Chapter 4.15
The Players
This study will examine the twelve disciples as
well as those
who were thought to be of the TWELVE, but were not,
plus the
ladies who were the foundation for the Women Of the Church.
Background
It
had always bothered me how a complete stranger could walk up to a bunch
of men working and say “follow me” and they immediately left their jobs and
followed him. So I thought I would just look at “Who was Who”, their background and
how they became THE APOSTLES TWELVE
The progression of Jesus
Jesus
in Aramaic is Y’shua; it
is the same name rendered Joshua; “Yahweh
is salvation”.
Jesus was a very
common name. He was born in Bethlehem;[1] taken
to Egypt at the age of two,[2]
back in Nazareth at three.[3] At the age of five, a Jewish boy was taught
the Law; at twelve he was passing into manhood.[4] We hear about Jesus at the age of twelve when
he is in the temple having discussions with the religious leaders. After that the scriptures are silent until He
starts His ministry at the age of thirty[5]
and selects His “inner circle” of Twelve
Disciples.
Pause – Fence post out of line
I have read the “Lost books of the Bible”, the “Forgotten books of
Eden” and the “Apocrypha” with the accounts of Jesus during his
childhood. I must dismiss these works as
fiction as the fence post do not all line up; they do not mesh with the spirit
of the scriptures
woven throughout the New Testament, nor do these writing carry the same writing
style that is associated with the specific disciple that is given
credit for their authorship. It has long
been known that writers would put the name of one of the prophets or disciples
on their writings in order to give them validly.
The scriptures
are silent
on the childhood of Jesus’ and that as an adult until the age of thirty. Jesus
could have had a wife, but the CANNONIZED scriptures do
not support this. Because of Jewish customs
of the time, we can certainly speculate that He had already been immersed in
the Book of
the Law. He was trained in
His father’s trade, that of a carpenter and probably took over the family
business for a while when Joseph died.
Jesus taught in parables that were “Clear Secret
Messages” to his followers, [6]
but those who would seek to do Him harm “would not get it”; they just thought it was a
story. [7]
Provisions in Advance
Jesus
and his family were very poor and could not even afford a lamb as an
offering in the temple. According to
scripture their finances were at poverty level until the visit of the Magi who
brought very expensive gifts of GOLD,
FRANKINCENSE
and MYRRH.
The Magi were Religious leaders who could appoint kings and place people in power
and authority. They traveled almost two
years and almost a thousand miles just one way to find a new born king. It is not known how many of them there were
or the number of servants, or the value of their gifts as they had much wealth.
Gold: Associated with “Royalty”. Most people in the time of Jesus could not
afford to own Gold.
Frankincense: Associated
with “Worship.” Made from the gum of the Arabia tree; known
as the perfume of Love and very
expensive.
Myrrh: Associated with “Suffering.” Offered to Christ on the Cross; a sedative
when mixed with wine. The Gum is
extracted by “Piercing” the bark of a “thorny” bush to allow it to bleed. It turns RED on contact with
air.
God financed (in advance) their flight to
Egypt to avoid Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the new born males under the age of
two. From Bethlehem to Helipolis Egypt
was 300 plus miles taking up to three weeks for the family to get there. For safety concerns, people usually paid the
price to travel in a caravan. From His
road trip to Egypt and the return to Nazareth was about a year. By the time He was 30, there probably wasn’t
much of the “treasure” left for
Jesus to begin His ministry, but who knows.
The Family
Some
commentaries “force” the issue that all of the brothers of Jesus were
of Joseph from a previous marriage. This is because of their belief that Mary
remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus.
There is no reason not to believe that Mary bore other children. I use the term “half-brother” because God was
the father of Jesus and not Joseph.
When Jesus starts his ministry Joseph has
probably been dead for some time. It must be remembered that Jesus did not
continue in the carpentry trade of Joseph, but left the family. There may have been some family
disappointment as well as lost honor in His community. This appears to show up later when Jesus
returns home and is rejected.[8] At first it seems that the family of Jesus
was skeptical about His ministry, however, Jesus appeared to James after the
resurrection and he was converted and that brought the whole family in.[9]
Note: I firmly believe Mary and Joseph both believed
that Jesus was the Messiah, but because of the times, the family just simply
didn’t understand and were confused, timid and even afraid to be seen around Him. I think they wanted to believe; and
eventually their timidity would be replaced with boldness because of the
testimony of James. Just saying”. It seems probable that all the brothers were
married to believing wives.[10] None of the brothers were chosen to be one of
the inner circle of the “Twelve” Disciples.
John 7:5 – The
family did not believe at first
5 FOR EVEN HIS OWN BROTHERS DID NOT BELIEVE IN HIM.
NIV
Matthew 12:46-50 – The family stand afar off; unsure, watching
46 While Jesus
was still talking to the crowd,
HIS MOTHER AND BROTHERS STOOD OUTSIDE, wanting to
speak to him.
47 Someone told
him, "Your
mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to
you."
NIV
The Ladies
There
were a number of ladies who were part of the WOC: Women Of
the Church that not only served, but gave of
their abundant finances.[11]
Salome; who seems to be Mary’s sister, was very
wealthy and had servants. She supported
her two sons James and John with proceeds from her husband Zebedee’s fishing
business.
Priscilla; wife of Aquila were both loyal friends
and workers in the faith and supported the Christian movement by opening their
home for meetings.
Mary of Nazareth; the mother of Jesus did not seem to
accompany Jesus on his journeys but was present from time to time, possibly
with income from the carpentry business.
Mary of Magdala; cured of seven demons by Jesus, she was
always present; working quietly in the background with devotion to Jesus’ life,
His death and His resurrection.
Mary the mother of James; mentioned as “The Other Mary.” She is mentioned most often in service alongside
of Mary Magdalene
Mary and Martha of Bethany; helped by providing a place for Jesus to
stay in their home. This is the Mary
that anointed Jesus with oil and wiped His feet with her hair.
Mary the mother of Mark; opened her home
for meetings.
Mary of Rome; was also a hard worker in Rome and served
in the Christian movement.
John the Baptizer – A Cousin; NOT one of the Twelve
John
as well as Jesus’ birth was announced by an Angel. John the Baptist and Jesus were cousins; John
was 6 months older, his father was Zachariah a priest; his mother was Elizabeth
from the family of Aaron.[12] Although
Cousins, John didn’t realize that Jesus was the Messiah until Jesus was baptized
and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove.[13]
John took the “vow of a Nazirite” for life, not
by choice, but by the appointment of God.
This was not so much an “abstention” from things, as much as it was a “consecration”
of his self to Holy service unto God. He
was the last of the Old Testament Prophets and his dress was like that of
Elijah wearing camel hair and a leather belt.[14] Note: The
Jews were expecting Elijah the prophet
to return, and John had the spirit of Elijah and was the forerunner of
Jesus, although John did not know this.[15]
He was NOT one of the
inner circle of the twelve Disciples, therefore his message was NOT the Gospel of Christ, but that of repentance and
he pointed his followers to Jesus and did NOT get “bent out of shape”
when they left.[16] Some stayed however and ministered to
John. Twenty years later we hear about
his disciple Apollos, then 30 years later Paul finds a group of John’s
disciples in Ephesus.[17] It was when John was arrested that Jesus
began to travel, spreading the Gospel
The Nazirite Vow:
If a man or woman wants to make a special vow;
as a Nazirite, they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes
or raisins or anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or
skins. No razor may be used on their head; they must
let the hair of their head grow long. They
must not go near a dead body; and must not make themselves ceremonially unclean
should someone dies suddenly in their presence.[18]
FUN NOTE: There is
a Carob tree which grows pods that are six to ten inches
long. They are very bitter when they are
green, but when they darken and ripen, a sweet syrup forms. They are fed to livestock and Poor people eat
them. This tree more commonly was called
a LOCUST tree, and some students
of the Word and commentaries believe that this is the “locust” that John ate. Just
saying
DOUBT: At first reading, “it seems”
as John the baptizer doubted if Jesus was the Messiah. John was submitted to the authority of Jesus
Christ and was well informed on His activities till he was thrown into Prison.[19] Now he only hears rumors, but had not seen firsthand
what was happening, so he sends word to Jesus by some men asking;
“Are you the expected one that is to come or should we look for
another?” [20]
John had laid the ax to the tree of repentance and was expecting Jesus
to pick it up and bring judgment on the wicked and probably needed a little
clarification. John just wanted a
personal confirmation from Jesus on “His plan”; so he asked.[21]
Jesus said to look at HIS WORKS and
they will testify of His Plan
The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear,
the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor.[22]
Paul, the Apostle – As one born out of time; NOT one of the twelve
Paul
was not one of the Twelve; in fact he was actually zealous in the
persecution of all Christians.[23]
He was probably
10 years younger than Jesus as he was referred to as a young man.[24] Born a Jew; lived in Tarsus Cilicia, studied
the Law and was a Pharisee zealous for God.
