07-31-2022 – “Jesus Calls the Twelve: Part Two”
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July 31, 2022
“Jesus Calls the Twelve: Part Two”
Luke 6:12-16
Last week we studied about six of the Twelve Disciples, whom
Jesus named as apostles: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and
Bartholomew. Today we will study about five more of the Twelve
Disciples: Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who
is called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
Next time we will study about Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
Read Luke 6:15-16…
15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and
Simon who was called the Zealot;
16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a
traitor.
The first apostle in our list today is Matthew. We read about his calling in
Luke 5:27,
27 After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi
sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”
where he is called Levi, using his Hebrew name, as does
Mark 2:14;
14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in
the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up
and followed Him.
but here in
Luke 6:15
15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and
Simon who was called the Zealot;
he is called Matthew, his Greek name. Several of the
Twelve had two names, e.g., Simon>Peter;
Bartholomew>Nathanael; Judas, the son of
James>Thaddaeus; Thomas>Didymus.
Matthew, as a tax collector, would have been hated by his
own countrymen the Jews, who would have considered
him an enemy of Judaism; tax collectors weren’t allowed to
worship in the Temple or synagogue, nor were they
permitted to testify in court, for the Jews considered them
to be liars, swindlers, and traitors.
See Luke 3:12-13,
12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they
said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have
been ordered to.”
where people were coming out to John the Baptizer at the
Jordan River, “And some tax collectors also came to be
baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we
do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you
have been ordered to.” You see, Tax collectors bought a
franchise from the Roman Governor, in order to collect
certain taxes (for many different things) for Rome.
Anything the tax collector was able to get above what was
required to be paid to Rome, he could keep for himself;
therefore tax collectors practiced extortion, larceny, and
loan sharking (loaning out money with very high interest
rates), of which nonpayment ended with prison.
When Jesus called Matthew, he obeyed and followed Him;
in fact, Matthew was so excited to follow Christ that
(cf. Luke 5:29)
29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there
was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were
reclining at the table with them.
he held a special dinner at his house and invited his friends
to come and meet Jesus. There were many tax collectors
and “other people” at that dinner, to which the Pharisees
and scribers complained to Jesus’ disciples
(Luke 5:30),
30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His
disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax
collectors and sinners?”
30 Why does your teacher [Jesus] eat with tax collectors and
‘sinners’?
The word “sinner” is used by the Pharisees of anyone who
refuses to follow the Mosaic Law as it was interpreted by
the Pharisees, and for Jesus to sit at a table (in the ancient
world a sign of intimacy) with such “sinners” was too
much for the Pharisees (the teachers of the law) to keep
quiet about.
Jesus responds to them
(Luke 5:31-32),
31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are
well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance.”
In Luke 18, Jesus told the people a parable that illustrates what
He means in
Luke 5:31-32
31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are
well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance.”
means
(Luke 18:10-11,
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and
the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I
thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
Luke 18:13-15),
13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even
unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the
other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he
who humbles himself will be exalted.”
15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He
would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began
rebuking them.
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and
the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this
to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people:
swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” “But
the tax collector, standing some distance away, was [not] even
[willing] to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”
When Matthew left his profession to follow Christ, unlike
the other disciples who could have returned to fishing or
farming, Matthew could never return to tax collecting, for
Rome would never allow it, and most likely, Matthew
would be arrested and sent to prison for abandoning his
post as a Tax Collector for Rome.
Matthew believed in Jesus as the Messiah and followed
Him for three years; and then after receiving the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost, Matthew was sovereignly equipped and
moved to write twenty-eight chapters about the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords, this is the Good News of Jesus
Christ according to Matthew.
Next in this list is Thomas,
who it is often called the “doubting” disciple; but honestly, that is
just not true
(see John 10:22-33;
22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at
Jerusalem;
23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the
portico of Solomon.
24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him,
“How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell
us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the
works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.
26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me;
28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and
no one will snatch them out of My hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and
no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.
32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from
the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”
33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone
You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make
Yourself out to be God.”
John 11:1-16).
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of
Mary and her sister Martha.
2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and
wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he
whom You love is sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end
in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be
glorified by it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days
longer in the place where He was.
7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea
again.”
8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now
seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If
anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees
the light of this world.
10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the
light is not in him.”
11 This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend
Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out
of sleep.”
12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep,
he will recover.”
13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He
was speaking of literal sleep.
14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you
may believe; but let us go to him.”
16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow
disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
Bethany was near Jerusalem, a dangerous place for Jesus
to be at that time, nearing His final entry into Jerusalem,
when He would be arrested and crucified. Thomas (called
Didymus, meaning twin) understood the danger, and yet
he was willing to go with Jesus even if it meant his own
death, he was not a coward!
When the disciples were in the upper room, that last night
with Jesus, before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus
explained that He was going to leave them
(John 14:1-7);
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also
in Me.
2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not
so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And you know the way where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are
going, how do we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no
one comes to the Father but through Me.
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
Thomas feared he would not be able to go where Jesus
was going, and he did not want to be separated from the
Lord.
Just before going to Bethany (as we read earlier), Thomas
declared he was willing to die with Jesus, he doesn’t want
to consider being without Him; but Thomas, like the other
disciples, didn’t understand about Jesus‘ death and
resurrection, let alone His return to the Father in heaven.
After Jesus’ death, Thomas was broken hearted and
probably feeling abandoned, because His Lord was gone.
When 10 of the Twelve (Judas being dead) told Thomas
that the Lord had appeared to them it was probably more
than he could bear; he said he wouldn’t believe it until he
saw the Lord for himself.
One week later Jesus again appeared to the 10, and this
time Thomas was present and he genuinely believed that
the Lord had risen from the dead
(see John 20:19-29).
