[Quote from A Book (XVII)]: “The selection by Jesus of the twelve…”
“The selection by Jesus of the twelve … is an important landmark in the Gospel history. It divides the ministry of our Lord into two portions, nearly equal, probably, as to duration, but unequal as to the extent and importance of the work done in each respectively. In the earlier period, Jesus labored single-handed [sic]; His miraculous deeds were confined for the most part to a limited area, and His teaching was in the main of an elementary character. But by the time when the twelve were chosen, the work of the kingdom had assumed such dimensions as to require organization and division of labor; and the teaching of Jesus was beginning to be of a deeper and more elaborate nature, and His gracious activities were taking on ever-widening range.”
— John MacArthur (quoting A. B. Bruce), Twelve Ordinary Men
