JRNT 95
10/5/2025
The Twelve Ð The Gospel of Luke (Part 44)
Luke 6:12-16
Jesse Randolph

Well, good morning, and IÕd invite you to open up GodÕs Word with me to Luke 6. WeÕre going to get right into it this morning. WeÕve a lot to cover. We have been, if youÕve noticed, in a very Pharisee centric section of LukeÕs Gospel. Many of the last few sermons have been centered on JesusÕ interaction with these religious rulers of His day, in Luke 5 and Luke 6. But recall that earlier on in JesusÕ earthly ministry, especially in Luke 4 and then in Luke 5, we did see that He did not do as much out in front of the Pharisees, our Lord, that is as He would do later, especially in the last few sections of LukeÕs Gospel that weÕve looked at. For instance, when He cast the demon out in the synagogue in Luke 4, we donÕt have records of a Pharisee being nearby. When He healed PeterÕs sick mother-in-law, we donÕtÕ have a record of a Pharisee being in the room. When He brought about the miraculous haul of fish for Peter, we donÕt have a Pharisaic trail behind him. When He healed the man with leprosy in Capernaum, thereÕs no record of Pharisees being in the audience. 

That all changed though in Luke 5, with JesusÕ healing of the paralytic. ThatÕs that scene, youÕll recall, where the paralyzed man is lowered through the roof, because the crowds are converging on Jesus as He teaches there. YouÕll recall that Jesus not only healed that man in that instance, but He also declared the manÕs sins to be forgiven. ThatÕs what caught the eyes of the Pharisees. In Luke 5:21, they are recorded as saying, ÒWho is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, [they say] but God alone?Ó Later in Luke 5, thereÕs this account of the calling of Levi, the tax collector. After Jesus issues His call to Levi saying ÒFollow Me.Ó Levi throws this big reception. Which is for the purpose of inviting all of his former friends and colleagues in the tax collecting office to meet Jesus to encounter Jesus. And we did see that the Pharisees caught wind of that event. So now, they are sort of hot on His trail. TheyÕre looking over the fence, at this gathering between Jesus and these tax collectors and they see Jesus and His disciples, plain as day, meeting with and sharing a meal with these cultural low lives. Those social pariahs, sinners, tax collectors and it upset them. They Òbegan grumblingÓ, weÕre told in Luke 5:30, and they ask JesusÕ disciples, ÒWhy do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?Ó

From there, and in a separate scene. We saw that the Pharisees objected to the fact that JesusÕ disciples didnÕt Òfast and offer prayersÓ long prayers with long faces, gloomy faces the why the Pharisees did.  Jesus replied in Luke 5:33-34, that the Pharisees were simply failing to understand the times. Because the Bridegroom of Israel, the Messiah was right there in front of them. This was no time to mourn or to grieve. This was a time to rejoice! And this is when Jesus introduced His Ònew garmentÓ and Ònew wineskinÓ imagery in Luke 5:36-39 where He says that HeÕs come to offer new teaching Òa new commandment I give to you.Ó YouÕd be replacing the old rabbinical, Pharisaical ways of doing Judaism in His days.

Now, surely by then with Jesus saying to the Pharisees that He had come to replace their old, brittle wineskins that they were starting to get a bit uncomfortable with this man. Right? Surely by then, they were bubbling up a little with some concern and some worry and some discomfort. But then, we saw last week that that worry and that concern and that discomfort slid over to outright anger and rage. ThatÕs where we were last Sunday morning, in Luke 6:1-11. YouÕll recall that there were these consecutive episodes involving the Sabbath. Both of these episodes centered on that day of Jewish rest and remembrance known as the Sabbath.  And one of the episodes, youÕll recall, involved JesusÕ disciples plucking and eating heads of grain on the Sabbath and that drew the ire of the Pharisees. The second scene involved this episode where Jesus healed this man with the withered hand, also on the Sabbath. Also, to which the Pharisees took great exception. Right in the heart of those two episodes related to the Sabbath, Jesus said something that was both profound and pointed. Something that would leave no room for doubting as to who He was claiming to be, and what authority He was claiming to have.You see the words there in Luke 6:5, it says He was saying to them, ÒThe Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.Ó

