Who Were the Disciples?
Matthew 9: 35 - 10: 8
Mark 3: 13 - 19
Luke 6: 12 - 18
John 1: 35 - 42
Disciple means pupil or student, and the disciples were people who chose to
follow Jesus and to
listen to his teaching. They called him rabbi, or teacher. The
twelve disciples were followers of Jesus whom he had chosen to become his core
group, the people he talked things over with and depended on.
Simon and his brother
Andrew were the first disciples Jesus chose. Next Jesus called James and John, then Philip,
Nathaniel (also
called Bartholomew), Matthew, Thomas, and
James, son of Alpheus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas, son of James, and Judas
Iscariot.
According to the Gospel of John, Andrew and
one other of the disciples had first been disciples of John the
Baptist.
The disciples were more interested in telling Jesus' story
than in telling their own, but we do know a few things about some of them.
Jesus nicknamed Simon Peter, and the nickname
stuck.
Peter, Andrew, James and John were commercial fishermen. They (or
their families) owned their own boats. James and John were the sons of Zebedee,
and this John
may be the person who wrote the Fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John.
Andrew
and Philip have Greek names and spoke Greek to the travelers who came from
Greece to hear Jesus preach. They may have had Greek relatives or Greek or Roman
educations.
Matthew had been a tax
collector, a disrespected way of earning a living in those days. Tax collectors
were not allowed to testify in court, because everyone believed they were
totally dishonest.
Simon the Zealot and Judas
Iscariot may have been political activists, belonging to some of the many groups
that wanted to overthrow the Roman government. The Jews at that time wanted very
much to have a Jewish king and Jewish courts that understood their beliefs and
the way they observed the religious laws.
We only know Thomas's nickname:
both Thomas in Aramaic and Didymus in Greek mean
twin. He may have had an actual twin brother - or he may have looked so much
like Jesus that everyone joked that he was Jesus' twin brother.
What we
know for sure about all the disciples is that they all left their livelihoods
and commitments to follow Jesus as he traveled around the country, preaching,
teaching, and healing.
Speaking out about Jesus meant the disciples risked being
tortured, even killed. Why didn't they keep silent?
THE
TWELVE APOSTLES:
1. Andrew - crucified
2. Bartholomew -
beaten then crucified
3. James, son of Alphaeus - stoned to death
4. James, son of Zebedee - beheaded
5. John - exiled for his
faith; died of old age
6. Judas (not Iscariot) - stoned to death
7. Matthew - speared to death
8. Peter - crucifed upside down
9. Philip - crucified
10. Simon - crucified
11. Thomas -
speared to death
12. Matthias - stoned to death
(source: Fox's
Book of Martyrs) |
Each of the 12 apostles left families and careers, often traveling alone to
distant countries, declaring that Jesus died and came back to life. For
proclaiming Jesus' resurrection, they were beaten, imprisoned, and many killed
in torturous ways.
Did they have any basis for declaring this? Yes. It is undisputed that after
the crucifixion of Jesus, the tomb was empty three days later, just as Jesus'
predicted. The controversy focuses on what became of Jesus' body? Some say that
Jesus' disciples stole his body and concocted a story that he rose from the
dead. However, if the disciples made it all up, each of them allowed himself to
be executed -- for what they knew to be a lie. It doesn't make sense. Would you
die for something you knew was a lie?
What does make sense are the historical facts. Jesus had been humiliated,
beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross, where he died on display before the public.
A spear was thrust into his side just to make sure he was dead. He was buried in
a stone tomb, with Roman soldiers to guard the tomb, assigned by the religious
establishment who feared an attempt to steal the body. But on the third day, the
guards had fled, the tomb was open, and the only remaining evidence were the
burial clothes inside the tomb, laying there empty.
Starting that day, the disciples said they saw Jesus physically alive
multiple times. So had hundreds of others. They had lengthy conversations with
him and ate with him -- all after witnessing his death by beating, crucifixion
and spearing. When ordered not to speak about Jesus' resurrection, they
responded, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!"
These disciples risked their lives to speak out about what they had no doubts
about -- that Jesus had risen from the dead, proving that he was everything he
claimed to be...the Son of God.
What do you think? You will hopefully never be executed for believing in
Jesus like the first disciples were, but you can become just as sure of the
truth of his resurrection, and understand why it mattered so much to these
twelve men.
Are You A Disciple Of Jesus?
The purpose in this study is to make clear what is involved in being a true
disciple of Jesus Christ. We will do this by looking at Jesus' own words. There
are seven statements about discipleship that Jesus makes in the gospels:
- One statement that tells us the goal of discipleship.
- Three statements that tell us the marks of a disciple.
- Three statements that reveal the cost of discipleship.
These statements give us a profile of a disciple.
[To begin, let's look at the goal of discipleship...]
I. THE GOAL OF A DISCIPLE
A. THE WORD "DISCIPLE"...
1. The word "disciple" literally means A LEARNER.
2. According to Vine's Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words,
it denotes "one who follows another's teaching."
3. But a disciple was not only a learner, he was also AN ADHERENT.
4. For this reason disciples were spoken of as IMITATORS of their teachers.
B. THE GOAL IN BEING A DISCIPLE...
1. Stated by Jesus himself: "every disciple will be like his teacher" - Luke
6:40.
2. To be Christ's disciple, then, is to strive to be like Him! - Colossians
1:28. "I am apprenticing myself to Jesus."
