Discovering Jesus – Chapter 4: The Disciples of Jesus
4. The Disciples of Jesus
Israel is a very small country. It is only one-third the size of Tasmania, or about the same size as Wales or the State of Massachusetts. In the day of Jesus Israel, or Palestine, was still a very difficult country to traverse. It was a land of rugged ranges and deep valleys.
Following his baptism in the River Jordan down near the Dead Sea, Jesus left Judea to go to Galilee in the North. 1 In that simple sentence is a remarkable story.
The journey itself tool three days, travelling about twenty-two miles each day along the Jordan valley up into the high plain area of Galilee. He left his home town of Nazareth after a brief stay and moved down to the lakeside township of Capernaum. 2 It was in this large fishing centre that Jesus established his new headquarters.
The locale
The Sea of Galilee is pear-shaped: thirteen miles in length and seven miles at its widest point. It is surrounded by mountains that ring the lake. These mountains rise in the north to a peak of four thousand feet above sea-level. Surrounded by high mountains, the Sea of Galilee can be whipped by fierce east winds that sweep in from the hot desert sands up the funnel-shaped mountains, quickly turning the placid lake into a fierce, storm-swept sea. It was in Galilee that Jesus was to exercise most of his ministry.
The smallness of the land can be seen in the fact that, from a vantage point above Galilee, you can see the main borders of biblical Palestine: from the snow-capped Mount Hermon in the north towards Beersheba in the south. When Jesus chose to move from Jerusalem in the south to Galilee in the north, he was making a tremendous choice. It was a decision to move from the centre of political conservatism and religious orthodoxy to the cosmopolitan, sophisticated, international community of the north.
We find it hard to understand now, but Capernaum then was a frontier town, far away from the traditionalism of Jerusalem. Every time Jesus went south to Jerusalem, he had trouble with the orthodox leaders of his day, but in Capernaum by the Lake of Galilee the people gathered eagerly, wanting to make him king. 3
Galilee was the closest Israel came to having an international crossroad. Through this area ran the key military road from Syria in the north to Egypt in the south. In every century armies have marched through this community. Whether belonging to Syrian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Arabic, Turkish, British or Lebanese soldiers, the tramp of feet is always the same to those who live under the heel of oppression.
As well as the north-south military road, Galilee was the intersection for the great caravan routes going east and west. From the east trade brought spices, exotic herbs and salt to savour the palates of the Romans in Italy. On the return trip caravans took back marvels of he Mediterranean to the east. The people who lived round the Sea of Galilee were the most cosmopolitan of any in Palestine. They met people of other races and religions and were open to new ideas. 4
Some of the towns around the lake were quite large. The neighbouring town of Tiberias, in the time of Jesus, had over forty thousand residents. Some 230 boats, the Jewish historian Josephus tells us, plied their trade on the lake out of the port of Tiberias. 5 The fish were salted and sent as export to Italy and Greece.
The candidates
The local fishermen were rugged types, living close to God and close to nature: patient, strong and persevering. They operated two kinds of boats. The first were deep water trawlers that went out into the middle of the lake and dragged the seven hundred feet of water with huge nets. The others were small dinghies that would take the fishermen just out from shore where they would cast their nets, encircling shoals of fish.
In the Gospels, Jesus speaks about both types of fishing. He himself was caught in a storm in the middle of the lake. 6 Then, while walking along the shore, he called out to fishermen who were casting their nets. 7
Most of his early disciples were self-employed fishermen from this area. Some were mending the deep water nets along the seashore, when Jesus called them to leave their job, follow him and catch men for the kingdom of God. 8 Others were farmers or tax collectors; a few were even involved in dubious political activities. The original twelve disciples of Jesus were an incredible cross-section of ancient society. 9
We are surprisingly short of information on the twelve disciples. We know little about their physical appearance or their personal background. We do know of their courage and the service they gave to the Christian Church, but mystery surrounds a great deal of their life work and their deaths. What we do know suggests that most of them died a violent death in a foreign country, proclaiming the Christ whom they had followed from the day he called them.
The disciples mentioned in scripture were as follows:
* Andrew
Andrew was the original disciple, the brother of Peter and the one who heard John say, when Jesus was being baptised by John in the River Jordan, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God’. 10 Andrew went and found his brother. Announcing ‘We have found the Messiah’, he brought Peter to Jesus.
