He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. Mark 3:14-15 ( Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:7-19, Luke 6:12-16)
The word apostle means messenger. After a long night in prayer, Jesus chose twelve men from His many followers to be His inner circle. They were the founding members of the New Kingdom, and their training was a vital part of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Spreading the Good News that Jesus is the Messiah and your sins can be forgiven was their task. Representative of the twelve tribes of Israel, no single one was from a religious establishment. They were everyday men, with everyday jobs and individual personalities, but they came together with one heart, one mind, one mission, God’s plan. Jesus warned them to expect hardship and frosty receptions, but to fear none for God will take care!
Peter and Andrew were brothers and owned a fishing partnership with James and John. This quartet was specially close to Jesus. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, but very quickly Peter, so named by Jesus, became the group’s leader. James and John were known as the Sons of Thunders. They had stormy personalities and were passionate about the mission and Love of Jesus. James was the first of the twelve to be martyred. Matthew was a tax collector, a Jew who worked for Rome and was hated by his fellow countrymen. Following his call, Jesus sat down to a meal with him and his many outcast friends.
Simon, a zealot, felt strongly that Palestine should free itself from Rome and had a nationalist, guerrilla warfare mentality. His ideology changed. The first to do the math when Jesus told His disciples to get enough food to feed 5,000 people was Philip. Ever practical, his quick finance was not a problem with God. Nathaniel and Thomas were both known for their skepticism. Grace was certainly a game changer as they found and followed a man they did not understand but trusted anyway. Finally, Judas, Jesus’ treasurer stole regularly from the poor, but Jesus knew His role in prophecy and sacrifice and stayed the course.
These were not the honor graduates of Jerusalem Seminary. Jesus gave them credentials because of an eagerness to become what God demanded they be, and a willingness to take up His cross, go forward into the unknown and see it through with nothing but an invincible hope and steadfast faith. Spoiler alert! It was enough!
Love,
Gretchen