3. According to the apostle Paul, this coincides with God's goal in the
redemption of mankind, that they be conformed to the image of His Son - Romans
8:29.
[There are some "identifying marks" of discipleship given by Jesus which can
help us to recognize a true disciple of Jesus...]
II. THE MARKS OF A DISCIPLE
A. A DISCIPLE IS "ONE WHO ABIDES IN JESUS' WORDS" - John 8:31
1. This would imply being a diligent student of the teachings Christ.
2. It also requires one to be a "doer" of the Word - Matthew 7:21-27; James
1:21-25.
3. In view of this, a true disciple would not...
a. Fail to study the Bible diligently.
b. Willingly refrain from opportunities to study with others (e.g., Bible
classes, home groups).
B. A DISCIPLE IS ALSO "ONE WHO LOVES THE BRETHREN" - John 13:34-35.
1. With a love patterned after the love of Jesus ("as I have loved you").
2. With a love that is visible to the world ("by this all will know").
3. Therefore, a true disciple would...
a. Make every effort to get to know his brethren.
b. Take advantage of occasions to encourage and grow closer to them (e.g.,
home groups).
4. Remember, a disciple is one who wants to become like his teacher.
a. Was Jesus willing to sacrifice time and effort for His brethren?
b. Of course, and so will we IF we are truly HIS disciples!
C. A DISCIPLE IS "ONE WHO BEARS MUCH FRUIT" - John 15:8.
1. Notice the word "much" (also found in verse 5).
2. This is so important, that failure to bear much fruit will result in being
severed from Christ - John 15:1-2.
3. How can one be a disciple if he or she is cut off from Christ?
These are the marks of being a disciple:
- Abiding in the teachings of Christ
- Loving the brethren
- Bearing fruit to the glory of God
Are these marks evident in your life? Are you a disciple of Jesus?
III. THE COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE
A. JESUS MUST COME FIRST - Luke 14:26
1. Before anyone else, including members of our own family - Matthew
10:34-37.
2. Even before one's own self: "deny himself" (Luke 9:23-25).
3. All relationship must be placed under Him. A.W. Tozer said: "We are called
to an everlasting preoccupation with God."
B. WE MUST BE WILLING TO SUFFER FOR CHRIST - Luke 14:27.
1. Trying to live godly lives in an ungodly world, we will find that
following Christ sometimes involves ridicule and persecution - "Everyone who
wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy
3:12).
2. Even if we are blessed to escape such things, we must still be willing to
expend time and effort in promoting the cause of Christ in positive
ways.
C. WE MUST FORSAKE STUFF TO FOLLOW CHRIST - Luke 14:33
1. We must yield our stuff.
2. We must view ourselves as stewards, rather than owners.
This is the cost of being a disciple: in order to follow Jesus we must
forsake:
To follow Jesus means a radical reorientation of your life.
[Now that we understand the nature of discipleship, its marks and costs, we
need to ask, "How does one begin?" For the answer we turn to Matthew 28:19-20
...]
IV. THE BEGINNING OF A DISCIPLE
A. ACCORDING TO JESUS, IT INVOLVES BAPTISM - Matthew 28:19. BAPTISM IS THE
LOGICAL STARTING PLACE FOR TRUE DISCIPLESHIP!
B. BUT BAPTISM IS ONLY THE BEGINNING, TEACHING AND OBEDIENCE MUST FOLLOW -
Matthew 28:20.
1. This brings us back to the very definition of discipleship.
2. For Jesus clearly states:
a. We are to be TAUGHT (that is, to be LEARNERS)
b. We are to OBSERVE (that is, to be ADHERENTS or DOERS).
3. We do this in community together.
a. Jesus' band -- Luke 6:12-16.
b. Early church bands -- Acts 2:4-47.
c. Paul's band -- Colossians 4:7-14.
d. Discipleship happens in the context of community, i.e. being together.
(E.g., home groups, men's groups, women's groups, one-on-one
discipleship.)
4. As a group we embark on a life devoted to learning and doing all that
Jesus has commanded us to do.
C. TAKE CONSOLATION IN THE PROMISE OF JESUS: "And behold, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age" - Matthew 28:20.
[This kind of "high cost" of discipleship demanded by Jesus caused many
people to turn away from following Him. But Jesus wasn't trying to attract large
crowds. He wanted disciples!
But we should not only ask, "What does it cost to follow Jesus?" We should
ask, "What does it cost to not follow Jesus?"]
V. THE COST OF NOT BEING A DISCIPLE
A. THE LOSS OF "FUTURE BLESSINGS"
1. We shall not be saved from the wrath of God which is to come upon the
world for its sins - Romans 5:9.
2. We will not be able to look forward with joyful anticipation of eternity
with God, free from sorrow, pain and death - Revelation 21:1-8.
B. THE LOSS OF "PRESENT BLESSINGS"
1. Jesus offers a PEACE the world cannot give to calm the troubled heart -
John 14:27.
2. His words inspire JOY to lift our spirits out of any depression - John
15:11.
3. He also offers to those who follow Him the ABIDING LOVE OF GOD, which can
cast out fear - John 15:9; 1 John 4:18.
4. If we do not follow Christ, we are not members of THE FAMILY OF GOD, which
is able if needed to replace our physical family - Mark
10:28-30.
CONCLUSION:
Finally, we must not forget the cost to the Father and the Son.
Jesus' death was a great sacrifice -- a sacrifice of love to us, so that we
could be disciples.
Are you are a disciple of Jesus?
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