The Day of Consecration 

On Saturday afternoon, January 18, 27 CE, Jesus led his apostles to the highlands north of Capernaum, where he had ordained them the previous Sunday. There, after a long and beautifully touching personal message of encouragement, he engaged in the solemn act of the consecration of the twelve, blessing and sanctifying them. Jesus assembled the apostles around him on the hillside and gave them into the hands of God in preparation for the day when he would be compelled to leave them alone in the world. There was no new teaching on this occasion; it was just a review of many features of the ordination sermon.

This consecration was, in fact, the formal commissioning of the apostles. From here, they would go out to teach and preach as his personal representatives. The Master’s consecration charge was: "Go into all the world and preach the glad tidings of the kingdom. Liberate spiritual captives, comfort the oppressed, and minister to the afflicted. Freely you have received, freely give."Referring to their future work spreading the gospel in towns and villages they plan to visit, Jesus advised them not to take money or extra clothing. He said, "The laborer is worthy of his hire," meaning the believers they encounter would meet their needs.

Then he added: "Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be you therefore as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. But take heed, for your enemies will bring you up before their councils, while in their synagogues, they will castigate you. Before governors and rulers, you will be brought because you believe this gospel, and your very testimony shall be a witness for me to them."

And finally, he said: "And when they lead you to judgment, be not anxious about what you shall say, for the spirit of my Father indwells you and will at such a time speak through you. Some of you will be put to death, and before you establish the kingdom on earth, you will be hated by many peoples because of this gospel; but fear not; I will be with you, and my spirit shall go before you into all the world. And my Father’s presence will abide with you while you go first to the Jews, then to the gentiles."

Late that afternoon, they came down from the highlands, returning to Bethsaida and the home of the Zebedee family, where they had been lodging.

That evening, Jesus talked at great length, teaching the twelve what they must be, not what they must do. They knew only a religion that imposed the doing of certain things as the means of attaining righteousness – salvation. But Jesus would reiterate, "In the kingdom, you must be righteous in order to do the work." The Master explained to his bewildered apostles that the salvation which he had come to bring to the world was to be had only by believing, by simple and sincere faith. Said Jesus: "John preached a baptism of repentance, sorrow for the old way of living. You are to proclaim the baptism of fellowship with God. Preach repentance to those who stand in need of such teaching, but to those already seeking sincere entrance to the kingdom, open the doors wide and bid them enter into the joyous fellowship of the sons of God." But it was a difficult task to persuade these Galilean fishermen that, in the kingdom, being righteous by faith must precede doing righteousness in the daily life of the mortals of earth.

Another great handicap in this work of teaching the twelve was their tendency to take highly idealistic and spiritual principles of religious truth and remake them into concrete laws of personal conduct. Jesus would present to them the beautiful spirit of the soul’s attitude, which they would then translate into rules of personal behavior. Many times, when they did make sure to remember what the Master said, they were almost certain to forget what he did not say. But they slowly assimilated his teaching because Jesus was all that he taught. What they could not gain from his words, they gradually acquired by living with him.

This same evening, Thomas asked Jesus: "Master, you teach that we must become as little children before we can gain entrance to the Father’s kingdom, and yet you have warned us not to be deceived by false prophets nor to become guilty of casting our pearls before swine. Now, I am honestly puzzled. I cannot understand your teaching." Jesus replied: "Thomas, ever do you insist on making literal all that I teach. When I asked you to become as little children as the price of entering the kingdom, I referred not to ease of deception, mere willingness to believe, nor to quickness to trust pleasing strangers.

"What I did desire that you should gather from the illustration was the child-father relationship. You are the child, and it is your Father’s kingdom you seek to enter. There is present that natural affection between every normal child and his or her father which ensures an understanding and loving relationship, and which forever precludes all disposition to bargain for the Father’s love and mercy. And the gospel you are going forth to preach has to do with a salvation growing out of the faith-realization of this very and eternal child-father relationship."

Then Simon Zelotes asked, "But, Master, are all men and women the children of God?" And Jesus answered, "Yes, Simon, all are the children of God, and that is the good news you are going to proclaim." But the apostles could not grasp such a doctrine; it was a new, strange, and startling announcement. Nevertheless, Jesus repeatedly taught his followers to treat all men and women as their brothers and sisters.

In response to a question asked by Andrew, the Master made it clear that the morality of his teaching was inseparable from the religion of his living. He taught morality, not from the nature of humanity, but from the relation of humanity to God, the child-parent relationship that can develop between the perfect Father and the perfecting child.

Near the end of this evening’s discussion, John asked Jesus, "Master, what is the kingdom of heaven?" And Jesus answered: "The kingdom of heaven consists in these three essentials: first, recognition of the fact of the sovereignty of God; second, belief in the truth of sonship with God; and third, faith in the effectiveness of the supreme human desire to do the will of God – to be like God. And this is the good news of the gospel: that by faith every mortal may have all these essentials of salvation."

The next day, with the ordination and consecration behind them, the apostles bid their families goodbye and departed Bethsaida for Jerusalem. This journey took two months since they camped, sometimes for weeks, to teach followers. And from their encampments, the apostles went out in pairs to villages along the way to practice their public ministry. These were their first lessons in teaching and preaching under Jesus’ watchful eye and all-wise instruction after they had been ordained and consecrated.