On the eleventh day of Christmas … eleven pipers piping. This day’s gift in the song can stand for the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Judas Iscariot was the unfaithful disciple who betrayed Jesus, so we will not cover his story here.
“These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.” (Matthew 10:2-4 NIV)
The eleven faithful disciples of Christ can be divided into three groups, based on what we know of them. The first group of disciples – Simon (renamed Peter), Andrew, James, and John – had the closest relationship with Jesus; His inner circle so to speak. The second group of disciples consists of Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew (also called Levi). Not much is known about the third group of disciples, James (son of Alphaeus), Judas son of James (also called Thaddeus), and Simon the Zealot. These groupings of disciples are listed in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in a similar order, according to the closeness of their relationships with Jesus.
While we remember the eleven faithful disciples for their devotion to and relationship with Christ, we must also remember that all of them had their own fortes and flaws. All of them were sinful humans and all of them fell short of the glory of God in their sin. Yet, by the New Testament of the Bible, as well as from some church traditions and teachings, we see how their lives were completely transformed through Jesus.
Simon (who Jesus renamed Peter), his brother Andrew, James, and his brother John, were all fishermen before Jesus called them. These four men are most notable for their leadership abilities. Peter was outspoken and bold. He was the only disciple to rebuke Jesus and as a result, he was strongly rebuked back by Jesus. (Matthew 16:21-23). However, Peter’s flaws were overcome as he became humble because he was teachable.
One of the most prominent stories of Peter was when he denied even knowing Jesus three times before the rooster crowed on that first Good Friday. (Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75). Yet, after Christ was resurrected from the dead, He restored Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee three times. (John 21:15-19). Peter was also the only disciple of Jesus who was married. (Matthew 8:14). There are many more stories surrounding Peter that would take too long to cover now.
Andrew was Peter’s younger brother and seemed to have more of a supporting role as a disciple rather than a zealous leader like Peter; he kept much quieter than his older brother. However, Andrew is most notable for telling Peter about Jesus as soon as he had saw the Messiah the day after His baptism by John the Baptist (John 1:40-42). It is likely that Andrew continued to use personal relationships to bring many people to Christ after Pentecost.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who Jesus nicknamed the “sons of thunder,” (Mark 3:17) were both known for being brash, ambitious, and zealous. They wanted to lead and indeed did so among Jesus’ disciples. While hanging on the cross, John was charged with taking care of Jesus’ mother, Mary. (John 19:26-27). After Jesus’ ascension and the Day of Pentecost, James was the first disciple to be martyred for his faith. John was the only disciple not to be martyred and instead died in captivity on the island of Patmos as an old man. Both James and John contributed to the New Testament. John wrote a main Gospel book, three letters to the Church, and the prophetic book of Revelation telling of the Last Day. James and John learned to temper their zeal with love and truth, and their ambition with humility.
Philip may have also been a fisherman, but we are not sure about that. He was a practical, organized, and methodical man who was likely in charge of logistics for the journeys of Jesus and His disciples. Philip’s focus seemed to be on logistics, and while that was sometimes good, it also got in the way of his faith from time to time. For example, when confronted with a crowd of 5,000 hungry men (not counting the women and children present), Philip responded to Jesus that it was impossible to feed them (John 6:7). He was often slow to realize who Jesus was and what He could do, but once he did realize, his faith shone brightly.
Bartholomew (also known as Nathanael) knew the Old Testament well and often quoted Holy Scripture while talking to Jesus. Like so many other Israelites, his notions of who the Messiah would be did not match what he saw in Jesus; as a warrior King rather than a humble King. Philip brought Nathanael to Jesus, so they possibly knew one another. (John 1:46). Nathanael was a faithful and sincere disciple nonetheless; Jesus was able to recruit Nathanael by simply telling him that He had seen him under the fig tree when Jesus was not present with him. (John 1:48).
Thomas is often called “doubting Thomas” for his reluctance to believe that Jesus had been resurrected without having seen Him in the upper room with the other disciples. Even though realism and pessimism were characteristics of Thomas, he was also loyal and devoted. Many of us criticize Thomas as a doubter, yet we often act like Thomas, needing signs and wonders in order to embolden our faith. Remember what Jesus told Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29 NIV).
Matthew (also known as Levi) is well-known to have been a tax collector, which marked him as a very sinful man and hated by his own people, the Jews. While tax collectors did serve a purpose in gathering money that was due to the Roman government, they also levied additional fees that benefitted themselves well beyond what was rightfully owed. Once Matthew was called to follow Jesus, he never looked back on his former trade. (Matthew 9:9). He even held a feast for his friends who were also tax collectors and sinners, all so they could meet Jesus too. (Luke 5:27-32). Matthew being a former tax collector is evident in his meticulous record keeping throughout his Gospel book because his writings are extremely detailed. His Gospel book is a fitting start to the New Testament.
Little is known about the last three disciples. James the son of Alphaeus was referred to as “mikros” or “lesser” to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee. This may have referred to his smaller stature or maybe his relationship not being as close to Christ, or both; we do not know. What we do know, is that he was one of the original twelve disciples of Christ, which makes him just as important to Christ as the others.
Judas the son of James was also known as Thaddaeus, meaning “childlike.” This nickname may have referred to his birth order or a personality characteristic. If it was referring to his heart and faith, this may have been a very good character trait (Matthew 18:3). Like James the lesser, he was an original disciple of Christ, making him important in Christ’s mission here on earth.
Simon the Zealot is most notable for his title. Zealots were a well-known segment of Israelites that were political extremists. They were even known for assassinating Roman leaders and Jewish tax collectors. Before being called to follow Jesus, he and Matthew would certainly have been mortal enemies. They clearly did not kill one another for Christ’s sake as His disciples, but I’m sure there were many unrecorded and unruly conversations between them. It is likely that all the disciples despised Matthew at some point, but Simon the Zealot was probably foremost of them.
All eleven of the faithful disciples were imperfect, yet they learned from Jesus firsthand about how to live, how to love, and most importantly, who Jesus Christ is. At Pentecost, they were gifted with the power of the Holy Spirit in order to better spread the Gospel message to the ends of the earth. It is evident that Jesus’ disciples were faithful in their mission because we see Christianity all over the world today. Thanks be to God for them! However, not everyone knows Jesus, meaning the job of sharing His Gospel message is not finished. (Matthew 28:19-20).
The stories of the disciples are a clear reminder that anyone can follow Jesus; no matter who you are, no matter where you are from, no matter what you have done in your past. God loves to call ordinary, broken sinners to do His extraordinary works, all to build His Kingdom here on earth. Remember that the lowly fisherman, Peter, by the power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, converted 3,000 people to the faith with a single sermon. (Acts 2:14-41).
Soli Deo Gloria!
Philip Frank
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”The Twelve Days of Christmas” song image in the corner is by Xavier Romero-Frias and used under Creative Commons license BY-SA 3.0. Much of the information for this post came from the book “Twelve Ordinary Men” by John MacArthur.
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