Now, that was a remarkable claim. That was a bold claim. That was, in these times, or really any time, an outrageous claim. See, any learned Jew of this era would have known that the Sabbath was instituted by God, for man.  God alone had the right to govern the rules and the requirements of what the Sabbath entailed and what men needed to do or not do on the Sabbath. So, for Jesus to say that He is ÒLord of the SabbathÓ and to attach to that statement that He is Òthe Son of Man,Ó that was massive. That was a massive claim. Because by saying this Jesus was representing to those around Him that He was not only the Messiah sent to Israel but that He was God. For this man from Nazareth. This traveling teacher and healer. This man who has been now associating with tax collectors and sinners. This man who ultimately and apparently had no regard for the Sabbath, at least in the eyes of these Pharisees. Then for Him to claim to be God on top of that. That was too much for them. He had gone too far. The scribes and the Pharisees had their sense of religious identity tied into rule-keeping and now they are seeing red. That sense of anger and rage and wrath comes out in the final verse we looked at last Sunday, in verse 11 of Luke 6 is says, ÒBut they themselves were filled with rage and were discussing what they might do to Jesus.Ó Those words are ominous. Those words are foreboding. Those words are communicated in this distinctly minor key with these clear notes of doom attached to them. They leave us hanging. 

Then, Luke, masterful, Spirit-directed storyteller that he is, moves into this next part of JesusÕ life and ministry.  In our text for today starting in verse 12. WeÕre going to be looking this morning at Luke 6:12-16. GodÕs Word reads:

ÒNow it happened that at this time He went off to the mountain to pray, and He was spending the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.Ó

Now, itÕs no accident that this account appears here, in this place, in LukeÕs Gospel. Jesus has just announced that HeÕs doing something new. Pharisaic opposition to Him is rising. He knows that His mission on earth is to preach the good news of the Gospel and to decare the message of His coming kingdom. He knows, that as God, His mission on earth will be short, culminating in His death in Jerusalem. So, with the sights of the Pharisees set squarely on Him. And knowing that this plot was already being formed against Him by these angry, self-interested, self-protective religious types. Jesus knew that it was time to act. It was time to identify and to raise up those who would take over for Him and take His message when He was no longer on the scene. To take that message that He was called to proclaim. Then to take it and herald it for generations to come. 

In other words, this was no accident that right after the Pharisees are reported here as being Òfilled with rageÓ and Òdiscussing together what they might do to Jesus.Ó That Jesus went into this mode now of naming twelve apostles. Those who we know as Òthe Twelve.Ó Those who would carry that baton forward, after Jesus left this earth after He returned to the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

LetÕs look at our text section by section, line by line, see what Luke is, and the Spirit is giving us this morning. Verse 12 begins, ÒNow it happened at that time.Ó

Now, the words ÒNow it happenedÓ is simply marking plot progression. Luke is pointing to the fact that he is moving from one scene here onto the next. He says, ÒNow it happened at that time.Ó Those words, taken together, are meant to highlight the fact that this is the time when opposition to Jesus is now mounting. The vise is tightening. The Pharisees are seeing red, and they want Him dead. Jesus now has this decision to make. Is this the time that HeÕs going to make an appeal to Rome to protect Him? Is this the time that many, during this era would do was this the time for Jesus to raise an army to fight for Him? Was this the time for Him to go underground? What was He to do?

