Distinguishing the Twelve Apostles From the Wider Disciple Body

The Gospels present Jesus as having many disciples and, within that larger group, a smaller body of men chosen for a distinctive role. From among His disciples, Jesus selected twelve men whom He named apostles. He trained them closely, explained matters to them privately, and prepared them to become foundation members in the future congregation. Later, Jesus also sent out seventy disciples in pairs to preach and to prepare communities for His arrival. These seventy were genuine disciples, approved for a preaching assignment, and used by Jehovah’s Son in advancing the Kingdom message.

The key point is that the Lord’s Supper was instituted in a setting that was intentionally narrow in participation. It was not presented as a mass gathering of all disciples in Jerusalem. It was instituted in a private Passover setting with Jesus’ apostles, and the Gospel accounts consistently emphasize that the Twelve were present. Judas Iscariot, though unfaithful, was present at least for part of the evening, and the remaining apostles were the ones to whom Jesus gave especially weighty instruction that night.

This immediately helps answer the question. The absence of the seventy does not equal abandonment. It reflects Jesus’ deliberate purpose for that evening and the role He was assigning to His apostles.

The Passover Setting and the Practical Reality of Many Disciples

The annual Passover was a family-centered observance. Faithful Jews would keep it, commonly within household arrangements or in small groups, and Jerusalem would be crowded with pilgrims. Jesus and His apostles traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover as the time of His death approached. Yet Jesus did not summon every disciple from Galilee, Judea, and the surrounding regions to share one meal with Him. The record does not present the Passover that evening as a general convention of disciples, but as a deliberately arranged setting in which Jesus could speak intimately to those who would carry uniquely foundational responsibilities.

The seventy disciples whom Jesus had earlier sent out had been active in various locations. Their assignment was to go ahead of Jesus into towns and places where He intended to go. By the time of the final Passover, circumstances had changed. Jesus was now in Jerusalem, and events were moving rapidly toward His arrest and execution. Many disciples were present in the city during the festival season, but there is no indication that Jesus intended all of them to be present for the institution of the Lord’s Supper.

The question, “Where were they?” is best answered by recognizing what the Gospels emphasize and what they do not. The Gospels emphasize Jesus’ intentional intimacy with the apostles that night. They do not attempt to track the location of every disciple, including the seventy, during the hours leading up to the arrest. Silence on their precise whereabouts is not evidence of disloyalty. It is simply not the narrative focus.

Why Jesus Restricted the Occasion to the Apostles

Jesus Himself expresses the personal nature of the evening when He says, “I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” The words are not a public announcement; they are a direct expression of affection and purpose toward those at the table. He wanted to be with the apostles on that night because what He was about to establish was not merely a memorial meal, but a covenantal and instructional moment that would shape the future of the congregation.

The apostles would soon face intense pressure. They would witness Jesus’ arrest, His unjust treatment, and His execution. Their faith would be shaken, and their unity would be tested. That night Jesus strengthened them, corrected their thinking, taught them about humility and love, and prepared them for their coming responsibilities. He also made clear that the Kingdom was not going to arrive in the political way many expected. He spoke to them about service, endurance, and future responsibilities under His Kingship.

Jesus also had a distinct reason to keep the setting controlled: He was instituting something new. The Lord’s Supper would memorialize His sacrificial death as the true Passover Lamb. It would be observed by His followers in a manner consistent with the new covenant realities established by His sacrifice. The apostles needed to understand this clearly, because they would teach it, safeguard it, and guide the congregation in observing it correctly.

The Seventy Were Not Disapproved, Nor Had They Abandoned Him

Nothing in the Gospel record indicates that the seventy disciples abandoned Jesus as a body. Indeed, after Jesus’ resurrection, Acts describes a substantial number of disciples gathered together, and this group includes more than the apostles. The continued existence of a faithful community of disciples in Jerusalem shows that Jesus’ followers were not reduced to the Twelve alone. The apostles had a unique role, but they were not the only faithful disciples.

If anything, the Gospels emphasize that the truly shameful abandonment came from specific individuals or from momentary fear under pressure, not from the faithful seventy as a group being condemned or rejected. Judas Iscariot’s betrayal stands out as the decisive act of disloyalty. The apostles themselves, though devoted, faltered in fear on the night of Jesus’ arrest. Yet Jesus did not treat that momentary collapse as final abandonment. He restored and strengthened them after His resurrection. That pattern itself cautions us against assuming abandonment merely because certain disciples were not present in one specific room for one specific meal.

The absence of the seventy from the institution of the Lord’s Supper is best understood as a function of Jesus’ purpose and the apostolic role. Jesus was not convening all disciples. He was forming His apostles for the immediate crisis and for the future shepherding and teaching of the congregation.

The Covenant Setting and the Apostles’ Foundational Role

That night, Jesus spoke to the apostles about a covenant for a Kingdom and about their future role. The apostles were not merely witnesses; they were appointed representatives through whom Christ would guide the early congregation. They would be tasked with teaching, with preserving accurate doctrine, with establishing congregations, and with addressing errors that would arise. The Lord’s Supper, instituted in that setting, was tied to these covenant realities and to the apostles’ stewardship.

The seventy, and the many other disciples, would benefit from what Jesus instituted. Faithful disciples would come to understand the meaning of His ransom sacrifice and would observe the memorial in obedience to His command. Yet Jesus’ decision to institute the meal with the apostles highlights that the apostolic office carried unique responsibility. It does not downgrade other disciples; it clarifies roles.

What the Text Requires Us to Conclude, and What It Does Not

A historical-grammatical reading requires us to conclude what the text actually indicates: Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper with His apostles in a private Passover setting. It does not require us to conclude what the text does not state: that the seventy were disapproved, that they abandoned Jesus, or that their absence implied spiritual failure.

The simplest faithful conclusion is that Jesus wanted to be alone with His apostles on that occasion, to instruct them, to prepare them, and to bind them to the meaning of His imminent sacrificial death. The seventy were elsewhere—very likely participating in Passover observance in the crowded festival environment of Jerusalem and its surroundings, lodging where they could, perhaps with family or fellow disciples, and not summoned into the private setting Jesus chose for the apostles.

You May Also Enjoy

What Are Some Bible Verses About How to Have Success?

About the Author

CLICK LINKED IMAGE TO VISIT ONLINE STORE

CLICK TO SCROLL THROUGH OUR BOOKS