Originally called Saul until Christ
revealed himself to him on the Damascus Road and Saul’s name was changed to
Paul.[25] After Paul’s conversion, he took the Gospel
to the Gentiles as an Apostle and as a Teacher.[26] Since Paul’s wisdom and authority came
directly from Jesus Christ[27]
and not from any man, he felt he WAS one of the Apostles,
but one that was just “born out of due time”. [28]
Paul was a tent maker and earned his keep at
this trade, so he would not be a burden on others.[29] We see him sometimes referred to as a “Leather Worker”, but it is not likely
as Cilicia was noted for their goat hair. Paul wove, cut and mended tents made
out of cloth of goat’s hair called cilicium.
John Mark –
Writer of the 2nd Gospel; Not one of the Twelve
“Mark”
was a disciple, but not one of the chosen twelve. I include information on Mark, only because
he is the writer of the second Gospel in the New Testament and is so often
thought of as one of Christ’s inner circle of twelve. (The Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John).
Mark acted as a scribe for the Disciples,
documenting their actions and was Peter’s interpreter when he went to
Rome. John Mark’s Mother’s name was
Mary; seemingly wealthy, opened her house to the disciples.[30]
The Hebrew
name John means “God is gracious.”
His Roman name Mark means “Large Hammer”.
His Cousin was Barnabas, also
a disciple, but NOT one of the
twelve and was a leader in the early Christian Church.[31] Barnabas was the one that was instrumental in
getting Paul accepted by the other
disciples.[32] All the Christians were afraid of Paul; “really afraid”.
Mark deserted the disciples on a mission
trip and Paul did not want to take him on another.[33] However, Barnabas took Mark under his wing
and Mark became a faithful fellow worker.
Mark was very young, assisting as needed,[34]
but failed as a disciple and was rejected by Paul, but later was finally received
back as a faithful worker.[35] Peter had such a close relationship with Mark
that he considers him as his own son.[36] The story of Mark ends with the thought that
God chooses the weak and foolish to confound the wise.
God can use all of us in spite of our failures and
short comings.
Jude - The half-brother
of Jesus; NOT one of the Twelve
Jude,
most believe, is the author of Jude, the next to the last book of the New Testament. He was the half-brother of Jesus and a
disciple, but NOT one of the
twelve.[37] Jude
had three brothers, James, Joseph and Simon and some sisters. Some students of the Word believe that Joseph
was a widower and possibly had children before he married Mary. At first none of the half-brothers accepted
Jesus as the Messiah.
James –
The half-brother of Jesus; NOT one of the Twelve
There
were at least five “James” in the ministry of Christ. This one is the half-brother of Jesus and not
James the fisherman, who was part of the inner circle of Disciples.[38] He was
the oldest of four younger brothers. One
of his brothers was Jude, also a writer in the New Testament. It has always been tradition to name the
first born after the father, so it is possible that James was not the oldest,
but the more prominent. Joseph was
listed second. Just saying.
James name does not appear in any of the
lists of the inner circle of Twelve Disciples.
Jesus appeared to James after His resurrection before He appeared to the
other disciples.[39] This is probably when James was converted to
Christianity.
Tradition has James as an important leader in early church history and
appointed as the first bishop of Jerusalem by the apostles and the Lord
Himself.[40] Scripture seems to indicate that James is the
author of the book of James.[41] Both James and Jude in their writings refer
to themselves as “a servant of Jesus Christ”.
Phillip the Evangelist:
NOT one of the twelve
Phillip
home was in Caesarea, he was one
of seven deacons chosen to attend to the “day to day” affairs of the
church allowing the twelve apostles to do their work fulltime.[42] They were not limited to supervision of the
affairs of the church, but preached and evangelized the Gospel exercising the
Gifts.[43]
All seven of the special deacons had Greek
names, so they were probably all Gentiles converted to Christianity. Phillip attended to the Greek speaking Widows
and the poor;[44]
it seems that the new converts grouped themselves together by their language. He
had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.[45] Phillip known as the Evangelist or Deacon was
endued with the same gifts and powers as was the Twelve Disciples.
Many of his efforts are confused with “Phillip the
Apostle”, who was one of the inner circle of twelve. When persecution broke out after the death of
Stephen, Philip went to Samaria where he preached and many were healed. He was sent by the Holy Spirit[46]
to witness to the Ethiopian eunuch and after the eunuch’s baptism he was miraculously transported
to Azotus; ponder
that! [47]
Luke the Physician;
NOT one of the twelve
Luke; “the
beloved physician”[48]
is the writer of the Gospel of Luke and
the Book of Acts which represents almost one fourth of the NT and
is thought to be the only Gentile to write a book in the Bible. Luke seems to be a pet name for Lucas, an
early Christian leader that was a friend and a source of encouragement to Paul
as he accompanied him on many of his missionary journeys.
Note: Luke’s Gospel
or letter is addressed to Theophilus and not to the church, so some
students of the Word dismiss his work. However
in my BS,
I find that Theophilus
means “LOVER OF GOD” and may indeed
represent believers everywhere. Luke
reports more healing miracles that all the others.
FIRST FOLLOWERS
Part-time Disciples - Andrew, Phillip, Peter & Nathanial
The First two Disciples
to follow Jesus were disciples of John the Baptizer; Andrew
and Phillip
and John pointed them to Jesus.[49] Andrew got his brother Simon Peter to come meet Jesus and Phillip goes and gets Nathanial
to come and hear Jesus, although Nathanial is reluctant at first. Nathanial was the second to believe Jesus as
“The Son of
God”, with John being the first.
Both Peter and Nathanial were also John’s disciples; all four men were
from Bethsaida. Their discipleship was considered part-time as they continued
at their trades, while learning the teachings of Jesus; their full time calling
would come later.
Nathanial
seems to have had a second name as the others, that of Bartholomew
whose name is listed in all four lists of the Twelve Disciples.
Andrew “evangelizes” his Brother Simon Peter saying; we have found the Messiah and brings him
to meet Jesus.[50] Simon Peter and Andrew were partners with
James and John’s father Zebedee’s fishing business and they all got an ear full
from Peter about “the man called Jesus”.[51]
Are you ready for this: Mary of
Nazareth’s sister seems to be James
and John’s mother Salome who was
also a follower and financial supporter of the sect known as THE WAY. [52]
Full Time Calling first
four disciples
This
was the movement from Part-time to Full time Discipleship for the
brothers Peter and Andrew and brothers James and John who were all fishing partners.
This may or may not have happened all in the same day Peter
and Andrew were out at sea and James and John may have been on shore mending
and preparing their nets.[53] This IS NOT the “Apostleship”
of the inner circle of the Twelve Disciples, which is yet to come, many were
called fulltime into the ministry.
The timing of
the selection of the twelve had to do with the upcoming crucifixion[54]
of Christ and the continuation of the Gospel. Christ withdrew and prayed all
night[55]
as He had only about a year and a half to complete His Discipleship training
program.
