Now it came to
pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all
night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to
Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles that they
might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power
to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and
Andrew his brother; James and John (to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that
is, “Sons of Thunder”); Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew the tax collector and
Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son
of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
Some
Explanation
Excerpt
from A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels
by George W. Wright[2]:
A
comparison of the lists of Jesus’ twelve disciples in Matthew, Mark, and Luke
yields some interesting results. Another list also appears in Acts 1:13. All
the names in these three lists are not the same. The differences are explained
by the fact that some of the disciples were known by more than one name.
Here
is a complete list of the Twelve, with the variant names noted and a brief
description of each.
Disciple/Apostle
|
Description
|
1.
Simon (Peter)
|
A fisherman from Galilee;
Andrew’s brother
|
2.
Andrew
|
A fisherman from Galilee;
Peter’s brother
|
3.
James
|
A fisherman from Galilee;
son of Zebedee; John’s brother
|
4.
John
|
A fisherman from Galilee;
son of Zebedee; James’s brother
|
5.
Philip
|
From Bethsaida
|
6.
Bartholomew (Nathanael)
|
From Cana in Calilee
|
7.
Thomas (Didymas[3])
|
Perhaps a fisherman
|
8.
Matthew (Levi)
|
A tax collector from
Capernaum
|
9.
James[4]
(not the same as James, son of Zebedee)
|
Son of Alphaeus
|
10. Lebbaeus
Thadddaeus (Judas)
|
Called Judas son of James to
distinguish him from Judas Iscariot
|
11. Simon
(the Zealot)
|
From Cana; associated with
the Zealots, revolutionaries opposed to Rome
|
12. Judas
Iscariot
|
From Kerioth in southern
Judah; probably the only disciple from outside Galilee
|
Some
Explanation
These
are the twelve disciples that Jesus specifically called and trained to
ultimately be the foundational apostles of the faith (minus Judas). These
twelve apostles were responsible for establishing the church and doctrines of
the faith according to Ephesians 4:19-22; Acts 2:42; and 1 Timothy 4:6, 13, 16,
17 (and numerous other passages). There were many other followers—disciples—of
Jesus. For example 70 disciples were sent out by Jesus in Luke 10.
Observations
and Insights
Jesus
often pulled aside three disciples within this group of twelve—Peter, James and
John. One of these three, John, is often seen as having a closer relationship to
Jesus than the others. Some commentators write of these relationships as being “the
inner circle”. This is used to support a popular teaching that believers should
strive to achieve higher levels of intimacy in God for greater power and
authority in the Kingdom of God.
It is
a valid observation that these three did experience more of Jesus attention and
seemed
to have experiences of special privileges
above the others, such as seeing Jesus’ transfiguration. However, when the
mother of James and John, two of the so-called inner circle, asked that her
sons have higher honor in Christ’s coming kingdom, Jesus was quick to correct
her faulty request. He also said that whoever wants to be great in God’s kingdom
must first of all be a servant. He modeled this principle by washing the
disciples’ feet just hours before His arrest.
Later,
Paul also rebuked the Corinthians believers for practicing sectarianism and
promotion. Speaking of Paul, he was known as an “apostle born out of due time”.
This meant that he, too, was a foundational apostle, but not one of the original
who had been with Jesus before His crucifixion. Since Paul did not have the
three years’ of teaching under Jesus as the original eleven had, Paul’s
understanding of Jesus’ doctrine was by special revelation and visions which he
likely experienced in the Arabian desert for approximately three years
(Galatians 1:11-17). When Paul later soundly rebuked the erring Corinthians for
their spiritual arrogance, he was loathe to defend himself by claiming any superiority
by his revelations. In fact, he claimed that his “thorn in the flesh” was given
to him by God, through Satan to keep his spiritual pride in check (2
Corinthians 12:1-11).
Finally,
Jesus appeared to the Apostle John during John’s exile on the island of Patmos
(in Greece) and gave specific messages to seven churches. In two of the
messages he rebuked a group of people known as the Nicolaitans. It is
understood by most Biblical scholars that the Nicolaitans (the word means “conquer
the laity”) had established a spiritual hierarchy within the church. Jesus
said that he hated the deeds and doctrine of the Nicolaitans in Revelation 2:6,
15.
It is
clear by these examples that Jesus not only did not establish a model of
spiritual levels and authority, but that He hates such a teaching. I believe
that Peter, James and John’s unique and special experiences with Jesus were
because of the greater weight that they would bear. Peter became the leader of the Apostles after Jesus' ascension. Jesus told His disciples
(not just the twelve but all his disciples) that they would be hated and
persecuted, and delivered up to death. James was the first Apostle martyred.[5] John received the Revelation of Jesus Christ regarding the end times while exiled on the island of Patmos.
Jesus said, “...to whom much is given, much is required...” (Luke 12:48).
Rather
than seeking greater honor, power and authority, we as disciples and leaders
must follow Jesus’ teaching to serve, preach the gospel, and make disciples. Wherever
the Lord leads us, whatever He brings to our lives is to be given back to
Him in humility as a crown laid before His feet. We have received nothing
except what is given to us by Him anyway (1 Corinthians 4:6,7). Leadership in
the body of Christ is a place of honor, but it is also a great responsibility.
Jesus is the Great Shepherd of the sheep. We who serve as under shepherds must
do so in fear and reverence for the Lord whom we follow.
And one final question: Can you name all the disciples? Here is a fun video. I learned this song many years ago. I still sing it to remember the names. Enjoy!
[1] Note: Much of the Harmony readings will be pieced together like a puzzle putting the four Gospels together into one narrative. I am copying the order or format from A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels, George W. Wright, Holman Bible Publishers, 2001. However, I am using the New King James rather than the HCSB. This order is from the research of Wright and is open to discussion. Of course, you can also read the passages side by side separately if you prefer.
[2] George W. Wright, A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels, Holman Bible Publishers, p. 63.
[2] George W. Wright, A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels, Holman Bible Publishers, p. 63.
[3]
Didymas
means twin
[4]
Later
known in church history as James the Lesser or James the Minor
[5]
Stephen
was martyred before this, but he was not one of the twelve appointed by Jesus.