Well, Luke tells us what He did. It says, ÒNow it happened that at this time He went off to the mountain to pray.Ó Now, Luke doesnÕt specify which mountain Jesus ascended to pray. But apparently it was a well-known enough mountain that itÕs simply referred to as ÒtheÓ mountain. He doesnÕt even have to get specific about which mountain it is. ThereÕs some degree of familiarity here, apparently. Now weÕre here all these years later, on the other side of the world, and we may not know exactly what mountain Luke is referring to in this passage. But as good a guess as any, an educated guess, letÕs call it, would be Mount Eremos which is also called the Mount of Beatitudes, on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The very place where Jesus would give His sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5-7.

Now, interesting geographical note maybe I should call it a topographical note, cause this sort of foreshadows where weÕre going to go next Sunday morning is that next Sunday, Jesus is going to go down from this mountain. Down to a flat place. Down to a plain to give a message. But for now, in the scene before us today, weÕre told that HeÕs on this unnamed mountain, not to preach, but to pray. ÒNow it happened that at this time He went off to the mountain to pray.Ó

Now, we donÕt have an exact transcript of the words that Jesus prayed, on that mountain, at this time as He prayed throughout this night. But IÕm going to go ahead and make another educated guess, that the prayers that He prayed on this night looking at the context of this text where it sits in the narrative of LukeÕs Gospel. That His prayers were linked, both to the opposition that He was facing up to that point, from the Pharisees. But also, to the great task that was before Him, in naming the men, and raising up the men, that He would single out and send out to be His specially appointed representatives namely, His apostles.  Jesus had this momentous, critical, history-shaping decision to make, sitting right before Him and so He prayed. He was spending the whole night, it says, in prayer to God. 

Now, throughout the Gospel of Luke, we see that there is heavy emphasis placed on the prayer life of our Lord. In Luke 3:21, HeÕs recorded as ÒprayingÓ after being baptized. It says, ÒAnd while He was praying, heaven was opened.Ó Then you hear the voice of God the Father saying, this is ÒMy beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.Ó WeÕve already seen, back in Luke 5:16, as eager crowds began to converge on Him, as He healed the sick. And as news of His ministry of miracles began to spread, that ÒHe Himself [this is Luke 5:16] would often slip away to the desolate regions and pray.Ó In Luke 9:28-29, Luke records that Jesus was praying, at that very moment that He was transfigured in front of His followers. In Luke 11, when one of His disciples said to Him, ÒLord teach us to pray.Ó This was in the setting of Jesus already Òpraying [it says] in a certain place.Ó That disciple was observing Him in prayer, as He asked Him for teaching on how to pray. In Luke 22, in the Garden of Gethsemane, after instructing His disciples, in Luke 22:40, to Òpray that you may not enter into temptation.Ó WeÕre told in verse 41 that ÒHe withdrew from them about a stoneÕs throw, and He knelt down and began to pray.Ó

So, Jesus, in other words. During His life and ministry here on earth, as the Son of God who came to earth as the Son of Man who came for men, demonstrated a dedicated life of prayer. We see His commitment to prayer, not only in LukeÕs Gospel, by the way we see it in other Gospel accounts.
For instance, in Mark 1:35, we learn that Jesus prayed at all hours of the day. It was not only at night, but it was also in the morning. It says, ÒAnd in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus rose up, went out of the house, and went away to a desolate place, and was praying there.Ó So, whether youÕre an early bird, or a night owl you have an example in Jesus for how you ought to pray. How we all ought to pray. We have no excuse, in other words.

Another mark of JesusÕ prayers, is that they were always in accordance with the will of God. In MatthewÕs account of JesusÕ prayers immediately before His arrest at Gethsemane itÕs written this way, Matthew 26:39, ÒAnd He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ÔMy Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.Õ Then just a few verses later, in verse 42 there in Matthew 26, it says, ÒHe went away again a second time and prayed, saying, ÔMy Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.ÕÓ  Jesus shaped His prayers, in other words, according to the will of God the Father.