THE TWELVE APOSTLES
Common Men with Un-Common
Calling
Jesus
prayed all night about who He would select from the large crowd
of followers to be His Twelve Apostles, the inner circle of His ministry.[56] Dissecting the Greek words used for
“continued in the prayer OF God” indicates the Trinity was present and the conversation was all night
long. It was the very prayer of GOD;
perfect communion, perfect access.
The students selected for the three year
training were not saints nor scholars, actually they were employed in mundane
trades, “Outsiders” to the religious establishment.[57] They made mistakes and had failures and were wishy
washy in their commitments; they were proud, self-centered and had to have
attitude adjustments. They had lapses in their Faith and were spiritually dense
and slow learners;[58] they
were unexceptional, plain, ordinary, fallible individuals, but they made themselves available.[59] The
town’s people considered the Disciples as “aggramatoi idiotai” (in Greek) or Illiterate ignoramuses. But after listening to them, soon figured out,
these guys must have been with Jesus.[60]
Except for Judas Iscariot, they were all
Galileans, who were all deemed “County
Bumpkins,” uneducated and common; these peons, these nobodies turned the
world upside down. The scriptures say that
not many wise, influential and noble were called. The lesson here shows God can
even use weak and dense people like you and me.
Stop and think for a minute, about being an instrument in the hands of The Most Holy
GOD.
Jesus knew their faults before He picked
them and even knew Judas Iscariot would betray Him, knowing Judas
was part of God’s plan. Even
though they were common people, the Apostles still had to be morally fit to
serve. Apostle: In the Greek: Messenger; he who is sent. Disciple: Student; Learner. The number Twelve and its multiple, throughout
the Bible, is the number that relates to priestly government perfection. This symbolism was
perfectly clear; the Twelve Apostles represented all of Israel, all the twelve
tribes.
Note: Duplicity of Disciples: two named Simon,
two named James
and two named Judas
Luke 6:14 – The
chosen inner circle of Twelve Disciples
14 Simon
(whom he named Peter),
his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,
16 Judas
son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
NIV
1 Timothy 3:1-7 – Morality of the Twelve Apostles
2 Now the
overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but
one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able
to teach,
not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome,
not a lover of money. He
must manage his own family well
and see that his children obey him with proper respect.
5 (If anyone
does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's
church?)
6 He must not be a recent
convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment
as the devil.
7 He must also have a good
reputation with outsiders, so
that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. NIV
Three Groups of Four
Scholars
observing the four Gospels of the Twelve disciples in scriptures, think that the disciples were
divided into “three
groups of four” with Peter the leader of
the first group, Philip leader of group two and James (son
of Alphaeus) leader of the third group.
Group one; Peter, Andrew, James and John seem to be the
ones mentioned more often with Christ and were the first selected and were
probably the closest and most trusted.
Group two; Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas
Group Three; James (son of Alphadus), Simon, Judas (son
of James)
(also
called Thaddeus or Lebbaeus) and Judas Iscariot
Group Three replacement: Matthias replaced
Judas Iscariot when he killed himself.
Judas’ name is omitted in the list found in the book of Acts as he was
already dead. The order listed within
the groups is slightly different in all the four lists, but the apparent groups
and their leaders remain unchanged. There were many more disciples and their
number grew daily.[61]
Matt
10:2 Mark
Group 1 Peter Peter Peter Peter
Andrew James Andrew James
James John James John
John Andrew John Andrew
Group 2 Philip Philip Philip Philip
Bartholomew Bartholomew Bartholomew Thomas
Thomas Matthew Matthew Bartholomew
Matthew Thomas Thomas Matthew
Group 3 James son of Alphaeus James son
of Alphaeus James son of Alphaeus James son
of Alphaeus
Lebbaeus * Thaddeus * Simon Simon
Simon Simon Judas *son
of James Judas *son of James
Judas
Iscariot Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot - .
Simon Peter –
Leader of Group One
Simon
Bar-Jonah: Bar is translated
“Son”, so he was Simon the son of Jonah (Simon is also written Symeon)[62]. His
father’s Jonah (or
Jonas)
was also called John. Simon took his
wife with him on his journeys and had a mother in Law.[63] He had a home in Bethsaida on the lakeshore,
and also a home in Capernaum on the North shore of the Sea of Galilee.[64]
As a native of “Galilee of the Gentiles”,
he spoke Greek and Aramaic. Simon’s
brother was Andrew; both of them were fishing partners with brothers James and
John and their father Zebedee. Along with
his brother Andrew, he was a disciple of John the Baptist before he met Jesus,
then he became His part-time
disciple.
He was the first follower to be called “Full Time” by Jesus and the first of
the Apostles to recognize that Jesus was the Messiah.[65]
He is the first Apostle mentioned in the list of Apostles provided by Luke.[66] Simon’s
name was changed to Peter by Jesus, which is a NOT a “personal name” but a “description”.[67] No other person in the New Testament is
named Peter.
Peter in Greek is Petros; a rock or stone. In Aramaic is it known as Cephas,
a name referred to very often in the scriptures. Peter was Cephas, nicknamed
the rock. Jesus named Simon, what He
wanted him to become; “THE ROCK”, not what he
was![68] Except in the presence of Jesus, Peter was
referred to as the “first” or “Protos” the spokesman or
leader of the twelve.
Peter was a pioneer, breaking ground that
the early church would follow. He asked
more questions than all the other Disciples combined. He was impecunious; the first one to jump into something and usually the first one bailing out. However, it should be noted that its’ easier
to tone down a fanatical man than it is to resurrect a corpse.
Peter was the only other person recorded
that “Walked
on Water” besides Christ.[69] Jesus called him “Simon” on a number of occasions to
remind Peter of who he used to be. At
some point Simon assumed the name “Simon Peter” for himself. He was one of only three
to see Jesus transfigured in His glory.[70] The name “Peter” is always listed first in
group one of all four list. He authored 1st and 2nd Peter
in the New Testament.
Satan was after Simon Peter and Jesus warned him that
he wanted to sift him like wheat.[71] After Peter had denied Jesus three times he
took off to go fishing; the resurrected Jesus Christ went after him; an example
that Christ will come after us too.[72] Praise God.
The last we hear of Peter is that he is in
Rome and probably started a church there. The embellished tradition that he was the “Bishop of Rome”
or the “First
Pope” of the Catholic Church for twenty-five years is contrary to
scripture.
Andrew
Andrew’s
name in the Greek means “Manly”, also “Conqueror.” He was Simon Peter’s Brother whom he led to
become a Disciple of Jesus. His father
was Jonah also called John. Andrew was born in Bethsaida, but relocated
to Capernaum and shared a house with his brother Peter.
Andrew and Peter were fishing partners
with two brothers James and John. The
four shared the same spiritual interest and took time away from their fishing
business to spend time with “John the
baptizer” and became his disciples. In the beginning, Andrew was a disciple of
John the Baptist and was the first to be called by Jesus as a His Part-time
disciple, but he continued as a fisherman.
Although Andrew’s name is in Group One, it
is not always in the same order in all four lists. The scriptures seem to suggest on occasions
Andrew and Peter paired up to witness as a missionary team.[73]
He is noticeably
quiet in the background as; Peter, James and John seem to dominate the inner
circle, however he is credited for bringing many to meet Christ.
Andrew’s heart did not resent being a
supporting actor, living in the shadow of his brother, with Peter taking the leadership
role. He saw value in serving quietly in
the background. Most people come to
Christ because of a personal testimony of a friend, neighbor, office worker or
relative and Andrew delighted in bringing everyone and anyone to Jesus.
Because he brought his brother Peter to
Christ, another 3000 received eternal life. WOW Everyone is not called to be
a Simon Peter, but we can be an Andrew; we can be “bringers;” just bring one person to the Lord.[74] We are responsible for the watering of the
seed planted by the Holy Spirit. We are
not responsible for the Harvest; just the watering.
Tradition says his field of labor was in
Scythia, a region north of the Black Sea. He was the patron saint of Russia and the
patron saint of Scotland and was crucified in Achaia in Southern Greece.
Tradition says he was crucified on an “X” shaped cross; referred to as St.
