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. 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.

Each Tuesday, I will share the messages I have delivered at Putnam Congregational Church this year. This is the sixteenth message in a year-long series covering the Good News as narrated by Luke. Today’s message covers Luke six, verses twelve through forty-nine, and is titled “"The Twelve" and Their Marching Orders” . 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

Mark 3:13 — “called out the ones he wanted to go with him.”

Matthew 10:1— Jesus called his twelve disciples together.

2 Timothy 2:2 — You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

1 Corinthians 1:27–29 — 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world,[a] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

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.

Main Point 2 — Kingdom People Live by a Completely Different Value System Luke 6:20–26

After choosing the Twelve and ministering to the crowd, Jesus turns toward His disciples and begins to teach.

What follows is Luke’s version of what many call the Sermon on the Plain, closely related to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount.

And Jesus begins in a startling way:  20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor,

    for the Kingdom of God is yours.

21 God blesses you who are hungry now,

    for you will be satisfied.

God blesses you who weep now,

    for in due time you will laugh.

22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way. (Luke 6:20–22, NLT)

Then He follows with four woes:

24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,

    for you have your only happiness now.

25 What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,

    for a time of awful hunger awaits you.

What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,

    for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.

26 What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,

    for their ancestors also praised false prophets. (Luke 6:24–26, NLT)

This is not Jesus romanticizing misery. Nor is He condemning every person with money or comfort. He is exposing two opposing kingdoms.

The world says:

Blessed are the secure.

Blessed are the admired.

Blessed are the comfortable.

Blessed are the self-satisfied.

 

Jesus says:

Blessed are those who know their need.

Blessed are those who ache for righteousness.

Blessed are those who grieve what is broken.

Blessed are those willing to be rejected for His sake.

Matthew helps us here. Where Luke says “poor,” Matthew says “poor in spirit.” In other words, Jesus is not merely describing economic conditions. He is describing spiritual posture. To be poor in spirit is to know, “I do not hold my life together. I need God.”

Ancient Context

In first-century Israel, many people assumed visible blessing meant divine approval: wealth, full tables, public honor. Jesus flips that upside down.  Why?

Because the kingdom of God does not run on the world’s economy. 

The rich may already have their comfort.

The praised may already have their reward.

The self-satisfied may already have what they wanted.

But those who cast themselves on God receive something the world cannot give: joy, kingdom inheritance, lasting satisfaction, and eternal vindication.

Object Lesson — Two Bank Accounts

Imagine having the option of choosing between two bank accounts.  One is full now but has no future deposits. The other seems lean now, but it is backed by unlimited reserves.

That is the contrast Jesus is drawing.  The world says, “Get everything now.”  Jesus says, “Trust My Father for what lasts.” Those who truly become wealthy are willing to sacrifice now for lasting wealth later.

Modern Illustration

We still live by these categories.

A career can look “blessed” while the soul is empty.

A social media life can look admired while the heart is exhausted.

A person can laugh loudly and still be spiritually starving.

Jesus is not anti-joy. He is anti-illusion. He is teaching disciples to judge life by eternal values rather than immediate appearances.

Related Scriptures

Matthew 5:1–12 — parallel blessings – The Sermon on the Mount – if you want to know how we as believers are to live daily, study Matthew 5-7

Psalm 126:5–6 — Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.  They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.

James 2:5 — Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?

Romans 8:18 — Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Summary of Main Point 2

Kingdom people live by a different value system. They measure life by God’s approval, not public applause. They can endure lack, grief, and rejection because they know the kingdom belongs to the King — and the King is theirs.

Main Point 3 — The Marching Orders of Jesus Sound Foolish to the World  Luke 6:27–38

Then Jesus gives some of the most searching commands in all Scripture:

“Love your enemies!

Do good to those who hate you.

Bless those who curse you.

Pray for those who hurt you.” (Luke 6:27–28, NLT)

This is where discipleship stops being theoretical. Anyone can admire these verses from a distance. But Jesus does not offer them as poetry. He offers them as marching orders.

Love your enemies. Not tolerate them. Not secretly resent them with polite manners. Love them.

Do good to those who hate you. Not because they deserve it. Not because it will necessarily change them quickly. But because that is how your Father treats the undeserving.

This Is Not Weakness

Let’s be clear: this is not cowardice. This is not passivity. This is not allowing evil to reign unchecked.

Jesus is not saying: /“Call evil good.” /“Pretend abuse is acceptable.” /“Never confront wrong.” /Jesus is saying: /Do not mirror the world’s spirit. /Do not let hatred define you. Do not make retaliation your instinct.

Ancient Perspective

In the ancient world, revenge was natural. Honor cultures ran on insult and response. Injury called for repayment. Public shame demanded a public answer.

