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Jesus and His Disciples I. The
Apostles a. What is an apostle? i. The word means, "One sent". ii.
The term is used in other books of the
N.T. not only to refer to the 12 disciples that accompanied Jesus, but
also to some who worked as missionaries. b. In this lesson the term is used to refer to
the 12 intimate disciples of Jesus c. Who were they? i. There are 4 lists: 1. Matthew 10:2-4 2. Mark 3:16-19 3. Luke 6:14-16 4. Acts 1:13 ii. See the following page with a table
representing the 4 lists. d. General Observations i. Among the 12 there were 3 pair of
brothers: Simon (Peter) and Andrew; James
and John; James, the son of
Alphaeus, and Judas (Thaddaeus). ii. There were 3 pairs who had the same names:
Simon, Judas, and James iv. All were
from Galilee except Judas Iscariot who was from Kerioth, a town in Judea. iv. All were
from Galilee except Judas Iscariot who was from Kerioth, a town in Judea. v. The number of apostles corresponds to the
12 tribes of Israel – Matthew 19:28 e. The calling (naming) of the 12 and some
characteristics i. According to Mark 3:13-15, it is possible
to say that they were chosen principally for 3 reasons: 1. To accompany Jesus – fellowship and
discipleship 2. To preach the message 3. To drive out demons 9 heal – see Mt. 10:1 ii. Their former occupations: 1. According to Mt. 4:18-22, Peter, Andrew,
James and John were fisherman. 2. Matthew 9:9-13 says that Levi (Matthew) was
a tax collector. 3. There is no mention as to what the others
did. iii. They suffered for Christ 1. James, son of Zebedee, was killed by Herod
– Acts 12:1 2. John probably died in exile on the Isle of
Patmos – Rev. 1:9 3. Several, if not all, were jailed at one
time or another – see Acts 3-4 4. According to tradition, all died as martyrs
for their faith. f. In summary, the apostles were generally
men without much education and without much money. They were told to
make other disciples in all parts of the world, teaching these others all
that the Lord Jesus had taught to them, and
to testify to God's power and to the resurrected Jesus. They were very different from each other,
but God used
them (except for Judas Iscariot) because of their spirit of sacrifice,
dedication, and faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. The
Twelve Apostles
II. Other
disciples (the word means "student" or "follower"). a. Jesus had many other disciples besides the
12 called the Apostles. Jesus said on
one occasion that whoever was not
with him was therefore against Him (Lk. 11:23). In other words, there was no other option (nor is there today),
one
either is a follower of Jesus, supporting Him in every way, or he is against
Jesus, undermining everything for which
Jesus stands. b. During the time in which Jesus walked upon
this earth, it appears that many, if not most, of His disciples accompanied
Him on His journeys, committed to His teaching and message. i. Among the disciples wee found several
women – Lk. 8:2; 23:49; Mary,
Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna were
three of them. ii. John 6:66 tells us that many of those that
had followed Jesus left him apparently because his teachings became difficult
to accept and due to what Jesus expected in terms of commitment from a true
disciple. c. Jesus' requirements of a true
disciple: Although there were many
that only half-heartedly followed Jesus for a time, of
those that truly wanted to be disciples, Jesus required much more. i. Absolute faithfulness to follow him at all
times _ Lk. 14:25-33; Lk. 9:57-62 ii. The need to put Jesus and his demands in
first place no matter what the cost might be. iii. Every disciple of Jesus was taught by him
and had the responsibility of sharing the message of Jesus with others.
See Luke 12:1-12. Lesson 5 Questions Jesus and His Disciples 1. There were
at least 3 apostles that were fishermen.
Who were they? 2. What does
the word "apostle" mean? 3. Who were
the 3 pair of brothers among the 12 apostles? 4. For what 3
reasons were the 12 chosen? 5. True or
False a.______The
tax collector among the 12 was named Matthew. b.______All
the apostles were from Galilee. c.______The
list of the 12 found in Matthew is completely different from the list found
in John. d.______In
the N.T. the word "apostle" is used also to refer to missionaries. e.______Generally
the 12 were very educated men. f.______The
12 lived a life without many problems and almost always died naturally at an
old age. g.______The
12 generally worked as preachers in established churches never traveling much
outside their own towns. h._____God
could use the 12 because they were so much alike in every way. i._____The
only disciples Jesus had were the 12. j._____There
were no women who were disciples of Jesus. k._____The
majority of Jesus' disciples left him before his death. 6. According to
this lesson, because of what 3 qualities could God use the 12? 7. What are 3
requirements of a true disciple of Jesus? Application 1.If you had followed Jesus in his time, would you
have had the qualities to be one of the 12?
Why? 2.What is your greatest difficulty in being a
disciple of Jesus? |