He Chose Twelve

How strange it is that most of us, and I do include myself, can name more of Santa's reindeer than disciples of Jesus. Peter, James, and John we all know; there's the doubting Thomas; Matthew, Andrew, and Philip will come to the minds of those familiar with the New Testament; Judas Iscariot - of course - lives forever in infamy. But what of the others: Simon the Zealot; James the Less; Judas "the thrice-named" (whom Mark called Thaddaeus, Matthew called Lebbaeus Thaddaeus, and Luke called Judas of James); Bartholomew; and Matthias (who replaced Judas Iscariot)? It must of course be acknowledged that, in the case of a few of these men, the Bible tells us nothing about them apart from their names. In this study of the men chosen by Jesus to be his disciples, Clarence E. MacArtney endeavors to describe all of these men (as well as James the brother of Jesus, Paul, and John the Baptist); perhaps more importantly, though, he tries to show us valuable lessons that each of them can teach us still today. The more famous of the disciples naturally get a longer treatment in these pages. None is so well known as Peter; not only are his words and deeds told throughout the Gospels, Acts, and Peter's own letters, his nature is revealed for all to see in his behavior. MacArtney calls him the most human of the disciples, a natural leader, whose faults and inconsistencies make him the disciple that man can identify with most easily. He could be rash and impatient, but the Godly zeal that manifested itself within his heart is a model for the kind of religious ardor all of Christ's followers should feel. The story of Peter's fall and his deep repentance has, MacArtney argues, won more hearts to Christ than the scholarly, loving words of Paul. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, along with Peter, made up an inner core of Christ's followers. They, also like Peter, could be rash and lash out with religious fury - to call upon Jesus to smite the Samaritans who refused Him hospitality, for example. It was also they who asked Jesus for seats of honor in the coming kingdom, to the consternation of some of their peers. The zeal these brothers showed was misdirected at times, but such zeal is a far better thing than indifference, MacArtney states. Among the disciples, John was known as the most loved of Jesus and may have been the youngest of the group. James would become the first of the disciples to die (not counting Judas Iscariot), put to death by Herod Agrippas less than two decades after Christ's ascension. MacArtney praises Andrew, for always bringing others to Jesus, starting with his own brother Peter. The author actually makes Andrew the subject of his first chapter, stressing the fact that the church needs more Andrews in its midst. Philip merits the same sort of praise; it was he who uttered the familiar words "Come and see," when he told Bartholomew (whom the Gospel of John identifies as Nathaniel) that he had met the Messiah. Bartholomew,