to live as citizens of His kingdom. Open our minds to understand, soften our hearts to receive, and strengthen our wills to obey. Teach us what real discipleship looks like. Guard us from being hearers only and make us doers of Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Introduction
For a number of years, “discipleship” became a kind of Christian buzzword. Conferences were built around it. Books were written about it. Churches made programs for it. Seminar speakers diagrammed it on whiteboards and filled binders with methods for it. And some of that was very good.
Many believers can look back and say, “Somebody poured into me. Somebody noticed me. Somebody taught me not just Bible facts, but how to walk with Christ.” That is a beautiful thing. For me, that would be primarily my parents.
But discipleship did not begin in the 1970s. It did not begin in a seminar notebook. It did not begin in a curriculum. It began in the heart of Jesus.
And when we come to Luke 6:12–49, we see something crucial:
Jesus did not merely gather crowds. / He made disciples. / And He did not merely make disciples in general. / He first chose twelve men, and then He began to shape them for mission. / One thing we don’t want to miss as we focus today on the twelve is that there were many others who traveled with Jesus during His ministry, including several women, who assisted in funding the ministry.
That matters, because crowds are impressed by miracles, / but disciples are formed by truth. Crowds gather for excitement; / disciples stay for obedience.
This passage is about both. Jesus goes up the mountain to pray. He comes down and appoints the Twelve as Apostles. He ministers to the masses. Then He turns to His followers and essentially says: “If you are really going to follow Me, here are your marching orders.”
That is what this sermon/passage is about. Not simply “How to admire Jesus.” But “How to live under His rule.”
Main Point 1 — Jesus Builds His Kingdom Through Chosen, but Imperfect People Luke 6:12–19
Luke says: “One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and He prayed to God all night. At daybreak He called together all of His disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.” (Luke 6:12–13, NLT)
That opening detail matters deeply. Before Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles, He prayed all night.
That tells us this was not a casual staffing decision. This was not administrative housekeeping. This was strategic kingdom work. Jesus, in His humanity, gave a whole night to prayer before selecting the men who would carry His message after His ascension.
That alone is instructive. If the Son of God prayed all night before making a major ministry decision, how much more should we?
We often make major decisions after: a few opinions, a little anxiety, some rushed logic, and maybe a short prayer at the end. Jesus reversed that.
He saturated the decision in communion with the Father.
Jesus chose Curious Team: He chose twelve. And what a group they were. Not the best scholars from Jerusalem. Not the polished men from the rabbinical schools.
Not the obvious leaders from the temple establishment. He chose fishermen.
A tax collector. Questioners. Strong personalities. Lesser-known men and women. Working-class Galileans. And even Judas.
If you were building a movement that would change the world, these are not the names most people would draft first. But Jesus did not choose them for what they were. He chose them for what they would become through His grace.
That is one of the great encouragements of the Christian life. Jesus sees beyond your present rough edges. Peter is impulsive. John and James are fiery. Thomas will struggle with doubt. Matthew has a stained reputation. And yet Jesus says, “This is my team.”
Some Synoptic Insight: Mark 3 adds a beautiful phrase. It says Jesus appointed the Twelve “so they could be with Him.” That comes before preaching, before miracles, before authority. First: be with Him. Then: go for Him. That is discipleship in seed form. Before ministry becomes activity, it is in proximity with the master. Before disciples represent Jesus, they must live near Jesus.
Object Lesson — The Toolbox
Hold up a toolbox full of mismatched tools. One is worn, one is rusty, one looks too small, one seems too blunt. To a casual observer, it does not look impressive. But in the hands of a master builder, each tool has purpose.
That is the Twelve. And that is the church. We often look at ourselves and think in terms of limitations. Jesus looks at us in terms of calling.
The Descent to the Crowd
Then Luke says Jesus comes down with them and stands on a level place. There is a great crowd. People have come from all over. They need teaching. They need healing. They need deliverance.
The Twelve are now no longer watching from the audience. They are standing near Jesus, seeing ministry from a new angle. They are learning something crucial: people's needs are overwhelming. No single man, humanly speaking, can carry this alone. Jesus is already preparing multiplication.
He chooses the Twelve not to form an elite circle, but to extend His work.
Related Scriptures
Summary of Main Point 1
Jesus builds His kingdom through chosen, imperfect people. He prays before He appoints. He chooses ordinary men. He brings them close before sending them out. Discipleship begins not with talent, but with calling. Not with polish, but with proximity to Christ.
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By H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III
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Welcome to Day 2839 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
Day 2839 – "The Twelve" and Their Marching Orders – Luke 6:12-49
Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2839
Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2839 of our trek. <#0.5#> The purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. <#0.5#>
Each Tuesday, I will share the messages I have delivered at Putnam Congregational Church this year. <#0.5#> This is the sixteenth message in a year-long series covering the Good News as narrated by Luke. <#0.5#> Today’s message covers Luke six, verses twelve through forty-nine, and is titled “"The Twelve" and Their Marching Orders” <#0.5#>. I pray it will be a conduit for learning and encouragement for you.