Andrews Cross. There is today “The Order of
St. Andrews” which is an association of church ushers that make a
special effort to be courteous to strangers.
My home is located just off “Saint Andrews Road”. The
effects of our “efforts” can be felt and far reaching, far more than we can
ever imagine.
James – Son of
Zebedee
James,
Son of Zebedee (A
Levite)
Probably the older brother of John and fishing partners with Peter and Andrew. They were both called “Boanerges” the “Sons of Thunder”[75]
because of their stormy passionate and fervent personalities to stir things
up. James was outspoken, intense and
impatient with evildoers.[76] (Zeal, apart from wisdom and knowledge, can be
dangerous.) [77]
He was part of the inner circle of three
and saw Jesus transfigured in His glory.[78] His mother was Salome, Mary’s sister,[79]
so that would make him the cousin of Jesus.
NOTE: For some
reason James’ name is not mentioned at all in the Gospel of John. James was the first to be martyred by King
Herod.[80] (If that’s a good thing to be first in)
In
service up until the end: History
records indicate that the witness of
James’ to the guard who was leading him to his execution, was so moved by his
words that he confessed he was a Christian and asked forgiveness from James;
then both
of them were led away and
beheaded at the same time. Good Grief; could I have done that?
John the
Apostle
John
was the Son of Zebedee, he was the younger brother of James and fishing
partners with Peter and Andrew. His
mother was Salome, Mary’s sister. So he
was a cousin of Jesus. His calling to
Jesus was so great that he remembered the time of day; it was about 4 o’clock
he said[81]. John was the closest to Jesus of the inner
three and was known as “The disciple that Jesus Loved” [82]
and Called the “Son
of Thunder”.
He was one of only three to see Jesus
transfigured in His glory and was an eyewitness to the crucifixion of Christ.[83] Jesus asked John to take care of Jesus’
mother after He was crucified.[84] John was aggressive, brash, competitive,
extreme, impetuous, intolerant, narrow-minded, passionate, reckless, self-centered,
unbending, volatile and zealous, but when Jesus got through “tenderizing” him he would later be called
“the Apostle
of Love” because of the theme of love flowing throughout his
writings. How cool is
that.
John is the author of the book of John and
three smaller books called the epistles of John. In humility and balance, he never mentions
his own name throughout the book of John, It is quite possible someone named “John the Elder”
actually penned the dictation of John the Apostle in four of the five books. John penned the Book of Revelation as
dictated by God while in prison on the isle of Patmos[85],
living in a cave, sleeping on a stone slab with a rock for a pillow; he
outlived all the Twelve.
John used the word “TRUTH” some 45 times in his Gospel and
epistles. But he use the word “LOVE”
more than 80 times. He used the word “WITNESS”
almost 70 times.
Inner Circle of
Three
There
was a close inner circle of three; Peter, James and John[86] which
Jesus called to Himself often. Occasionally
Andrew would be included; they are always listed in Group one.
Phillip – Leader of
Group Two
Phillip’s
name in Greek means “Lover of Horses”
and is always listed first in group two.
His Jewish name is never given. He is not
Phillip the Deacon / evangelist that led the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ in the
8thchapter of Acts. However, you
do need to study this deacon Philip who operated in the same gifts of the
Spirit as the twelve apostles.
The Disciple Phillip was born in a fishing
village at Bethsaida[87]
which was also the home of Peter, Andrew, Nathanael and Thomas who were all
fishermen.[88] He is believed to be a disciple of John the
Baptist and thus sought out by Jesus for discipleship. He brought his friend Nathanael who is also called Bartholomew
to be a disciple of Christ and is often seen paired with him.[89]
Scriptures draw a picture of him as;
analytical, pessimistic, systematic and “by the book”, identifying the road blocks
rather than the solutions. He was not so
much a doubter as he was just predisposed to be “pragmatic” about life; just telling it like he saw it. He is seen as someone in charge, delegating,
a “Bean
Counter”, someone concerned with organization and methods;[90] God
used his gift as a teaching moment.
Bartholomew also called Nathanael
Bartholomew in Hebrew
means “son
of Tolmai,” he was from Cana a village just north of Nazareth,[91]
the same place that Jesus did his first miracle. Scripture seems to suggest that he was
probably also a disciple of John the Baptist as his calling in the wilderness
was about the same time as Andrew and Phillip.
Little is known about Bartholomew, but based on the grouping of the
scriptures, most believe he was also known as Nathaniel, who Peter found and
brought to Jesus.[92] Nathanael in Hebrew means “God has given”;
the church fathers used both names interchangeably. Many had two names, one in Hebrew and one in
Greek and maybe even another in Aramaic.
The name Bartholomew always follows Phillips’ in all four lists of the
Twelve Apostles. We always see Phillip
and Nathanael paired together as friends and companions. Scripture does not plainly say that Nathanael
and Bartholomew are the same person, but it sure seems so. Otherwise there is no record of
Bartholomew. Based on Phillips statement
about Jesus, it’s clear that Nathanael knew the OT prophecies. Nathanael “didn’t
think any good thing could come from
Nazareth”.[93] He knew that the scriptures said that the
Messiah would come out of Bethlehem; and Nazareth was considered a lowly,
uneducated and unrefined town.
Nathanael became the second of the “Part
time” disciples to believe Jesus was the Messiah;[94]
John the baptizer was the first to believe.
Peter was the first of the “Full
Time” Apostles to believe; Nathaniel was privileged to have Jesus appear to
him “face to face” after His resurrection.[95]
Nathanial is seen as a type or symbol of a “True Israelite;” one who accepts Jesus by Faith.[96] Early church records indicate that his
ministry took him to India, Persia and Armenia.
Matthew - Levi
Matthew’s
Jewish name is Levi and was the son of Alphaeus.[97] He was a TAX
MAN,
a Publican.[98]
He was at first
called Levi and later changed his name to Matthew which means; “Gift of Yahweh” or in Aramaic; “True”.
Taxes on transported goods were collected
by “Local Contracted Collectors” who paid an
agreed-upon sum in advance to the Romans, for the right to collect taxes in
their area. They in turn kept any excess
that could be squeezed out of the people.
It is thought that Matthew was very wealthy.
Tax
collectors called Publicans were despicable, vile, unprincipled scoundrels that extorted
money from the people to line their own pockets. They were the most despised if not most hated
people in Israel; they were regarded as TRAITORS.
As I crawl into the story, I see Levi,
sitting in his Tax booth at the crossroads of Capernaum, he had already heard
about Jesus and His miracles long before he had ever laid eyes on him. He may at some point heard His teachings and
may have had personal contact with Him, but considered himself unworthy. Matthew, a publican a despised tax collector was
the LAST person you would expect to be called to
be an Apostle.
Tax collectors were banned from the Temple
and could not go there to worship or sacrifice, so since he could not go into
the temple, he studied the scriptures for himself. This is bore out in the Gospel of Matthew
with his many references to the Old Testament.
Jesus saw him collecting taxes in his tax booth and called him to
follow. This Jew was spiritually hungry
and cared more for God, than he did his own lucrative profession and made
himself AVAILABLE,
he walked away from a lucrative income and never looked back.
Immediately, Matthew invited Jesus to come
to his house for an evangelistic dinner and got
a bunch of his closest low down, dirty
rotten, scumbag sinner friends to
come meet Jesus.[99] Later, Matthew’s
boss, Zaccheus, a chief Tax Collector found forgiveness and may very well have
been at this same dinner.[100] Just
saying. Matthew is the author of the first Gospel
penned with his name.
If you feel like an outcast and unworthy,
Jesus still says, “Follow Me”.
Thomas –
the Doubter
Thomas’
name appears in the second group of four disciples and is often paired
with Matthew.
The Aramaic name
Thomas, in the Greek is translated “Didymus”
which means “The
Twin”; the reason is unknown as scripture does not disclose a
brother or sister. He is mostly
remembered as “Doubting Thomas” who would
not believe in Jesus’ resurrection unless he personally touched the wounds in
His body; Thomas doubted so that we all may believe.
