Thy Kingdom Come

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all (Luke 6:12–19).[1]

“In these days,” that is, when Jesus was still preaching and ministering throughout the Judean region, “he went out to the mountain to pray.” Luke’s succinct statement is easily read over, but its brevity does not negate its significance. This was one of those times when and one of those places where Jesus would get away to pray. But on this occasion, Luke tells us that “all night he continued in prayer to God.” Out of the four Gospels, Luke is the only one to record this detail, a glimpse into the devotional life of the Son of Man.

At a practical level, what we see is that Jesus was not lazy in his life or lackadaisical in his attitude. He was sent by God and called to save sinners, and to this he was dedicated, even unto death. He also was determined to do the will of his Father, which directed all that he said and did. And so Jesus communed with his Father, all night long.

Where he prayed is also of significance. Mountains mentioned in Scripture typically convey meaning. It was on a mountain that God first appeared to Moses in a burning bush. It was on a mountain that God manifested his glory to Israel and gave his law. So, when we read that Jesus “went out to the mountain to pray,” we may see a parallel to Moses. In fact, the writer of Hebrews teaches us to “consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house” (Heb. 3:1-2). As used here the word “apostle” means one sent on behalf of another, and indeed “God so loved the world, that he sent his only Son” (John 3:16a). But Hebrews says, “Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses ... Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house ... (Heb. 3:3-6a). And so, Jesus like Moses went up on the mountain to pray, but Jesus greater than Moses went to pray in preparation for appointing the apostles, the foundation of God’s house.

Praying for Provision

To pray reveals dependence upon God, as we offer up of our desires to him, for things agreeable to his will.[2] In Jesus’ case, in union and communion with his Father, he had plenty of things to pray for, notably the conflict and mounting tension with the religious leaders of his country. In his most recent encounter up to this point, they “were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11). This would surely have been a matter for prayer. But the context leads us to believe that Jesus’ prayers were primarily for the selection of the twelve apostles, the temporary office of those specifically chosen by Christ.  

The Greek word translated “apostle” means “messenger” or “delegate,” one who is sent on behalf of another. Jesus was preparing to select twelve men who would dedicate not only the next several years of their lives to walking with Jesus but also their entire lives, most ending in martyrdom. Jesus’ earthly ministry would end in a few short years with his resurrection and ascension, but his apostles would continue his earthly ministry, serving as his ambassadors locally and nationally but eventually internationally, as they would send and be sent out to make disciples of all nations.[3] And so, Jesus prayed, knowing that our sovereign God works through prayer.

Why God works through our prayers is a mystery to us; that he does is not, as it is clearly revealed to us in Scripture. By God’s design, there is then a connection between God’s providence and prayer. God does not need our prayers to act, nor is he dependent upon them, but chooses to work through them. Jesus would later tell his disciples that they were chosen by the Father,[4] but here we see that the choosing came through a night of praying for his Father’s provision.                                        

And as Jesus dedicated himself to prayer, so do we, whether in deciding matters of great importance or asking for our daily bread. We, like Jesus, pray for God’s provision, whether wisdom or welfare. We pray that his will be done, trusting that he will answer our prayers for his glory and our good. But this does not mean that his answer will be what we expect. Let us not forget that Jesus prayed before choosing his apostles and one of them “became a traitor.”

We often think that we pray to avoid our own equivalent of Judas Iscariot, but God’s ways are not our ways, and he does not always answer our prayers the way we would wish. I do not presume to know, in your life or mine, why God answers prayer the way he does. But this I do know: Had there been no Judas, there would have been no betrayal, no trial, no crucifixion; had there been no crucifixion, there would have been no atoning death for our sins; had there been no atoning death, we would still be dead in our trespasses and sins, still following “the prince of the power of the air,” still living “in the passions of our flesh,” still “carrying out the desires of the body and mind,” still “by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Eph. 2:1-3). But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, answered Jesus’ prayer in the choosing and appointing of Judas Iscariot as an apostle, who did betray Jesus that through his death and resurrection, we might be made alive together with Christ.[5] Thank God he answers prayer according to his eternal purposes not our temporal wishes.