Speaking of God the Father. Jesus taught His disciples that when they prayed, they were to ÒhallowÓ, to revere, to uphold as holy, GodÕs name. 
Matthew 6:9, ÒPray, then, in this way, ÒOur Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.Ó In other words, He know who He was talking to in prayer. He knew, as it says in Proverbs 18:10, that the name of God is a Òstrong tower,Ó and Òthe righteous runs into it and is set securely on high.Ó In a similar vein, Jesus praised God through His prayers Matthew 11:25, He says, ÒI praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.Ó Prayer, then, was not some means by which Jesus was hoping to be given whatever He wanted. Prayer, rather, was this opportunity to ascribe to Yahweh the glory that was due His name. 

Another feature of JesusÕ prayers. Is that they were regularly oriented.  In Luke 22:31, Jesus said this to Peter, ÒSimon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat. But I have prayed earnestly for you, that your faith may not fail.Ó Or in the middle of His high priestly prayer to God the Father, in John 17:9, Jesus prayed this way, ÒI ask on their behalfÓ He was praying for His sheep. Praying for His people. To put a finer point on it, though He was, and though He is God, Jesus was committed to prayer. He was committed to praying at times which otherwise might have been deemed inconvenient. He was committed to praying in ways that aligned with the will of God. He was committed to praying in a manner which praised God. And He was committed to praying for others, as He petitioned God.

Of course, as those who call ourselves followers of Christ, followers of Jesus. As those who strive, as I John 2:6 says, Òto walk in the same manner as He walked.Ó The example set before us by our Lord, at least ought to provoke the thought. Does my prayer life follow the pattern that Jesus has set out for me? Is my prayer life follow the pattern that Jesus has set out for me? Is my prayer life sacrificial? Am I willing to make sacrifices for the privilege of communing with the God, my Father through prayer? Whether itÕs convenience, or comfort, or sleep? So that I can pour out my heart, through prayer, to the God who never slumbers and who never sleeps? Is my prayer life focused on seeking and doing the will of God? Is my prayer life in alignment with I John 5:14 which says, ÒAnd this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him?Ó

Or instead does my prayer life resemble the disposition of the average toddler, getting more of what I want, when I want it? Our prayer lives, along those same lines, worshipful? Do I take time, as IÕve prayed, to praise God? To express my adoration for Him? My gratitude to Him? Or do I instead just jump right into my list of all those things I hope HeÕll give me? Treating Him as just a cut above Santa Claus. A more sanctified version of a genie in a bottle. Hoping that HeÕll give me that new car or that tropical vacation or that chiseled six-pack or at least spare me of discomfort and trials for the next year or two. In His prayers, Jesus modeled for us what our prayers ought to look like and sound like. More importantly, He modeled for us the heart with which our prayers ought to be offered.

Back to our text, Luke 6:12 says, ÒNow it happened that at this time He went off to the mountain to pray, and He was spending the whole might in prayer to God.Ó With His conflicts with the Pharisees growing and intensifying, Jesus spent an entire night in prayer, from dusk until Dawn. Knowing that this path of suffering and death lay before Him. Knowing that this time had come for Him to choose men to carry on His message to the ends of the earth, for all generations, what did Jesus do?  He prayed. He prayed for men He had already chosen. The omniscient Son of God, He knew who He would choose. In fact, He had chosen those men before the foundation of the world, just like HeÕs chosen you or I, if we are in Christ, before the foundation of the world. But He was praying here for their work in the world. He was praying for their preparation for the work that He was going to assign them to do. He was praying for the work that they would do in the future when He was back with God the Father, at the FatherÕs right hand. Then the narrative switches in verse 13, which begins with these words, ÒAnd when day came.Ó So, night had passed, and now day had dawned. It says, ÒAnd when day came, He called His disciples to HimÓ

Now, letÕs stop there briefly with that word ÒdisciplesÓ, mathetas in Greek. That word comes from a term that simply means Òlearner.Ó Someone who is being taught as a student a pupil. Using that definition of a learner, a student, a pupil, Jesus had many disciples. Recalling what weÕve seen repeatedly in LukeÕs account of our LordÕs earthly ministry thus far, that He was a teacher and teachers, by definition, have students. Teachers have those who learn from them and Jesus had many who learned from Him. He had many disciples. In fact, if you drop down to verse 17 where weÕll be next Sunday morning, youÕll notice that Luke says, Òthere was a large crowd of His disciplesÓ around Him. ThatÕs describing a big group. WeÕre talking dozens, if not hundreds of individuals following Jesus around. Learning from Him. Soaking up His teaching. Students in ChristÕs curriculum, learning the way of the Master. 

