We find the names of the 12 apostles
in Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, and Luke 6:13-16:
And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from
them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew
his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,
and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas [also called
Thaddeus or Jude] the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a
traitor.
Jesus Christ selected 12 men from among his early followers to become his closest disciples. After an intensive discipleship course and following his resurrection from the dead, the Lord fully commissioned the apostles (Matthew 28:16-2, Mark 16:15) to advance God's kingdom and carry the gospel message to the world.
These men became the pioneering
leaders of the New Testament church, but they were not without faults and
shortcomings. Interestingly, not one of the chosen 12 disciples was a scholar
or rabbi. They had no extraordinary skills. Neither religious, nor refined,
they were ordinary people, just like you and me.
But God chose them for a purpose—to
fan the flames of the gospel that would spread across the face of the earth and
continue to burn bright throughout the centuries to follow. He selected and
used each of these regular guys to carry out his exceptional plan.
Take a few moments now to learn a
lesson or two from the 12 apostles—men who helped ignite the light of truth
that still dwells within our hearts today and calls us to come and follow Jesus
Christ.
Without question, the Apostle Peter
was a disciple most of us can identify with. One minute he was
walking on water by faith, and the next he was sinking in doubts. Impulsive and
emotional, Peter is best known for denying Jesus when the pressure was on. Even
so, as a disciple he was dearly loved by Christ, holding a special place among
the twelve.
Peter, often a spokesman for the
twelve, stands out in the Gospels. Whenever the men are listed, Peter's
name is first. He, James, and John formed the inner circle of Jesus' closest
companions. These three alone were given the unique privilege of experiencing
the transfiguration, along with a few other
extraordinary revelations of Jesus.
After the resurrection of Christ,
Peter became a bold evangelist and missionary, and one of the greatest leaders
of the early church. Passionate until the end, historians record that when
Peter was sentenced to death by crucifixion, he requested that his head be turned
toward the ground because he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as
his Savior. Discover why the life of Peter conveys great hope for us today.
Tradition says Andrew died a martyr
on a Crux Decussata, or X-shaped cross.
The Apostle Andrew abandoned John the Baptist to become the first follower of
Jesus of Nazareth, but John didn't mind. He knew his mission was to point
people to the Messiah.
Like many of us, Andrew lived in the
shadow of his more famous sibling, Simon Peter. Andrew led Peter to Christ,
then stepped into the background as his boisterous brother became a leader
among the apostles and in the early church.
The Gospels don't tell us a great
deal about Andrew, but we can read between the lines and find a person who
thirsted for truth and found it in the living water of Jesus Christ. Discover how a
simple fisherman dropped his nets on the shore and went on to become a
remarkable fisher of men.
James the son of Zebedee, often
called James the Greater to distinguish him from the other apostle named James,
was a member of Jesus Christ's inner circle, which included his brother, the Apostle John, and Peter. Not only did James and
John earn a special nickname from the Lord—"sons of thunder"—they
were privileged to be at the front and center of three supernatural events in
the life of Christ. In addition to these honors, James was the first of the
twelve to be martyred for his faith in A.D. 44.
The Apostle John, brother to James,
was nicknamed by Jesus one of the "sons of thunder," but he liked to
call himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved." With his fiery
temperament and special devotion to the Savior, he gained a favored place in
Christ's inner circle.
John's enormous impact on the early
Christian church and his larger-than-life personality, make him a fascinating
character study. His writings reveal contrasting traits. For instance, on the
first Easter morning, with his typical zeal and
enthusiasm, John raced Peter to the tomb after Mary Magdalene reported that it was now empty.
Although John won the race and bragged about this achievement in his Gospel (John 20:1-9), he humbly allowed Peter to
enter the tomb first.
According to tradition, John
outlived all of the disciples, dying of old age in Ephesus, where he preached a
gospel of love and taught against heresy.
Philip was one of the first
followers of Jesus Christ, and he wasted no time calling others, like Nathanael, to do the same.
Although little is known about him after the ascension of Christ, Bible historians believe
Philip preached the gospel in Phrygia, in Asia Minor, and died a martyr there
at Hierapolis. Learn how Philip’s search for the truth led him directly to the
promised Messiah.
Nathanael, believed to be the
disciple Bartholomew, experienced a jarring first encounter with Jesus. When
the Apostle Philip called him to come and meet the
Messiah, Nathanael was skeptical, but he followed along anyway. As Philip
introduced him to Jesus, the Lord declared, "Here is a true Israelite, in
whom there is nothing false." Immediately Nathanael wanted to know,
"How do you know me?"
Jesus got his attention when he
answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip
called you." Well, that stopped Nathanael in his tracks. Shocked and
surprised he declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Nathanael garnered only a few lines
in the Gospels, nevertheless, in that instant he became a loyal follower of
Jesus Christ.
Levi, who became the Apostle
Matthew, was a customs official in Capernaum who taxed imports and exports
based on his own judgment. The Jews hated him because he worked for Rome and
betrayed his countrymen.
But when Matthew the dishonest tax
collector heard two words from Jesus, "Follow me," he left everything
and obeyed. Like us, he longed to be accepted and loved. Matthew recognized
Jesus as someone worth sacrificing for. Find out why, 2,000 years later,
Matthew's eyewitness Gospel still sounds an irresistible call.
The Apostle Thomas is often referred to as
"Doubting Thomas" because he refused to believe that Jesus had risen
from the dead until he saw and touched Christ's physical wounds. As far as
disciples go, however, history has dealt Thomas a bum rap. After all, each of
the 12 apostles, except John, abandoned Jesus during his trial and death at Calvary.
Thomas, like us, was prone to
extremes. Earlier he had demonstrated courageous faith, willing to risk his own
life to follow Jesus into Judea. There is an important lesson to be gained from
studying Thomas: If we're truly seeking to know the truth, and we're honest
with ourselves and others about our struggles and doubts, God will faithfully
meet us and reveal himself to us, just as he did for Thomas.
James the Less is one of the most
obscure apostles in the Bible. The only things we know for certain are his name
and that he was present in the upper room of Jerusalem after Christ ascended to
heaven.
In Twelve Ordinary Men, John
MacArthur suggests that his obscurity may have been the distinguishing mark of
his life. Discover why James the Less' complete anonymity may reveal something
profound about his character.
Who doesn't like a good mystery?
Well, the Scriptures introduce us to quite a few riddles that scholars have yet
to solve. One of those puzzling questions is the exact identity of Simon the
Zealot, the Bible's own mystery apostle.
Scripture tells us almost nothing
about Simon. In the Gospels, he is mentioned in three places, but only to list
his name. In Acts 1:13 we learn that he was present with the apostles in the
upper room of Jerusalem after Christ had ascended to heaven. Beyond those few
details, we can only speculate about Simon and his designation as a Zealot.
Listed together with Simon the
Zealot and James the Less, the Apostle Thaddeus completes a grouping of the
least known disciples. In Twelve Ordinary Men, John MacArthur's book
about the apostles, Thaddeus, also known as Jude, is characterized as a
tender-hearted, gentle man who displayed childlike humility.
Scholars believe Thaddeus wrote the
book of Jude. It's a short epistle, but the closing two verses contain a
beautiful doxology, one of the finest expressions of praise to God in the
entire New Testament.
Judas Iscariot is the apostle who
betrayed his Master with a kiss. For this supreme act of treachery, some would
say Judas Iscariot made the greatest error in history.
Down through time, people have had
strong or mixed feelings about Judas. Some experience a sense of hatred toward
him, others feel pity, and some have even considered him a hero. No matter how you react to him, one thing
is certain, believers can benefit greatly by taking a serious look at his life.
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