Appointing the Apostles      

Think back with me to the time when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. He taught them, and us through them, to address God in prayer, “Our Father in heaven,” and to glorify our Father for who he is, “hallowed be your name” (Matt. 6:9). He then taught this petition: “Your kingdom come...” (Matt. 6:10a). It’s an oft-prayed but less-understood petition. We pray it, but  wedo know what we are praying for? The Westminster Shorter Catechism helpfully explains that when we pray this, we are praying that “Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.”[6] Turns out, there’s a lot in this succinct supplication!

But have you ever thought about how God answers our prayer, “Your kingdom come”? If Satan’s kingdom is to be destroyed, is it not through the gospel? And if so, through whom is the gospel proclaimed? If the kingdom of grace is to grow, does not Scripture tell us it is through the proclamation of the gospel? And if so, who proclaims the gospel? If the gospel is to be advanced that disciples are made of all nations, who advances the gospel? The answer? Christ’s Church.

God uses the church to answer our kingdom-coming petition, because Christ has chosen that his church be his representation, his delegation, in the world and to the world. When we consider the magnitude of this truth, we may wonder less why Jesus stayed up all night praying prior to appointing his twelve apostles. Such was the importance of their appointing, because like Israel’s twelve tribes of the Old Covenant Church, they were the twelve apostles of the New Covenant Church. In fact, in appointing the twelve then, Jesus was constituting a new Israel, not to replace old Israel but to serve as the full expression of the true Israel of God. No longer confined to one nation, this new Israel would be “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:20-21). The appointing of the twelve apostles was a monumental moment in the history of the Church.

We often use the term disciple and apostle interchangeably, but they are actually two different categories. A disciple is essentially a follower, but an apostle, as the term is used in the Gospels, was a disciple chosen and appointed by Jesus personally to the temporary representative and authoritative office of apostle. Indeed, their office was significant, of eternal consequence, but in actuality they were twelve ordinary men, known not for their credentials but their calling. As Jesus would later remind them, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit ... (John 15:16a).

While we do not serve Christ as apostles today, like the apostles we have been called by faith in Christ to serve him. And when Christ calls us, he also gifts us by his Spirit. Every one of us has been uniquely gifted to serve Christ in his church. And we see this in the history of the lives of the apostles. For example, some were gifted communicators, like Peter. Others were gifted writers, like John. Some were front-and-center leaders; others were behind-the-scenes workers. But God used them to establish his church, and he uses your gifts and mine to build it. Don’t let your spiritual gifts lie dormant. Do not hide them but put them to work in the Church for God’s glory and the good of his Church. That’s why God gifted you.

Ministering to Many

No sooner had Jesus appointed the twelve than he enrolled them in a ministerial internship, “with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.” The crowd had grown, drawing from a wider area, but Jesus’ ministry remained the same, preaching and teaching, and healing physical and spiritual disease. The difference was his apostles were with him. Luke does not lead us to believe that they were serving in ministry with Jesus at this point, but they were present, learning how to serve in Christlike ministry. Like an internship, they were observing first. Later, Jesus would allow them to serve the practical needs of the people. Then, he would enable and empower them to teach and heal on his behalf. Eventually, he would commission them to carry his ministry, beyond the city limits of Jerusalem, beyond the borders of Israel. But it began first with spending time with Jesus.

Jesus still works this way in his church today. When he first called you, you needed to begin your discipleship by spending time with Jesus in his Word and prayer, in his church, and with his people. As you grew, he provided practical ways to serve him in his church. And he calls you and all of us to a full, mature expression of his calling and gifting as we serve him with our gifts in the church. For, you see, God is answering our prayers, in and through us, destroying Satan’s kingdom, advancing the kingdom of grace, bringing in and sustaining the elect, and hastening the kingdom of glory, through our faithful obedience to him. Amen.

[1] Unless referenced otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001).

[2] “The Shorter Catechism” Q&A 98, The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (Lawrenceville: PCA Christian Education and Publications, 2007), 400-401.

[3] Matt. 28:19

[4] John 17:6

[5] Eph. 2:4-7

[6] “The Shorter Catechism” Q&A 102, The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (Lawrenceville: PCA Christian Education and Publications, 2007), 403.