19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,
and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear
of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to
them, “Peace be with you.”
20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands
and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father
has sent Me, I also send you.”
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to
them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven
them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with
them when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the
Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint
of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put
my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas
with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in
their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and
see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side;
and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you
believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
Without the resurrection we would have no hope for
salvation, but He did rise from the dead, as Paul repeatedly
declares
(see 1Corinthians 15:17-20).
are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have
perished.
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men
most to be pitied.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.
Next in our list is James, son of Alphaeus,
who never said anything or wrote anything, that is
recorded in the Bible.
In Mark 15:40
40 There were also some women looking on from a distance,
among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James the Less and Joses, and Salome.
he is called James the less [mikros, i.e., smaller or minimal
in stature, age or influence]. This reminds us that Jesus
didn’t call prominent, prestigious, or powerful men to
serve Him, He chose those who would follow; and so James
the less will sit on a throne reigning over one of the tribes
of Israel in the millennium, just as the other Apostles will;
not because of who they were but because of who called
them and set them apart: Jesus Christ the Lord Who uses
ordinary people to do extraordinary things
(cf. Hebrews 11:1-40, Hall of Faith).
Next in this list is Simon, the Zealot...
Simon is only mentioned in the New Testament, where the names
of the disciples are listed, other than the, there is no information
given about him.
We do know that, as a Zealot, he was an activist and militant
extremist who was passionate and zealous for the Law of God for
Israel, until he met and followed Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
There were several dominant groups within Judaism at the
time of Christ:
The Pharisees [separated ones], were religiously pious
fundamentalists, legalistic separatists, keeping strict observance
to the traditional and written law
The Herodians were mostly a political group that supported King
Herod Antipas, the Roman Empire’s ruler over much of the land of
the Jews from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39.
The Sadducees, were a powerful religious-political group in
Israel; they confronted Jesus, and later opposed the preaching of
the apostles.
The Essenes were mystics, who lived in caves and practiced
severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence.
The Zealots [like Simon] were anti-Rome terrorists; in fact, one
group of zealots was known as the Sicarii [sword]; they were
assassins who didn’t give a thought to murdering a Roman, or
any Jew who sided with Rome.
The Zealots held up in a an almost impenetrable fortress
called Masada, situated on top of an isolated rock plateau
overlooking the Dead Sea. From there they deployed their
guerrilla-warfare against Rome, until the Romans
conquered Masada in 73 A.D., only to find that the Zealots
had killed their wives, children, and then themselves, so as
not to become slaves to Rome (960 died, and it is said that
two women and five children escaped by hiding in a cave).
Next in our list is Judas, the son of James…
Depending on the translation you are using, it may say
Thaddaeus, Lebbaeus, Lebbaeus called Thaddaeus, or Judas, son
of James. Let’s refer to him as Thaddaeus, from here on out, so
as not to confuse him with the other Judas who betrayed Jesus.
We don’t know much about Thaddaeus, but we do know he
asked a great question
(John 14:22),
22 Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose
Yourself to us and not to the world?
In other words, why are you showing Yourself to us and
not to the rest of the world? Why aren’t they able to see
and to know that You are the Messiah?
The Bible records
(John 1:10-11),
10 He [Jesus, the Messiah] was in the world, and though the
world was made by Him, the world didn’t know Him.
11 He came to His own [the Jews], and those who were His own
did not receive Him [i.e., they rejected Him].
Jesus only reveals Himself to those who believe in and
receive Him; only those who are willing to repent, believe,
and follow Him
(Mark 1:14-15),
14Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel [the good news].’ [and
then come]
Mark 1:17,
“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
What is the good news? Please turn in your Bible to
1Corinthians 15:1-4,
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which also you
stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I
preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important
event in all of Christianity, without it Christianity is nothing
more than just one of the many religious programs or
organizations that are based on human philosophy and
tradition.
1Corinthians 15:17,
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you
are still in your sins.
1Corinthians 15:20,
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you
are still in your sins,”
1Corinthians 15:19-20,
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men
most to be pitied.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.
Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples about His coming
death and resurrection,
(Mark 8:31-32),
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer
many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests
and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him
aside and began to rebuke Him.
Peter’s first sermon was about the death and resurrection
of God’s Son
(Acts 2:21-24,
21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME
OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a
man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs
which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you
yourselves know--
23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and
foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of
godless men and put Him to death.
24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of
death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Acts 2:32-34,
32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and
having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He
has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself
says:
‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
Acts 2:36).
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God
has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you
crucified.”
Without Christ’s death (full payment for all our sins), and
His resurrection (demonstration of eternal life), we have
no hope of forgiveness or eternal life.
Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave to set us
free from sins’s curse and condemnation, apart from that
there is no salvation
(John 14:6),
6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father but through Me,”
(John 3:16),
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life.
Acts 4:12,
12 There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men by which we must
be saved.
Romans 10:9-10,
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation.
We are all sinners, but only those who trust in the saving
work of Christ on the Cross and the evidence of the empty
tomb, are forgiven sinners. Like the men we have studied
these past two Sunday’s, the Apostles of Christ, what you
are before coming to God is not important, for God makes
you a new creation when you trust and believe in Jesus
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.
God takes the weak, foolish, dull-minded, intelligent,
apathetic, zealous, and the seemingly insignificant from
among mankind, and turns them into willing workers,
supernatural servants who bring the light and the salt of
the gospel of God into this darkening and decaying world.
2Corinthians 5:17,
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Galatians 2:20,
20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up
for me.
1John 5:1-5,
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love
God and observe His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;
and His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is
the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.
5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God?
Pastor Mike
>’(((><