Who is Jesus: Rabbi, Teacher, and The Twelve

Reading from Luke 6:12-16, we see Jesus going to the mountainside to pray and spending the night in prayer. The next morning, He called His disciples and chose twelve of them, designating them as apostles. These included Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Him.

From this passage, I learned three key lessons. First, we need to spend time alone with God, just as Jesus did. Second, we should not focus on our failures but on the faithfulness of our Savior. Peter's story teaches us that even when we fail, repentance brings restoration. Third, the importance of community is evident in the lives of the disciples. They stayed together even in despair, valuing the unity Jesus had brought them into.