An extraordinary night came first. The Gospels record one single occasion when Jesus spent the whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12). By the following sunset, he had chosen his twelve apostles (vv. 13–16) and preached the Sermon on the Mount (vv. 20–49).1 Clearly his prayer labours had brought him a spiritual strength which outweighed the physical strain involved. In a sense, the New Testament church was founded on that extraordinary day. Jesus’ choice of twelve clearly