Every time in scripture that Andrew is mentioned, he is introducing someone to Jesus, whether it was his brother, some visiting Greeks, 11 or a boy who had only a lunch of some loaves and fish. 12 He was obviously an ordinary but friendly person, who had a desire that others might come to know Jesus. After the resurrection he spent most of his life preaching in Scythia, north of the Black Sea. It is thought he was crucified in Macedonia, north of Greece, in the shape of an ‘X’, known to us as St Andrew’s cross, the flag of Scotland and part of the flags of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
* Simon Peter
Although Simon Peter was first brought to Jesus by his brother Andrew, quickly his strong will and assertive leadership made him the outstanding disciple. It was Peter who, responding to the question of Jesus, declared that he was ‘the Christ, the Son of the living God’. 13
Peter was volatile and unpredictable by temperament, yet he did more to establish the Church after the day of Pentecost than any other. 14 He was a man of strength and courage, willing to risk death itself in order to serve Christ, and yet in crucial moments he failed him. 15
Peter always heads the list of disciples, as though the New Testament writers felt he was the one who should have the pre-eminence. He did not write as much as John or Matthew, yet obviously this man of action became the leader of the early church. He travelled widely yet, unlike Paul, had no one with him who would write an account of the journey, so his travels are unrecorded. Peter preached throughout the Roman Empire, particularly in Asia Minor, Greece and Italy. In Rome he was crucified upside down, because he protested that he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
* James and John
James and John were sons of Zebedee. 16 They were deep water fishermen and they had been mending their nets with some other men employed by their father. Obviously, Zebedee was a wealthy fisherman: he owned some of the larger ships and his nets were of the trawler type. James and John immediately left their nets when Jesus called them to follow him. James was the first of the twelve to be executed for his faith, dying not long after Stephen when King Herod Agrippa I ordered him to be beheaded. 17 James was obviously close to his brother John and they are always mentioned together. They were tempestuous men, being known by their nickname, ‘the Sons of Thunder’. 18
Such was the profound influence of Jesus on John that the Son of Thunder ended up being known as the Apostle of Love. They were only young men – probably not much older than teenagers when they followed the way of Jesus – but, such was the impact of his personality on their lives, that their characters were utterly changed.
John’s mother had ambitions for her sons. On one occasion she asked Jesus that they might be allowed to sit on his left and right side in heaven. 19 This special pleading for pre-eminence antagonised the other disciples yet, later in his life, John was obviously the most humble of apostles, writing the fourth Gospel, the three letters of John and the Book of Revelation.
As a very old man, John ministered to Christians in Asia Minor and was exiled to the island of Patmos. 20 John lived there to an advanced old age and tradition says that his body was taken to Ephesus where it was buried.
* Bartholomew
Nathanael Bartholomew is often referred to by either name, but was probably the one person. Usually refereed to in scripture by his first name of Bartholomew, he is mentioned by John by his surname of Nathanael. 21
John speaks about him as a man of absolute integrity. Jesus called him a ‘great Israelite: there is nothing false about him’. 22 Traditions vary, with some believing that he was a missionary to India, while others believed he took the gospel to Albania.
* James
James, the son of Alphsus, was possibly Matthew’s brother as he also was the son of a man called Alpheus. 23 James preached during his life in Persia and was crucified there.
* Judas
There are two disciples named Judas. One of these is always referred to as ‘Judas, not Iscariot’. 24 This is obviously to distinguish him from the Judas who betrayed Jesus. This first Judas, whose surname was Thaddeus, was the son of James whom, it is suggested, may have been a relative of Jesus. Judas was a very close friend of Jesus, carrying his faith into the far land of Mescopotamia where, in the large cities, he proclaimed that Jesus was God’s Son. He was strongly opposed and eventually slain – by being beaten with clubs and stones in the city of Berito.
* Judas Iscariot
The other Judas was Judas Iscariot. All of the lists of the disciples place him last as, with hindsight, the Gospel writers remembered the one who betrayed Jesus. 25 Judas was a lonely figure, the only Judean among all of the Galileans. The Galileans and the Judeans did not mix easily; maybe Judas Iscariot felt alienated from the others right from the beginning.
Judas acted as treasurer for the group and, in his position of responsibility, was always interested in saving money. On one occasion he complained when a woman named Mary poured expensive ointment on the feet of Jesus, saying that it could have been sold instead and the proceeds given to the poor. 26 Later, we will look at the reason why Judas may have betrayed Jesus. Such was his remorse at betraying him that Judas went out and hanged himself on the edge of a cliff, one tradition suggesting that his body eventually broke free from the tree and fell on the rocks below. 27
* Matthew
Matthew worked for the Roman government, collecting tolls and taxes at the various crossroads and caravan routes. He made his living by charging an excess over the tax due as the caravans came in and out of the city of Capernaum. He probably also charged the fishermen a tax on their annual catch.
