A Synopsis of Paper 140: The Ordination of the Twelve

Having selected his apostolic corps, Jesus called the apostles together in the highlands north of Capernaum to formally present them to God as messengers of his kingdom. What is known today as the "Sermon on the Mount" is a fragmented recollection of Jesus' ordination speech to the twelve that day.  Jesus advised his apostles that all things essential to their eternal survival would be secure if they first found the kingdom of God. Jesus told them that whosoever wished to become great in the kingdom should serve his brothers, and that men would know them not by the words they spoke but by the lives they lived.  He asked them to think of themselves not as men among men, but as enlightened citizens of a heavenly country among the ignorant creatures of a dark world.

During the following week the apostles prepared for their pending public ministry, teaching by day and holding private conferences by night. Jesus constantly repeated the two great motives of the upcoming mission: to reveal God to people, and to lead people to realize that they are the children of God. 

Toward the end of the week Jesus gave special instruction to Peter, James, and John. He taught that to trust in the overcare of the Father was not the same as passive fatalism. He quoted the scriptures, saying, "He who will not work shall not eat." He told them to abandon anxiety and worry, but not prudence and forethought. He said that while individuals should not resist evil, civil government must sometimes employ force in the interest of social order. He made it clear that his instructions applied only to individuals and not to the state or society.

Jesus taught his followers to feed the poor, but admonished them that indiscriminate kindness is the cause of many social evils. He exalted family life as the highest human duty but counseled that family should not interfere with religious obligations. Jesus did not concentrate on relieving social, political, or economic problems. He worked to perfect men's spiritual life to enable them to more competently solve their own human problems. Jesus taught that morality rises not from human nature, but from the relationship between man and God. He asked his followers to show fatherly love rather than brotherly love.