Well, itÕs from this broader group of disciples, that Jesus would ultimately select the Twelve whom He would name as Òapostles.Ó Look at the rest of verse 13. After saying that Jesus Òcalled His disciples to Him.Ó Luke reports that He Òchose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles.Ó
Now, we will get to that list of twelve in verses 14-16, but before we do so, a few things to note about that word Òapostle.Ó Jesus, youÕll note, named these men Òas apostles.Ó What does that word mean? ÒApostleÓ, and how does that word ÒapostleÓ differ from the previous word ÒDiscipleÓ? Is there a difference between those two words ÒApostleÓ and ÒDiscipleÓ? Well, in one sense, Òno.Ó In another sense, Òyes.Ó 

HereÕs what I mean. ÒDisciples,Ó weÕve just heard, are learners. TheyÕre students. TheyÕre pupils. TheyÕre followers of Jesus. In JesusÕ time, a ÒdiscipleÓ would be anyone who followed Him around. Who was watching Him perform these miracles. Who was receiving and adhering to His teachings. ÒApostles,Ó though, were a different class. They were on a different tier of early followers of Christ. ÒApostlesÓ were a distinct, very small subset of ÒDisciples.Ó While each one of JesusÕ ÒApostlesÓ would have been in a broader category of being His disciples the inverse statement was not always true. Meaning, not all disciples of Jesus were also Apostles of Jesus. But the key takeaway. And the big idea to hold onto is ÒApostles were those who were specifically sent out by Jesus with specific delegated authority, to speak and to act for Him. The word ÒApostleÓ, apostolos in Greek, means someone who is sent. It comes from the Greek verb Òto send.Ó An ÒapostleÓ was a sent one. An ÒApostleÓ was a messenger.Ó One who had been chosen. One who had been called. One who had been sent by Jesus, to proclaim a message. To proclaim that message, in this context, knowing that that day was coming, when the One who had done the choosing. And the One who had done the calling. And the One who had done the sending would no longer be on this earth. 

So, back to our scene here in verse 13. After this night of prayer, on this mountain and once day had broken. It says, Jesus Òcalled His Disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as Apostles.Ó Then comes the list.

But if youÕll indulge me for just a moment, one more side trail, if I may, before we get to the list of the actual twelve. Before we get to the actual list of twelve, there is one more important question that I think I need to address, and we need to iron out. That question is how does one, who did one qualify to be an Apostle? That is an important question, because if you have watched a certain number of hours of late-night TV. Or if youÕve listened to a certain number of hours of Christian radio. Or if youÕve read a certain number of articles on Christianity Today.com. Or if youÕve listened to a certain number of Christian adjacent podcasts, you will know that there are many today who will claim that they are what? Apostles. Most of the time they will point to Ephesians 4:11-12. In fact, you can turn over there with me to Ephesians 4:11-12. It says, this is speaking of Jesus, ÒHe Himself gave some as Apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.Ó And those who will argue that there are Apostles today, will point to this text and say, Òlook!Ó ÒThere it is.Ó ÒJust as we have Ôpastors and teachersÕ today.Ó ÒWe have Apostles too.Ó ÒSo, I can call myself Apostle Myron.Ó ÒOr Apostle Phyllis.Ó ÒOr Apostle Whomever, so and so.Ó But no. No, thatÕs wrong. See, if we survey the entirety of the scriptures, not just looking at this one passage in Ephesians 4. If we survey the entirety of the scriptures, the totality of New Testament revelation. We will see that three clear tests arise. Three clear marks of genuine apostleship arise. And that any claim to be an apostle must be filtered through that three-part grid. 

