There is a clear preferential option that Jesus makes in his choosing of the twelve. From the thousands of ‘followers’ He chooses ‘disciples’, men that He desired to be with Him. There is a clear distinction between being a follower and a disciple of Jesus. Our beloved father of the nation. Gandhiji, was most certainly a follower of the teachings of Jesus but he was most certainly not a disciple. A disciple is single minded in his or her desire for the master.
When Jesus called the twelve to be His disciples He clearly outlined their pastoral ministry. Primarily He wanted them to ‘be with Him’. Their first duty as disciples was to BE and then DO. Most disciples think that their calling is to do things for the Lord. You can’t do unless you are with the Lord discerning His will. The great spiritual battle of being over doing is made clear by the choice that Jesus lays for his disciples. The other two pastoral ministries were preaching and casting out demons. Jesus was pointed in His teaching as to what he expected from the twelve and by extension to us; our being must supersede our doing.