Although he is seen as a Pessimist and a “worry wart” about everything, he was
devoted to Jesus Christ.[101] In one instance, on a trip to Bethany, he was
sure that Jesus would be stoned that very day and he wanted to go and die with
him; this surely took courage.
In another instance of devotion to Christ,
he saw himself being separated from his Lord and logically he didn’t see
how he could find him again and told Him so.[102]
After the resurrection of Christ, Jesus
appeared to all of the disciples, except Thomas.[103] When they told Thomas, he did not believe
it.
He probably thought they were just trying
to cheer him up. When he finally saw
Jesus and placed his hands on His wounds, he doubted no more, he uttered the
deep touching words; “My Lord and my God”. It should be pointed out, that when the other
disciples heard reports of Jesus, they did not believe
either; TWICE;[104]
so don’t beat Thomas up. There is no
other disciple recorded that was invited to touch the wounds of Christ. Jesus says; that there is a “special
blessing” for those who can believe without seeing.[105]
In the
“New
Testament Apocrypha” “The Gospel of Thomas”, “The Acts of Thomas”, and “The Apocalypse
of Thomas” can be found, but they are not included in our canonized
scriptures today, as they were not considered authoritative. Most commentaries reject Thomas as actually
writing these books. However, these
writings are certainly interesting as they give a great prospective of the
early Christian’s BS, their Belief System,
their “viewpoint” of the Gospel.
Tradition has it that Thomas spread the
Gospel to Parthia and Persia and founded churches as far as Madras India and is
believed to have been buried there.
These is a place near there called “Saint Thomas’ Mount”.
James –
Son of Alphaeus; Leader of Group Three
There
were TWO James among the twelve, this one was the son of
Alphaeus and his mother’s name was Mary; a very common name. [106] James apparently is the brother of Matthew
also called Levi, the Tax Collector.[107] He was known as James “the
younger” or “the less”
or “the little”. He may have been younger, smaller in statue
or less well known than the other James who was “the
son Zebedee”. James’ name
in all the lists and is always mentioned in the ninth position, but is always
listed first in group three, seemingly as the leader. Although very little is known about the
disciples in group three, it must be remembered that they ALL gave up
everything to follow Christ.[108] In obscurity, they tirelessly worked miracles
among the people.[109]
Simon – the Zealot
Simon
or another form “Simeon” which means “hearing.”
There were two Simons in the inner circle of the chosen Twelve. This one is called Simon the
“Zealot” and also was known as “Simon the Canaanite”.[110] He was from the town of Cana, not from the
land of Canaan. The Zealots were
an underground political party; a fanatical Jewish sect that militantly opposed
the Roman domination of Palestine. Some of the members were known as “Sicarii”,
Dagger men, indicative of their tactics.
They were devoted supporters of God and
His laws and secretly engaged in acts of violence, assassinating Roman soldiers
and anyone else that opposed them. They
were opposed to paying taxes to a pagan King, and since Matthew was a tax
collector, Simon would have probably killed him in a heartbeat except for the
miracle of the regeneration of the heart, and now they were brothers in Christ.
The Zealots
hoped for a Messiah that would overthrow the Roman Government and restore the
kingdom to Israel.
Not a lot is known about Simon, but
scripture says, he gave up everything to follow Jesus. He was probably paired with Judas Iscariot,
as they had similar views of an earthly kingdom being ushered in by the awaited
Messiah. Tradition has Simon taking the
Gospel as far north as the British Isles.
The transforming
grace of God molded “the zealous one”
to have zeal on
behalf of the Gospel.
God is still transforming people today.
Judas - Son of James
There
were two Judas’, among the Twelve, this one was the “son”
of James.[111] Some versions of the Bible say he was the “brother”
of James. Judas was a fine name, it
meant “Jehovah leads”, but because
of Judas Iscariot, the name Judas will always carry a negative connotation.
Other writings suggest that he was also
one of the 72 disciples that were sent out in pairs. Judas was also called Thaddaeus as well as Lebbaeus
in the list of the Twelve Disciples.[112] All three names appear spread across the four
lists of the Twelve Disciples.
Lebbaeus means “heart child” and Thaddaeus means
“breast
child”. He was probably the
youngest and most cherished by his mother. It implies a sweet spirited, tender hearted,
compassionate and gentle man. He tenderly
asked Jesus; WHY
will you manifest yourself to us and not the rest of the world? Jesus assured him that He would come to
anyone that loved Him.[113]
Tradition has it that Judas took the Gospel
north to Edessa, Mesopotamia in the region of Turkey. He is said to have healed Agbar, the King of
Edessa.
Judas Iscariot
Judas
Iscariot;
Isc mean
“Man”
of Kerioth
His name appears last in three of
the lists of the Twelve Apostles, with some kind of description that negatively
labels him. His name does not appear at
all in the fourth list which was written after his death.
The name Judas means “Jehovah leads”, he was the son
of a man named Simon and was the only disciple that did not come from Galilee,
but probably came from a small town in South Judea, Kerioth-hezron. He was placed in the high position of “Treasurer”;
in charge of their finances. The scriptures bear out that he embezzled
money from the ministry. He that is
faithful in little will be faithful in much; he failed
[114]
He wanted Rome overthrown by a new
government and planned to force it to happen, causing Jesus to use his powers
improperly. Judas planned and waited for the right “opportunity” to “privately”
betray Christ for which he would receive 30 pieces of silver;
which was only a month’s pay; the price of a slave.[115] When the outcome was not what he thought it
would be; he killed himself.[116]
The Judas Conspiracy or the Sovereignty of God
The
Jews were under oppression from Rome, particularly in the area of heavy
taxation. They were praying for
redemption by a Messiah that would come and set up a kingdom and overthrow
Rome. MOST followers believed that Jesus was that person,
and it would happen soon.
Simon the Zelote was
a member of one of the fanatical groups that would kill a Roman in a heartbeat
and it seems that Judas was also a Zelote at heart.
We can see in the scriptures, James and
John arguing about who would be the greatest in this new earthily political kingdom, so Jesus explained the Spiritual kingdom
to them and they all understood it and received it except for Judas.
Judas believed that an economic militant
kingdom would happen shortly and that Rome would be overthrown and he wanted to
force it to happen right away. Satan
thought he could force Jesus to use His powers improperly. Jesus never used His miracles or powers to
benefit either Himself or his disciples. Judas thought that all the disciples
would be in leadership positions and receive lots of wealth, not realizing that
it was the final reward that was the most important.
Judas is painted, not as spiritual, but as an extremist;
a patriot who was disappointed that Jesus did not lead them into a revolt
against Rome immediately. I can see how
Satan could instill thoughts in Judas, that Jesus was a “FALSE MESSIAH” or else he would
have set up his kingdom. As part of
God’s plan, before Judas was even chosen, Jesus knew that he would betray him. He is the only one that “was
given” to Jesus by the Father that would be lost from Him, and that was so that the scriptures might
be fulfilled.
Judas’ actions were voluntary, being led
by his own heart. God used him in his
plan, seeing the end from the beginning; he was predestined
by his own heart. Judas
Iscariot was a disciple for nearly three years and had the benefit of being
close to the Savior, but was spiritually careless, he did not share Christ’s
Spirit.[117]
Judas at best referred to Jesus as “Rabbi”, never “Lord”. He was politically inclined, looking to Jesus
to deliver them from the oppression of Rome and thus he would be a part of the
new governing authority. He was not from
Galilee as the others were and probably felt as an outsider; therefore he was
jealous of the others; Judeans actually hated the crude people from Galilee
anyway. He had a love of money and most
his comments were about how to get more money into the treasury, so he could
embezzle more. Jealousy, greed, bitterness and disappointment turned into spite;
a plan was hatched.
The Son of Perdition, was never saved,
therefore he was lost. [118]
Up until the very end, Jesus called Judas
“FRIEND”, a term for someone you were in covenant with; Jesus had
just washed his feet.[119] The sin of Judas allowed Satan to enter
into him and take control of his spirit, betraying Christ.