Number One:
To be a true apostle, one must have been appointed by Jesus Christ Himself. As weÕre about to see, back in our text, you can go back to Luke 6, the men that Luke lists here were clearly appointed by Jesus. ThatÕs exactly whatÕs going on in our text. HeÕs naming them as Apostles. Then, of course, at the very end of the list, weÕll get into this later, but the end of the list is Judas. We know that Judas was a traitor. We know that Judas was eventually replaced by Matthias. But even Matthias met this standard of having been appointed by Jesus Christ Himself. Acts 1:24, there the apostles are praying about who will rise up to replace Judas after his betrayal. And they pray, asking Jesus to, ÒShow which one of these two You have chosen to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside.Ó And then they cast lots, and the lot falls on Matthias. So, even Matthias met this standard of having been appointed by Jesus. The apostle Paul, also not listed in this twelve met this standard of having been appointed directly by Jesus. In Galatians 1:1 it says, ÒPaul, an apostle not sent from men nor through men, but through Jesus Christ. ÒSo, an apostle, a true apostle must have been appointed directly by Jesus Christ. 

Number Two:
A true Apostle must have been a witness to the resurrected Christ. Each one of the men that weÕre about to look at, who were numbered among the original twelve, they met this test. Each was a witness to the resurrected Christ. And that, again, is true even of the one who would replace Judas, Matthias. Back to that scene in Acts 1, as those early apostles are identifying that the one who replace Judas, in Acts 1:22, Peter declares: Òone of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.Ó Meaning, whoever would be selected to be this new Apostle, had to have seen the resurrected Christ, so that he could then be a witness of the resurrected Christ. Even Paul, again, met this standard. Though not one of the twelve, he was a witness to the resurrected Christ, in that he witnessed Him after His ascension. Paul says that in I Corinthians 15:8, Òlast of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.Ó 

Number Three:
The third test of what it means to truly be an Apostle. A true Apostle must be able to confirm the message of Jesus through miraculous signs. ThatÕs exactly what it says in II Corinthians 12:12, ÒThe signs of a true Apostle were worked out among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.Ó Now, for those today, who claim to be ÒApostles.Ó They put all their eggs in that third basket. They will say that they have some sort of ability to perform signs and wonders and miracles; whether that be healing, or leg lengthening, or wallet filling whatever the case may be. But putting that aside for the moment. Whether theyÕre self-proclaimed ability to do the miraculous. Whether it is even in fact miraculous. What those folks conveniently bypass are the first two tests. That an individual, to be an Apostle, must have been personally appointed by Jesus Christ, which they were not. And they must have personally witnessed Christ in His resurrected state, which they have not. 

So, putting all of that together. There are no Apostles today. There are no human Apostles today. ÒGodÕs household [as it says in Ephesians 2:20] has been built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, [with] Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.Ó And that foundation has once and forever been laid. You donÕt re-lay that foundation. We have apostolic teaching today, to be sure, in the written revelation of the Word of God. But there are no Apostles in our day. 

Well, there were Apostles in JesusÕ day. Getting back to our text here in Luke 6, specifically now in verses 14-16, weÕre going to see that Jesus named twelve of them. Look at verses 14-16, it says, IÕll go back to verse 13, ÒAnd when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as Apostles, here comes the list: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.Ó So, twelve men. Twelve apostles. WeÕll work through these one by one. Making some observation along the way.

