The twelve have a special position within the group of followers. The Saviour helps them to soon support others when the time comes because they have received insight beforehand into details that no one else knows, so that they should be better able than anyone else to recognize without fear everything as the very plan of Jesus himself (because of their little faith the twelve did not until after Easter come to this comparing of what had been said and what happened; cf. John 18:31).1
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him,