Lesson for February 10, 2021
The Life of Christ
Lesson 8
The Calling of His First Disciples
After the temptation of Jesus by Satan, He began a ministry that would last about three years. One significant event was the calling of His first disciples, who would become apostles in the Church Age, with the exception of Judas who betrayed Jesus and hung himself. Jesus chose twelve men to be His followers, His companions, His students and the apostles to Israel. These and other disciples (with the exception of Judas) would be responsible for “turning the world upside down” for the Gospel of Christ. (Matthew 10:1,6; Mark 3:13; Luke 6:13; Acts 17:6)
Contrary to popular belief, the disciples of Jesus Christ were not a bunch of misfits, poverty-stricken “nobodies.” Many of these men were business owners and professionals. A number of these men were literate enough to become authors of New Testament books. Jesus chose His followers well, knowing the task that laid ahead for them.
The word for disciple in Greek is “mathetes” and means a learner or one who follows the teaching of another. Its Greek root word math means a thought accompanied by an endeavor. As we will see, when Jesus called these men to follow Him, they began immediately. They put thought with action.
The twelve that Jesus chose as the apostles were given special divine powers to heal the sick, cast out demons, speak in languages that they had not previously learned and more. (Acts 5:15; 16:16-18; 19:11-12; 28:8-9) All of these powers were for one collective reason (though there were other side benefits) and that was to establish their authority as messengers from God. (Mark 16:20) Matthew 10 gives us a list of these twelve disciples:
- Simon Peter – His name means rock or pebble. He was a fisherman and worked in his family’s business-like Andrew, James and John. The Church was not founded upon Peter, but on the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings (Bible doctrine). However, Peter did play a very important role in the foundation of the Early Church. He was part of the inner circle of Christ and though he was hotheaded and emotional, he proved his love for Christ many times. Many remember only his denial and abandonment of Christ through the trials and crucifixion. But Peter recovered from this in a big way, becoming a leading apostle in the early Church. (Matthew 17:4; 26:35; John 21:15-17)
- Andrew (Peter’s brother) – Andrew was a quiet but strong apostle. He led his brother Peter to meet Christ. He apparently returned to his fishing business at some point and was called again by Christ upon His return to Galilee. Significant facts about Andrew are that he was at the feeding of the five thousand and found the boy with the fish and loaves, and he was included with the inner circle at the Mount of Olives during the last week of Christ’s life. (John 1:40-42, 6:8-9; Mark 1:14-18, 13:1-3)
- James the son of Zebedee – James like his brother John was a fisherman in the family business. He was also part of the inner circle of Christ. He was present at many important events in the life of Christ. James was the first of the apostles to die for his faith. (Acts 12:2; Mark 8:5, 9:2, 13:3, 14:33, 26:37; Luke 5:37, 9:28; Matthew 17:1, 26:37)
- John – He was James’ brother and writer of the books of John, I, II, III John and Revelation. John and James worked as fishermen in the family business. The business had employees and was financially able to support the ministry of Jesus. This was not a poverty-stricken family. John was a native of Galilee. John and his brother James were called “The Sons of Thunder,” most likely because of their outspoken nature. John was one of those in the inner circle of Christ and a major force in the early church. He was the only disciple to witness the death of Christ, as far as we know. He also witnessed the Resurrection. He spent time in Ephesus (perhaps as it’s pastor), which became the center of Christianity at the time. (Mark 3:17; John 20; Galatians 2:9)
- Philip – He was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip was a natural sceptic and practical thinker. But Philip was a great evangelist and defender of the faith. He described Christ as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, showing that he understood that Jesus was the Messiah. (John 1:45-46, 6:4-7, 14:6-11)
- Bartholomew (Nathanael) –He was a man from Ptolemais, a city on the coast of Palestine. Christ called him “a real Israelite in whom is no guile.” The word in Greek for guile is dolos and means deceit. This apostle was a man of integrity, but was skeptical when he first heard of Jesus, but soon came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. (John 1:45-51)
- Thomas – His name means twin, though there is no mention of a sibling in the Scriptures. Thomas is best known as the doubter. After the resurrection of Christ, Thomas found it necessary to put his hands in the scars of crucifixion to verify that Jesus had really risen. His statements before and after the death of Christ show his lack of understanding of the purpose for which Christ had come. Jesus convinced him when He allowed Thomas to feel His scars. (John 11:14-16, 14:1-5, 20:24-29)
- Matthew (Levi) – He was a Jewish tax collector, who left all to follow Christ. As a tax collector, Matthew was hated by most Jews because tax collectors typically overcharged and kept the difference. Matthew was most likely very wealthy. He was the author of the book of Matthew. (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27-29)
- James the son of Alphaeus (Cleopas) – He was a cousin of Christ, his mother being the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus. He is the writer of the Book of James. He is the father of Jude, a New Testament writer, which gives an insight into the family that he raised. His father is one of the men on the road to Emmaus who Jesus encountered after His resurrection. It seems that this was a family of believers. (John 19:25)
- Labbaeus, Thaddaeus or Judas – This apostle was called by several names and they all refer to the same person in Scripture. Very little is known about him, but we do have a revealing statement from him in John 14:22-24. Though he may have lacked understanding of all that was about to take place (the death of Christ), he was interested enough in what was going on to ask.
- Simon the Cannanite (also known as the Zealot) – This is another apostle that we know little about. The fact that he is called the Zealot may indicate that he had come out of a political movement prominent at that time. (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18)
- Judas Iscariot – He was the apostle who betrayed Christ in fulfillment of prophesy. He was the treasurer of Christ and His disciples and a thief. He was concerned little about Christ. He was obviously demon-possessed and used by Satan to try to kill Jesus before He could go to the Cross. Judas is said to have a “change of heart” after He realized what he has done in betraying Christ. Whether or not he became a believer at this point is impossible to say but does not seem likely. (Matthew 27:3-5; Luke 22:3; John 13:27; Acts 1:15-18)
On the Day of Pentecost, when the Church Age began, these eleven apostles to Israel (Judas having hanged himself) became the apostles to the Church. Later Paul became the twelfth apostle by divine appointment. (I Corinthians 9:1-2, 15:8-10; Galatians 1:11-2:14; II Timothy 1:11)
The Gift of Apostleship
The word for apostle in Greek is apostolos and means to send forth. During the early years, while the Church was being established and the Canon of Scripture was being completed, the gift of apostleship was of great importance. Absolute apostolic authority extended over all the churches and God used these gifted men to establish churches and train pastor/teachers until the ultimate authority, the Bible was completed. When an apostle died, his gift died with him. John was the last apostle and he died between 96 and 100 A.D. (I Corinthians 12:28-29) There were a few others during the pre-canon period that were appointed apostles by God. They include Silas, Timothy, Apollos, Barnabas and James the half brother of Jesus (writer of the book of James).
Today no one has the right to exercise authority over more than one church. One male pastor/teacher for one local church is the rule for today. The gift of apostleship has ceased, and no one today has or will ever have this gift. The final authority over the Church (the Body of Christ) is Jesus Christ and the Word of God. (I Corinthians 13:10; I Peter 5:1-4)