Generally speaking, his charges would have been 5 per cent of the retail price of trade items and 12 per cent on luxury items. Naturally, the Jews hated these men who collected the taxes on behalf of the Romans, any money handled by a tax collector being declared unclean. Consequently, no Jewish man paying a tax would ever ask for change and, if any money did come from a tax collector, it was not allowed to be placed in the synagogue offering.
Matthew was the most unlikely candidate of Jesus but, while he was collecting taxes one day at his table, Jesus simply commanded him, ‘Follow me’. Such was the look of authority in the eyes of Jesus that Matthew literally left his money and followed him. 28
We understand that Matthew owned his own house, was fairly well-to-do and was an educated man. The Gospel named after him was one of the most influential pieces of literature in all of history. It was placed at the beginning of the New Testament because it shows how Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament hopes and ideals. Matthew spent his later years preaching the gospel in Parthia and Ethiopia, where he was martyred.
* Philip
Philip was one of the earliest disciples, being called by Jesus shortly after his baptism at the River Jordan. 29 It was Philip who introduced Nathanael to Jesus, 30 and questioned Jesus about how he could possibly feed the five thousand who were hungry. 31 He was a disciple who is always pictured as asking questions. He was a man of great faith, ending his life by being crucified in the city of Hierapolis.
* Simon the Zealot
There are two other disciples mentioned in scripture. The second last of the twelve was known as Simon Zelotes. 32 The Zealots were a Jewish sect known for their murderous attitudes towards Roman sympathisers. We don’t know why or when Jesus called Simon the Zealot to join the apostles; the intriguing thing was that Simon had taken a vow to murder any collaborators with the Romans. He was a man of intense patriotic feelings – I sometimes wonder how he and the tax collector Matthew discovered they were brothers through the influence of Jesus!
There have been many since who have found political, even racial barriers could be overcome when they each acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. Simon the Zealot preached throughout Africa and Egypt, where he was crucified for his faith.
* Thomas
The final disciple was one of the best known of all. Thomas is always called the doubter, yet his doubts, expressed on the day of the resurrection because he was the only disciple not present with the other ten, were eventually overcome by his own experience of the risen Jesus. Thomas, who said, ‘Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe’, 33 also made one of the simplest but greatest declarations of faith. Recognising the risen Jesus, Thomas unhesitatingly answered: ‘My Lord and my God!’ 34
Thomas doubted in order that we who followed might not doubt. This brave man was eventually to become a missionary in India and was martyred there for his faith. It is believed that he is buried at Mylapore, a suburb of Madras. Today his name is carried on in the Indian church named after him, the Church of Mar Toma.
Following the suicide of Judas, Matthias was chosen. 35 Like the others, he witnessed the resurrection and preached faithfully, dying ultimately in Mesopotamia. Such was the band of disciples that Jesus chose to teach his message concerning the kingdom of God.
The motive and method
Jesus chose these men for two basic reasons. First, because his work hard to go on and he needed a group of people through whom he could, in confidence, pass on his message. 36 Second, because his work had to go out and he needed a group of faithful teachers who could take the message to the furthermost parts of the world. 37
That the disciples accomplished this faithfully cannot be doubted: the church exists today because that handful of fishermen, farmers and tax collectors learnt from Jesus and then spread his word. It is estimated that by the time of the death of the last of the disciples, John, there were more than one million believers throughout the Roman world.
Jesus chose his disciples by three means. There was first of all an invitation. He called many people to follow him and his offer, ‘Come to me’, was enormously appealing. 38 He called people to ‘Come, follow me’ and large crowds followed him. 39 We read of many thousands of people who decided to leave their everyday work and follow the teacher from Nazareth.
Second, there was an education. For this large number Jesus chose two smaller groups for in-depth teaching. He once said that many were called, but few were chosen. 40 He chose a group of seventy to learn the insights of the kingdom of God. 41 He also chose a core group the Twelve. They travelled with him in closest friendship day and night, absorbing his insights into human life and God’s kingdom.
