After Jesus had been preaching for about a year and a half, he had an important decision to make. Whom would he choose to work closely with him? Whom would he train to take the lead in the Christian congregation? To make these decisions, Jesus wanted Jehovah’s direction. So he went to a mountain where he could be by himself, and he prayed all night long. In the morning, Jesus called some of his disciples together and chose his 12 apostles. Which of their names do you remember? Their names were Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon, and Judas Iscariot.

The Twelve would travel along with him. After he trained them, they were sent out to preach on their own. Jehovah gave them power to expel demons and to heal sick people.

Jesus called the Twelve his friends, and he trusted them. The Pharisees thought that the apostles were uneducated and ordinary. But Jesus gave them training for their work. They would be with Jesus at the most important times in his life, such as before his death and after his resurrection. Like Jesus, most of the Twelve were from Galilee. Some of them were married.

The apostles were imperfect men who made mistakes. Sometimes they spoke before thinking and made bad decisions. At times they were impatient. They even argued over who was more important. But they were good people who loved Jehovah. They would be the foundation of the Christian congregation after Jesus was gone.

After choosing the 12 apostles, Jesus came down the mountain to a place where a large crowd was gathered. They had come from Galilee, Judea, Tyre, Sidon, Syria, and the other side of the Jordan. They brought people who were suffering from diseases and some who were tormented by demons. Jesus healed them all. Then he sat down on the mountainside and began to speak. He explained what we must do if we want to be friends of God. We must realize that we need Jehovah and learn to love him. But we cannot love God if we do not love other people. We must be kind and fair to everyone, even our enemies.

Jesus said: ‘It’s not enough to love just your friends. You also need to love your enemies and to forgive people from your heart. If someone is upset with you, go to him right away and apologize. Treat others the way you want them to treat you.’

Jesus also gave the people good advice about material things. He said: ‘It’s more important to be Jehovah’s friend than to have a lot of money. A thief can steal your money, but no one can steal your friendship with Jehovah. Stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Look at the birds. God always makes sure that they have enough to eat. Worrying will not make you live one day longer. Remember, Jehovah knows what you need.’

The crowds had never heard anyone speak as Jesus did. Their religious leaders had not taught them these things. Why was Jesus such a great teacher? Because everything he taught came from Jehovah.