Then Jesus says:  If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. Luke 6:29-31

This is not how empires run. This is how the kingdom runs.

Object Lesson — The Echo and the Song

Imagine shouting into a canyon. What comes back is what you sent out.

That is the world’s system: anger for anger, insult for insult, injury for injury.

Now imagine someone beginning a song instead. Instead of echoing ugliness, they introduce a different sound.

That is what Jesus commands His disciples to do. The world echoes harm. The disciple introduces grace.

Mercy, Not Judgment

Then Jesus says: “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.  Do not judge others… Do not condemn others… Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive.”

(Luke 6:36–38, NLT)

This is not a call to moral blindness. Christians must discern right from wrong. But Jesus forbids the posture of self-appointed judge and condemner. Why? Because disciples know they live by mercy.

People who know how much they have been forgiven become slower to condemn and quicker to forgive.

Related Scriptures

Matthew 5:38–48 — parallel teaching.

Romans 12:17–21 — overcome evil with good.

Proverbs 25:21–22 — feeding your enemy.

Ephesians 4:32 — forgive as God forgave you.

Summary of Main Point 3

The marching orders of Jesus sound foolish to the world because they reject revenge, pride, and scorekeeping. Disciples love beyond fairness because their lives are grounded in grace.

Main Point 4 — Real Discipleship Is Proven by Obedience, Not Admiration Luke 6:39–49

Jesus closes with vivid images: the blind leading the blind, the speck and the log, the tree and its fruit, the house on the rock. And then He asks the piercing question: “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46, NLT) That is the sermon’s knife-edge.

Jesus is not impressed by verbal enthusiasm alone. Not by theological vocabulary. Not by admiration. Not by public enthusiasm.

Discipleship is tested by obedience. Two houses may look similar above ground.

The difference is in the foundation. One hears and obeys. One hears and ignores.

The storm reveals what the eye cannot.

Object Lesson — Two Foundations

Picture a brick house in the mountains with its foundation anchored to granite bedrock, and another one built on the seashore on shifting sand. It is the exact same design and made of the same materials. Both may look fine for a moment. But add pressure, shaking, wind, or water, and the difference soon appears.

That is Jesus’ point.  A life built on only hearing God’s Word is unstable. A life built on hearing and doing what it says stands firm.

Related Scriptures

Matthew 7:24–27 — parallel builder parable

James 1:22–25 — be doers of the Word.

Psalm 1 — rooted life vs. unstable life

2 Timothy 2:2 — disciples making disciples.

Summary of Main Point 4

Real discipleship is not measured by how much truth we can repeat, but by how deeply truth has shaped our lives.

 

Applications & Takeaways: We need to build a life on His words until His kingdom becomes more real to us than the world around us.

Takeaway 1 — Discipleship Is Relational Before It Is Programmatic

Jesus chose twelve “to be with Him.” Before they were sent, they were formed.

That means discipleship is not merely a curriculum. It is life shared: conversation, correction, observation, repetition, love.

Illustration

A cookbook can teach you recipes, but learning beside a good cook changes how you handle the kitchen. Discipleship works that way.

Summary

Disciples are made through close, intentional relationships, not merely information transfer.

Takeaway 2 — Kingdom Living Will Put You at Odds with the World

If you live by Christ’s values — mercy, humility, generosity, enemy-love, truth — some people will misunderstand you.  That is not failure. That is discipleship.

Illustration

The world’s river flows one way. Anyone floating downstream looks normal. But swim upstream, and people notice.

Summary

Do not be surprised when kingdom obedience feels unnatural in a fallen world.

Takeaway 3 — The Test of Your Christianity Is Monday, Not Sunday

Jesus ends with obedience because the real question is not what happens in a sanctuary. It is what happens in your home, your workplace, your conversations, and your private choices.

Illustration

A bridge is not tested by blueprints in the office but by traffic under pressure.

Summary

Your foundation is revealed not by what you claim, but by what you practice.

Final Summary

Luke 6:12–49 shows us:

Jesus praying before choosing the Twelve,

Jesus teaching a kingdom upside down from the world,

Jesus giving marching orders that require grace and courage,

and Jesus insisting that true disciples obey.

So, what is discipleship?

It is not merely learning facts about Jesus.

It is learning to live under Jesus.

It is following Him closely enough that His values begin to reshape ours.

It is building a life on His words until His kingdom becomes more real to us than the world around us.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for the Lord Jesus, who not only saves us but also teaches us. Thank You that He chose imperfect people and still does. Teach us to be true disciples — not merely hearers, but doers. Help us live by kingdom values, love beyond what feels natural, and build our lives on the rock of Christ’s words. Make us people who can also help others follow Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Next week, we will explore our seventeenth message in Luke’s Narrative of the Good News, titled "There is Always Hope,” covering verses Luke 7:1-17