Third, there was an authorisation. Those whom he had called and chosen Jesus commissioned to go into the known world, proclaiming the gospel. 42 On one occasion he sent seventy to preach the gospel – to teach and to heal the sick in the surrounding villages around the Sea of Galilee. He chose the Twelve that they might be with him and that they might then be appointed as ‘fishers of men’. It was these twelve disciples less Judas to whom Jesus gave his final command: ‘Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.’ 43
The task
For three years that young band followed Jesus around the hills of Galilee. They spent time with him in prayer. They listened to his teaching. They provided him with support for his ministry to the nation. They went with him to all the synagogues of Galilee, where he talked from the Old Testament scriptures and healed the sick.
On each of the three occasions when Jesus travelled up into the hills of Judea to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, they travelled with him, anxious for his safety because of the fierce opposition from the ultra-orthodox Pharisees and Sadducees.
But on the night when Jesus was arrested, they all ran for cover. 44 Some of the disciples hid out of fear of the Jews. Peter alone, with faint courage, followed at a distance to find what was happening to his Master. 45
Yet immediately after the resurrection, from the time Peter and John burst into the empty tomb, their fears vanished. Courage and bravery now marked their every public witness. 46 With absolute fearlessness, they stared at the very people who had condemned Jesus to death and accused them face-to-face of crucifying God’s Son. 47 It was their message that became the foundation of the worldwide Church.
They paid for their faith. A modern-day martyr and German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who stood up to Hitler’s Nazism, spent two years in prison as Hitler’s private prisoner and, on the day of the Allies releasing prisoners, was taken out and hanged. He wrote a book which exemplified his own life: The Cost of Discipleship. Disciples who have wanted to follow the way of Jesus have had to pay a price in every generation. Archbishop Janani Luwum, the Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, paid a martyr’s price in our own lifetime, while in every age we read of faithful witnesses to Jesus being struck down by antagonistic governments and ferocious opponents.
Modern disciples of Jesus, like those who were called at the Sea of Galilee, must have a love for other people like John, the courage of Peter, the determination to overcome doubt like Thomas, and the singleness of purpose and intensity of commitment of all the disciples.
Modern discipleship is still an essential requirement for all who would follow the way of Jesus: in learning his truth, then becoming his witnesses to the faith we have in him.
Endnotes:
1. John 1:43
2. Luke 4:31; Matthew 4:13
3. John 6:15
4. Mark 1:22 and 27
5. Josephus, Antiquities, 18:2-3
6. Luke 8:22-25
7. Matthew 4:18-19
8. Luke 5:10
9. Luke 6:12-16; Mark 3:14-19
10. John 1-29 and 35 RSV
11. John 12:20-22
12. John 6:8-9
13. Matthew 16:16 RSV
14. Acts 2:14-42
15. Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62
16. Mark 3:17; Luke 5:10
17. Acts 12:12
18. Mark 3:17
19. Matthew 20:20-21
20. Revelation 1:9
21. John 1:45
22. John 1:47
23. Matthew 10:3
24. John 14:22
25. Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16
26. John 12:4-5
27. Acts 1:18; Matthew 27:5
28. Luke 5:27
29. John 1:43
30. John 1:45
31. John 6:7
32. Luke 6:15
33. John 20:25
34. John 20:28
35. Acts 1:26
36. John 15:15-16; Matthew 9:37-38 and 10:1-4
37. Matthew 28:16-20
38. Matthew 11:28
39. Matthew 4:25
40. Matthew 22:14 RSV
41. Luke 10:1-2
42. Matthew 10:5
43. Matthew 28:19-20
44. Matthew 26:56
45. Luke 22:54
46. Acts 2:14 and 4:13
47. Acts 2:23
For personal reading
Theme: The Cost of Discipleship
Monday : The Lamb of God (John 1:35-42)
Tuesday : Appointing the disciples (Mark 3:13-19)
Wednesday : Risking all for the kingdom (Matthew 10:5-20)
Thursday : Fishers of men (Luke 5:1-11)
Friday : True greatness (Matthew 10:35-45)
Saturday : The demands of discipleship (Luke 9:57-62)
Sunday : Facing inevitable conflict (Matthew 10:32-42)
For group reading
Topic: The Disciples of Jesus
1. Fishermen have qualities that fitted them for discipleship. What would be our equivalent qualities?
2. Jesus told the early disciples he would teach them to fish successfully for men. What lessons did they have to learn?
3. Disciples overcame political, racial and psychological barriers through their friendship with Jesus. What does this say to our era?
4. What price do we pay for our discipleship?
