I was reading through Luke, focusing on how Jesus started his ministry, and I started to wonder why Jesus wouldn't call anyone to follow him before Simon and Andrew. Jesus had to have met people who were soft-hearted and humble before these guys, so why them and not someone else before them? -- Nick W.
Well, first off, I believe this is the first time Christ is calling people. His career as Messiah is in motion. The previous 32 years (+/-) he had other responsibilities. Please listen to my Jesus podcast for insight into why he would have “delayed” his ministry so long.
Next, he wasn’t just calling any 12 guys. He was looking for those who would be good as apostles. So it’s not just about humility. Besides, we see that his disciples struggled with humility, so they hadn’t “arrived” before he called them.
Jesus plan was perfectly timed and perfectly executed. Before his baptism and temptation, he was not gathering disciples. The mission got traction, or perhaps we should say it was supercharged, only once the time of testing was behind him.