This brings us up to: How could Jesus select someone to be a disciple
who would betray Him?[120] This is known as the
Sovereignty of God; nothing can thwart the plan of God. When the solders asked for Jesus, He stepped
forward and said twice, “I am He”.[121] Already identified, there was no reason for
Judas to identify him with a kiss of betrayal,
but he did anyway. A kiss was adopted as a formal greeting among “believers” and was usually given
on the forehead, cheek or beard.
He planned and waited for a favorable “private”
opportunity for the “Kiss of Death”. Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of Silver,
and then in remorse threw the money back into the Temple. The money was then used to purchase “The Potter’s Field”,
by proxy, for Judas. This would become a
place to bury the poor and strangers; it would belong to Judas’ heirs.
REMORCE: When Judas figured it all out, he wanted
to reverse things and give the money back and when he could not, he killed
himself.[122] His remorse was not; that he had betrayed the
“Son of God”,
but that Rome would not be overthrown and everybody now would hate him for what
he had done and would extract revenge on him.
Forgiveness: Nowhere in scripture can we find that
Judas asked for forgiveness, mercy or deliverance from his sin, but sought
suicide to silence his tormented mind. Reading
the different accounts of his death,
I think he hanged himself from a tree limb which hung over a cliff and the tree
limb broke off and his body fell head long down into the ravine and burst open.
I
have other emotions that say he most probably had “a
little help” coming off that tree. That just my BS; no scripture implied.
Legend has it that the Redbud tree is the
tree that Judas hanged himself on; therefore it is also known as “The Judas Tree.”
The scriptures indicate that Judas went to the “place reserved for him”[123] Ponder that.
NOTE: Jesus
instituted “The
Lords Supper” after Judas was asked to leave the room. The scriptures admonish us to examine ourselves
and confess our sins before we come to His table.[124]
Matthias – The
replacement of Judas Iscariot
After
the betrayal and death of Judas Iscariot, the disciples prayed[125]
and cast lots to fill the position of Judas and the lot fell to Matthias.[126] Now “all of Israel” is symbolically represented
again by the twelve disciples. (Representing the Twelve Tribes)
Another ordinary man was chosen to fill an extra ordinary position.
The Disciples life Sidebar
The Book shares their life
this way; unnamed and obscure people fought the fight, who through faith gained what was promised;
who shut the mouths of lions, and quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped
the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became
powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. They were
tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.
Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in
prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two;
they were put to death by the sword. They
went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated;
the world was not worthy of them. They
wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.[127]
They believed and
never recanted their testimony of Jesus Christ even unto death.
The Take
Away
There were at least Two James, Two Johns, Two Simons, Two
Phillips and Two Judas’ among
the disciples. These were very common
names as that of “Jesus”.
Usually another name was affixed to identify who they were talking
about; similar to a last name.
Sometimes your other name was your
organization or trade or where you were born, or who your father was or your
age or your height. Examples; Jesus of
Nazareth; John son of Zebedee; James the lesser; Simon the Zealot; Phillip the
Evangelist, Matthew the tax collector and John the baptizer.
All twelve of the disciples were from
Galilee except Judas Iscariot. All were
common fishermen or farmers with little education.
NOT OF THE TWELVE
John
the baptizer was a first or second cousin of Jesus; he was 6 months
older – His Father was Zachariah; a priest.
John took the Nazirite Vow and was the last of the Old Testament Prophets
and was the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah; John unknowingly had the spirit of Elijah.
James
the half-brother of Jesus; had three other brothers and became an
apostle when Christ appeared to him after the resurrection. He evangelized his other brothers and was a
leader in church history. He was the
first Bishop at Jerusalem and wrote the book of James.
Jude
had three brothers, James, Joseph and Simon; he was the half-brother of Jesus
and was also called Judas and wrote the book of Jude.
Mark;
also known as John Mark; his cousin was Barnabas and became a disciple when he
was a teenager, but he deserted the Disciples while on a mission; later became a
faithful servant. He was an interpreter
and a scribe for Peter and wrote the Gospel of Mark.
Philip the deacon lived in Caesarea and was one of “the
seven” that helped the widows in the
Church
and was probably one of the 72 that was sent out He had four daughters that prophesied. He is famous for his disappearing
act after baptizing the Ethiopian
Eunuch. He is usually confused with
Phillip the leader of the second group of the 12 disciples.
Paul
born a Jew from Tarsus Cilicia; was a Pharisee, persecuted the Christians, was
a tent maker by trade. Probably 10 years younger than Jesus; became an apostle
on the
Damascus Road after the crucifixion
of Christ. His name was changed from
Saul to Paul and took the Gospel to the Gentiles He is the writer of Romans,
Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians,
Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and probably Hebrews.
Luke
was a doctor and wrote the Gospel of Luke and
the Book of
Acts.
THE TWELVE
APOSTLES
1 Simon’s
name was changed to Peter by Jesus;
he was from Bethsaida, His father’a name was Jonah. He and
his brother Andrew were fishing partners with the brothers James and John and
their father Zebedee, he Spoke Greek and Aramaic and walked on water at least
once. He took his wife on missionary
journeys and was the leader of the first group and spokesman for the
Twelve. He Authored 1st and 2nd Peter.
2 Andrew: His name always appears in group one - Was
born in Bethsaida – He was the brother of Peter – Was the first disciple of
Jesus - He evangelized Peter and took him to meet Jesus – In scriptures he is
seen mostly bringing people to meet Jesus.
3 James
brother of John; both were called the “Sons of Thunder.” There father was Zebedee and were fishing
partner with Peter and Andrew. He was the first to be martyred.
4 John
and James had a fishing business with partners Peter & Andrew. Their mother
was Salome the sister of Mary (The mother of Jesus) James and
John were cousins of Jesus. John is referred to as “The disciple that Jesus loved.” John wrote the Gospel of John and three letters; 1st, 2nd, & 3rd John. He
recorded the book of “Revelation” of Jesus Christ as dictated to him
by God. John outlived all those in the
inner circle of twelve.
5 Philip;
born in Bethsaida and was the leader of the second group of four disciples. His gift was that of organization, and was a
pessimist at heart. He was at first a Disciple of John the Baptist
and it was Jesus that sought him out Philip brought Bartholomew or Nathanial to
meet Jesus. Bartholomew whose name is
probably also Nathanial, was always paired up with Phillip. He was the second to recognize Jesus as the
Messiah, with John the Baptist being the first.
He is seen as a type or symbol of a “true Israelite”; one who “by Faith”
accepts Jesus as the Messiah.
6 Nathanial
is known for saying, “Can any good thing
come out of Nazareth.”
7 Matthew
also known as Levi was a tax collector and was considered the scum of the
earth, but yearned for God in his life. When he had the opportunity, he left it all immediately
to follow Jesus and right away he evangelized his friends to come meet Him. He wrote the Gospel of Matthew.
8 Thomas;
his other name was “Didymus” and was mostly known for doubting the
resurrection of Jesus; “Doubting Thomas.” He was actually unswervingly
loyal and devoted to Christ; we can believe today because he doubted.
9 James
is the son of Alphaeus, his mother’s name is Mary. He is the Brother of Matthew the tax collector
and leader of the third group of four.
10 Simon
known as the Zealot, which was an underground political organization desiring
to militantly over throw the Roman government. They hated paying taxes to a pagan king; Jesus
refocused his zeal for the Gospel.
11 Judas
was the son of a man named James and was one of the 72 disciples sent out and
was known to have a sweet spirit.
12 Judas Iscariot; the son of
Simon. Born in South Judea,
Kerioth-hezron; he is the only disciple that was not from Bethsaida. He was
treasurer of the twelve and embezzled the money from the ministry and betrayed
Jesus. He wound up killing himself and
then was replaced by Matthias.
Although little is known about some of the
Twelve Disciples, we should still remember that they ALL gave up everything to follow
Jesus. We should study their individual talents, flaws and imperfections and
see how God molded them into what He wanted them to be. We would do well to remember that He can use
our imperfections and flaws today.