Putnam Church Message – 03/15/2026
Luke’s Account of the Good News - “The Twelve and Their Marching Orders”
Last week, we continued our study of the ministry of Jesus Christ with a message titled “The Defiant Messiah.” We learned that He is not defiant against the Father. He is defiant against anything that misrepresents the Father.
Today, we continue with the sixteenth message in Luke’s narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ in a message titled “The Twelve and Their Marching Orders.” Our Core verses for this week are Luke 6:12-49, found on page 1600 of your Pew Bibles.
The Twelve Apostles
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Blessings and Woes
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Love for Enemies
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Opening Prayer
Father, thank You for Your Word and for the Lord Jesus Christ, who not only saves us but teaches us how to live as citizens of His kingdom. Open our minds to understand, soften our hearts to receive, and strengthen our wills to obey. Teach us what real discipleship looks like. Guard us from being hearers only and make us doers of Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Introduction
For a number of years, “discipleship” became a kind of Christian buzzword. Conferences were built around it. Books were written about it. Churches made programs for it. Seminar speakers diagrammed it on whiteboards and filled binders with methods for it. And some of that was very good.
Many believers can look back and say, “Somebody poured into me. Somebody noticed me. Somebody taught me not just Bible facts, but how to walk with Christ.” That is a beautiful thing. For me, that would be primarily my parents.
But discipleship did not begin in the 1970s. It did not begin in a seminar notebook. It did not begin in a curriculum. It began in the heart of Jesus.
And when we come to Luke 6:12–49, we see something crucial:
Jesus did not merely gather crowds. / He made disciples. / And He did not merely make disciples in general. / He first chose twelve men, and then He began to shape them for mission. / One thing we don’t want to miss as we focus today on the twelve is that there were many others who traveled with Jesus during His ministry, including several women, who assisted in funding the ministry.
That matters, because crowds are impressed by miracles, / but disciples are formed by truth. Crowds gather for excitement; / disciples stay for obedience.
This passage is about both. Jesus goes up the mountain to pray. He comes down and appoints the Twelve as Apostles. He ministers to the masses. Then He turns to His followers and essentially says: “If you are really going to follow Me, here are your marching orders.”
That is what this sermon/passage is about. Not simply “How to admire Jesus.” But “How to live under His rule.”
Main Point 1 — Jesus Builds His Kingdom Through Chosen, but Imperfect People Luke 6:12–19
Luke says: “One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and He prayed to God all night. At daybreak He called together all of His disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.” (Luke 6:12–13, NLT)
That opening detail matters deeply. Before Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles, He prayed all night.
That tells us this was not a casual staffing decision. This was not administrative housekeeping. This was strategic kingdom work. Jesus, in His humanity, gave a whole night to prayer before selecting the men who would carry His message after His ascension.
That alone is instructive. If the Son of God prayed all night before making a major ministry decision, how much more should we?
We often make major decisions after: a few opinions, a little anxiety, some rushed logic, and maybe a short prayer at the end. Jesus reversed that.
He saturated the decision in communion with the Father.
Jesus chose Curious Team: He chose twelve. And what a group they were. Not the best scholars from Jerusalem. Not the polished men from the rabbinical schools.
Not the obvious leaders from the temple establishment. He chose fishermen.
A tax collector. Questioners. Strong personalities. Lesser-known men and women. Working-class Galileans. And even Judas.
If you were building a movement that would change the world, these are not the names most people would draft first. But Jesus did not choose them for what they were. He chose them for what they would become through His grace.
That is one of the great encouragements of the Christian life. Jesus sees beyond your present rough edges. Peter is impulsive. John and James are fiery. Thomas will struggle with doubt. Matthew has a stained reputation. And yet Jesus says, “This is my team.”
Some Synoptic Insight: Mark 3 adds a beautiful phrase. It says Jesus appointed the Twelve “so they could be with Him.” That comes before preaching, before miracles, before authority. First: be with Him. Then: go for Him. That is discipleship in seed form. Before ministry becomes activity, it is in proximity with the master. Before disciples represent Jesus, they must live near Jesus.
Object Lesson — The Toolbox
Hold up a toolbox full of mismatched tools. One is worn, one is rusty, one looks too small, one seems too blunt. To a casual observer, it does not look impressive. But in the hands of a master builder, each tool has purpose.
That is the Twelve. And that is the church. We often look at ourselves and think in terms of limitations. Jesus looks at us in terms of calling.
The Descent to the Crowd
Then Luke says Jesus comes down with them and stands on a level place. There is a great crowd. People have come from all over. They need teaching. They need healing. They need deliverance.
The Twelve are now no longer watching from the audience. They are standing near Jesus, seeing ministry from a new angle. They are learning something crucial: people's needs are overwhelming. No single man, humanly speaking, can carry this alone. Jesus is already preparing multiplication.
He chooses the Twelve not to form an elite circle, but to extend His work.
Related Scriptures
Summary of Main Point 1
Jesus builds His kingdom through chosen, imperfect people. He prays before He appoints. He chooses ordinary men. He brings them close before sending them out. Discipleship begins not with talent, but with calling. Not with polish, but with proximity to Christ.