All we need to do
is just be AVAILABLE.
[1] Luke 2:4-7 – Born in Bethlehem; Raised in Nazareth
[2] Matthew 2:13 – Flight to
Egypt at the age of about Two.
[3] Matthew 2:20 – Came back
to Nazareth at the age of Three
[4] Luke 2:42-43 – Asked
questions in the Temple at Twelve
[5] Luke 3:23 – Jesus starts
His ministry at Thirty
[6] Matthew 13:10-11 – Jesus
taught with Parables; Secret Messages -- Luke
2:49-50 – The Disciples did not always understand.
[7] Matthew 13:54-57 – The
Home Boys took offense at Jesus
[8] Luke 4:28-30 – The town’s
people plotted to Kill Jesus -- Matthew 12:24 – They said His powers must have
come from Satan.
[9] 1 Corenthians 15:6-7–
Jesus appears first to James after His resurrection. -- Acts 1:13-14 –In the
upper room now they all believed -- Romans 8:15-16 – The Holy Spirit moved on
their spirit -- Romans 8:13-14 – The Family
Believed
[10] 1 Corenthians 9:4-5 – The
Brothers had wives that were believers.
[11] Mark 15:40-41 – Many
worked to provide care -- Luke 8:1-3 – Many women gave money to support the
ministry.
[12] Luke 1:36 – John’s Mother
was a first or second cousin of Jesus.
-- Luke 1:40-43 – John and Jesus were born only 6 months apart.
[13] Matthew 3:16 - The Spirit of God
descending on Jesus like a dove- - Mark 1:7-11 – John now knows who
Jesus is as he sees the Holy Spirit descend.
[14] Mark 1:6 – John wore funny itchy clothes and ate bugs
[15] Matthew 11:13-14 – John
was the last of the OT prophets -- Matthew
11:11-15 – John had the spirit of Elijah
[16] John points his followers
to Jesus; says he must decrease and Jesus increase
[17] Acts 19:3-6 – 30 years
later; John’s disciples are still active
[18] Numbers 6:2-12 – A vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite NIV
[19] Mark 1:14 – Jesus begins
His travels after John is thrown in prison
[20] Matthew 4:12-13 – John is
thrown in prison and hears very little of Jesus -- Luke 7:20 – John sends word
to Jesus; Are you the one?
[21] John 20:29 – Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe
[22] Luke 7:22 – Tell John to
look to MY WORKS and
they will testify of the Plan
[23] Acts 8:1-3 – Saul
persecutes the Christians approving prison and death
[24] Acts 7:55-58 – Saul was a
YOUNG man at Stephen’s Death --
1 Corenthians 1:27 - Saul was an unlikely candidate for an Disciple
[25] Acts 13:9 – Jesus changed Saul’s name to Paul
[26] 2 Timothy 1:10-12 – Jesus
appointed Paul an apostle and teacher of the Gospel -- Acts 9:15-16 – God
chooses Saul as His instrument to carry the Gospel -- Romans 11:13-14 – Paul
was appointed an Apostle to the Gentiles --1 Timothy 2:7 Paul was appointed a
herald of the Gospel and an apostle
[27] 2 Corenthians 12:2-4 – Paul caught up to heaven and Taught by Christ -- 2
Peter 3:15 – The Twelve Disciples endorse Paul’s authority
[28] 1 Corenthians 15:8 – Paul felt he was an Apostle born out of due time
[29] 1 Thessalonians 2:9 –
Paul worked at his trade so he would not be a burden to anyone -- 2 Corenthians
12:14 – Paul supported himself, he wanted them, not
their possessions
[30] Acts 12:11-13 – Mary was
the mother of John Mark
[31] Colossians 4:10 – Mark’s
cousin was Barnabas
[32] Philemon 23-24 – Mark a
fellow worker in spreading the Gospel
[33] Acts 15:36-39 – Mark
screws up; sharp disagreement with Paul
[34] Acts 13:5 – Mark was in
training as a helper in proclaiming the Word
[35] 2 Timothy 4:11-12 –
Things change; Paul invites Mark to help -- Colossians 4:10 – Mark spends time
with Paul & comforts him
[36] 1 Peter 5:12-13 – Peter
considers Mark as his son; also considered Rome as “Babylon”
[37] Mark 6:3 – Judas; Jude a half-brother of Jesus
[38] Matthew 13:55 – James, a half-brother of Jesus
[39] 1 Corenthians 15:6-7 –
Jesus appears to James after His resurrection
[40] Galatians 2:8-10 – James
becomes a pillar and leader to the Jews. -- Acts 21:18 – James, a leader in the
early church
[41] James 1:1 – James, the
writer of the book of James
[42] Acts 21:8 – Philips home
was in Caesarea -- Acts 6:3-4 – Phillip; One of the Seven Deacons -- Acts 6:5-6
– Phillip along with Stephen was part of the seven chosen deacons
[43] Acts 8:6-8 – Phillip
operated in the same gifts as the Twelve
[44] Acts 6:2 – The needs of
the Church was impeding the ministry.
[45] Acts 21:9 – Phillip had
four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
[46] Acts 1:8 – Phillip was
commissioned by the Holy Spirit to be a witness
[47] Acts 8:39-40 – Phillip
was transported through the fourth dimension
[48] Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved doctor
[49] John 1:35-44 – John the
Baptist directs his disciples to Jesus
[50] John 1:41 – Andrew told Simon Peter; we have found the Messiah
[51] Luke 5:10 – Andrew,
Peter, James and John; All fishin’ buddies, partners
[52] Matthew 27:55-56 - Salome was Mary’s sister -- Mark 15:40-41 – Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and Salome
watched from a distance -- John 19:25 – Mary’s sister was present, seems to be
Salome -- Mark 16:1 – Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and Salome
brought spices
[53] Matthew 4:18-20 – Peter
and Andrew called full time and followed Jesus-- Mark 1:19-20- James and John
called full time and followed Jesus drew called full time and they followed Him
-- Luke 5:11 – The got Out in their boats and left everything
[54] Mark 3:5-6 – The teachers
of the Law plot to kill Jesus
[55] Luke 6:12 – In those
trying days, Jesus withdrew to pray -- Luke 6:12 – It came to pass that He
continued in prayer all night
[56] John 6:10 – There were
thousands of followers -- Luke 6:12-13 – Jesus was consistently in Prayer; Day
and Night -- Matthew 10:1-4 – He called the twelve and gave them authority --
Mark 6:7 – Jesus sent the twelve out in pairs. -- John 15:15-16 – Jesus did the
choosing of the twelve, they did not choose Him
[57] Mark 3:13-15 – The call
went out and Jesus appointed twelve --1 Corenthians 1:26-30 – Not many chose
are wise or noble.
[58] Luke 24:25 – The
disciples were Spiritually Slow
[59] 1 Corenthians 1:27 God
uses weak, available people
[60] Acts 4:13 – They are
ignorant men, but, just listen to them!
[61] Luke 10:1-2 – Then he
sends out 72 more disciples (72 = base 12) -- Acts 1:15 – Then 120 disciples (The number of Priestly Government - base 12 multiple)
-- Acts 2:40-41 – Then 3000 more accepted the message
[62] 1 Corenthians 3:22 –
Peter is mentioned by his nickname Cephas the Rock -- 1 Corenthians 1:12 –
Cephas; Peter is consider a leader -- 1 Corenthians 9:5 – Cephas; Peter had a
believing wife
[63] 1 Corenthians 9:4-5 – Cephas-(Peter) took
his wife with him -- Luke 4:38-39 – Simon Peter had a Mother in Law
[64] Mark 1:21 – Peter’s home
was in Capernaum -- Mark 1:29 – Simon Peter shared a home with his brother
Andrew -- John 1:44 – Peter probably born in Bethsaida
[65] Matthew 16:15-16 – Simon
Peter recognizes Jesus is the Christ. -- Matthew 16:16-18 – Simon Bar-Jona is
Peter who believed Jesus is the Son of God
[66] Matthew 10:2 – Simon
Peter is pronounced their leader. -- Galatians 2:9 – Cephas; Peter is a pillar
of the church
[67] Luke 6:14 – Jesus gave
Simon the name Peter
[68] 1 Corenthians 3:22 –
Peter is mentioned by his nickname Cephas the Rock -- 1 Corenthians 1:12 –
Cephas; Peter is consider a leader
[69] Matthew 14:29-30 – Peter
Walks on Water
[70] Mark 9:2 – Peter sees
Jesus transfigured along with James and John
[71] Luke 22:31- Satan is
after Peter and wants to sift him as wheat
[72] John 21:3 - Peter denied
Jesus three times and decided to go fishing -- John 21:17 – Jesus asked Peter
three times; do you love me.
[73] Mark 6:7 – The disciples
are sent out in teams of two
[74] John 1:40-41 – Andrew
brings Peter to Jesus -- John 12:20-22 – Philip brings people to Andrew to take
to Jesus -- John 6:8-9 – Andrew brings the boy with two sardines to Jesus
[75] Mark 3:16-17 – James and
John called Sons of Thunder
[76] Luke 9:54-55 – Hey; let’s
rain down FIRE on their heads
[77] Romans 10:2 – Zeal needs
to be fortified with knowledge.
[78] Mark 9:2 – James sees
Jesus transfigured.
[79] Mark 15:40 – Salome,
James’ mother is Mary’s Sister. -- John 19:25 – Mary of Nazareth’s sister was
present, seems to be Salome
[80] Acts 12:1-3 – King Herod
kills James the brother of John
[81] John 1:38-39 – John
remembers following Jesus; it was about 4 o’clock
[82] John 13:22-23 – The
disciple whom Jesus loved reclined next to Him -- John 20:1-2 – She ran to
John, the disciple that Jesus Loved -- John 21:7 - The disciple whom Jesus
loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord -- John 21:20 – John, the disciple
whom Jesus loved
[83] John 19:25-27 – John is
at the crucifixion, sees Jesus’ mother Mary
[84] John 19:27 – Jesus said
to John, Behold thy mother
[85] Revelation 1:9 – From the
Mouth of God to the pen of John
[86] Mark 1:29-30- The inner
circle; Peter, James and John -- Mark 5:37
- The inner circle; Peter, James and John -- Mark 9:2 – The inner circle;
Peter, James and John -- Mark 13:3 - The inner circle; Peter, James and John --
Mark 14:33 - The inner circle; Peter, James and John -- Matthew 17:1 - The
inner circle; Peter, James and John -- Luke 8:51 - The inner circle; Peter,
James and John -- Luke 9:28 - The inner circle; Peter, James and John
[87] John 1:44 – Phillip was
from Bethsaida
[88] John 21:1-3 – Phillip was
probably also a fisherman
[89] John 1:43 – Jesus sought
out Philip -- John 15:16 – Jesus does the choosing of Phillip -- John 6:43-44 –
No one comes unless the Father draws them. -- John 6:36-37 – The father
predestined Phillip to come to Jesus
[90] John 6:5 – Philip took
control and in charge of the crowd. -- John 12:21-22 – Phillip, in charge;
delegating -- John 6:7 – Phillip; A little pragmatic, already counted their
heads
[91] John 21:2 – Nathanael was
from Cana
[92] John 1:45 – Phillip told Nathanael or Bartholomew he had found the Messiah
[93] John 1:46 – Nathanael is
not sure about “Messiah coming out of Nazareth” -- John 7:52 – No prophet ever
came out of Galilee -- Micah 5:2 – Prophecy; The Messiah would come from
Bethlehem
[94] John 1:49 – Nathanael
confesses Jesus is the Messiah
[95] John 1:47 – John 21:1-2 –
Jesus appears to Nathanael after the resurrection.
[96] John 1:47 – Jesus says
Nathanael symbolizes a true Israelite.
[97] Mark 2:14 –Matthew Levi
was the son of Alphaeus
[98] Matthew 9:9 – Matthew was
a Tax Collector -- Matthew 21:32 – Tax Collectors were on the same level as a
whore.
[99] Matthew 9:10-11 – Matthew
brought his sinner friends to meet Jesus.
[100] Luke 19:1-10 – The Chief
Tax Collector Zacchaeus found forgiveness.
[101] John 11:16 – Devotion was
Thomas’ true character.
[102] John 14:2-5 – Thomas
can’t figure out how to get to his Lord if separated.
[103] John 20:24-28 – Everyone
had seen the resurrected Christ except Thomas
[104] Mark 16:9-11 – NONE of the
disciples believed the resurrection at first. -- Mark 16:12-13 – TWICE they didn’t
believe Jesus’ resurrection
[105] John 20:29 – A special blessing for those believing, but not seeing
[106] Matthew 10:2-3 – James
was the Son of Alphaeus -- Mark 15:40-41 – James’ mother’s name was Mary
[107] Mark 2:14 – James’
brother was Levi (Matthew)
[108] Luke 18:28 – James left
everything he had to follow Jesus
[109] 2 Corenthians 12:11-12 –
James worked miracles among the people
[110] Luke 6:15 – Simon called
the Zealot -- Mark 3:18 – Simon called the Canaanite
[111] Matthew 10:3-4 – Judas
was the Son of James
[112] Matthew 10:3 – James is
also called Lebbaeus and Thaddaeus.
[113] Matthew 10:3 – John
14:22-23 – Judas asks a tender question.
[114] Matthew 19:27 – We left
everything to follow your, what’s in it for us? -- Luke 18:29-30 – You will
receive in this age and the age to come -- John 12:5-6 - He was in charge of
their finances – an embezzler. -- Matthew 25:23 – Whoever is faithful in little
will be faithful in much -- Ephesians 1:11-12 – The condition of their heart
was known; thus predestined. -- John 13:10-11 – Jesus had just washed -- Judas’
feet before he betrayed Him -- John 6:64 - Jesus knew Judas would betray Him --
John 13:25-27 – Lord, who is it that is going to betray you? -- Matthew
26:23-25 – Jesus told Judas; YES it is you. --
John 13:2 – Satan tricks Judas
[115] Matthew 26:14-16 – What
will you give me to betray Jesus; 30 pieces of silver -- 1 Timothy 6:10 – The
love of money is the root of all evil.-- Exodus 21:31-32 – The betrayal; price of a slave, 30 pieces of silver --
Zechariah 11:12-13 –The price of treachery is foretold by the prophets -- Matthew
27:6-8 – Bought the Field of Blood -- Matthew 27:9-10 – The potter’s field to
bury the poor was purchased with the blood money
[116] Matthew 27:3-5 – Judas
realizes he has been duped and kills himself -- Acts 1:18-19 – Tree Limb broke
and he fell headlong; Maybe; Just saying Luke 22:21-23 – Woe to the man that betrays
the Son of God -- Mark 14:21 – It would be better for Judas if he had not been
born.
[117] John 6:53-67 – Many
disciples did not understand and left Jesus
[118] Romans 8:9-10 – Judas did
not belong to Christ
[119] Psalms 55:12-14 – Jesus
laments about His FRIEND
Judas
[120] John 17:12 – Judas was
predestined to fulfill the scriptures -- Psalms 41:9 – Betrayal; Old Testament
Prophecy -- John 13:18 – Jesus quotes the prophets on His betrayal and death
[121] John 18:4-9 – Jesus
stepped forward and said I AM He
who you seek.
[122] Matthew 27:3-4 – Judas
figures it out; it’s all over
[123] Acts 1:25- Judas went
to his own place
[124] 1 Corenthians 11:27-29 – Examine yourself
before taking communion.
[125] Acts 1:24-26 – Prayer for a replacement for
Judas
[126] Psalms 109:8 – Prophecy; another is to take
his place. -- Acts 1:16-17 – The scriptures HAD TO BE FULFILLED. -- Acts 1:20 – May another take his place of
leadership
[127] Hebrews 11:33-38 – Unnamed and obscure people
fought the fight
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