Starting with verse 14, ÒSimon, whom He also named Peter.Ó Peter, we know, was a fisherman by trade. Which plays into that encounter he had with Jesus, which weÕve already looked at back in Luke 5. You can turn with me over to Luke 5:10. And here we see that after helping Peter and his men to bring in that miraculous haul of fish, Jesus said to Peter in verse 10, ÒDo not fear, from now on you will be catching men.Ó Then note what Peter and also James and John, his partners did in verse 11, it says, ÒAnd when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.Ó Though the name that Jesus gives this man, Cephas in Aramaic, Petros or Peter in Greek. Thought that name means ÒrockÓ or ÒstoneÓ, would suggest that this man would consistently be strong and steadfast. The reality is, we know, that Peter was anything but. Peter was sort of all over the place, personality, disposition wise. Peter was a man of many contradictions. Peter was a man who denied Christ three times. Peter was that man who was seemingly always quick to speak with his perpetually foot-shaped mouth. But there were those humble moments too. Right? A few months ago, we went through that scene in John 21, where Peter showed his tender, repentant, contrite side, in that lakeside breakfast scene with Jesus. So, Peter, in a lot of ways, was sort of hot and cold. In some moments he was impulsive. And in some moments, he was fickle. And other times he appeared to be this clear-minded, humble leader. ThatÕs Peter. 

Next, is Andrew. Andrew his brother, it says here in verse 14. Also, a fisherman, Andrew was not only PeterÕs brother, but he was actually the one who brought Peter to meet Jesus in the first place. Now you can turn with me, back to JohnÕs Gospel. Look with me at John 1. The setting here is,  Andrew has actually gone out to hear John the Baptist preaching his message of repentance. Andrew believed John the BaptistÕs message and he became one of John the BaptistÕs Disciples. Well, eventually, Andrew was introduced, through John, to Jesus. And through that introduction, he came to realize that Jesus was the Messiah. Then He brought his brother, Simon-Peter to meet Him. John 1:40 records the scene, ÒOne of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon PeterÕs brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ÔWe have found the MessiahÕ (which translated means Christ). Look at that first sentence of verse 42, ÒHe brought him to Jesus.Ó So, Andrew brought Peter to meet Jesus. Now, other than his vocation, as a fisherman, other than his place of origin, Bethsaida, other than his relationship to Peter, his brother, other than the fact that he was the one who first led Peter to meet Jesus. Scripture doesnÕt say much else about Andrew. He appears in large part to have been somewhat functioning in his more famous brotherÕs longer shadow. But that never seemed to bother Andrew. As you survey the scriptures and what they reveal about Andrew, there appears to be no resentment of the fact that though PeterÕs brother, heÕs always portrayed as being helpful, humble, despite having this longer shadow that he was in. 


Next, back to our passage in Luke 6:14, we have James. This is our third name on the list. James and the next on one on the list John. They are regularly described as a pair. They often come together because theyÕre brothers. TheyÕre both sons of Zebedee. And what weÕre going to do, is weÕre going to highlight them together, because theyÕre often referred to together. Then IÕll tease out a few different distinguishing characteristics or marks of each. As weÕve already seen, back in Luke 5:10-11, both these men, James and John were fishermen, who worked along side Simon and Andrew. When James and John were called to follow Jesus we know that they got to experience their own form of close, intimate fellowship with Him. They were in JesusÕ inner ring. Both James and John, for instance, were there with Jesus when He raised JairusÕ daughter, in Luke 8:51. Both James and John were there in Luke 9, at the transfiguration of Jesus where they received this privileged glimpse of the divine glory of Jesus, as it shown through on that Mount. 

The only problem is what they experienced and the privileges they experienced apparently got to their head. Because over in the Gospel of Mark, in Mark 10 we see that after receiving this staggering display of JesusÕ divine glory on the Mount of transfiguration it was James and John who immediately began quibbling over who was the greatest between them. It was James and John who began debating over who would have the most privileged seat in JesusÕ future coming kingdom. Then thereÕs that account, in Luke 9, where Jesus begins preaching in this Samaritan town, and when the whole town doesnÕt fall on their knees in repentance, and beg Jesus for forgiveness, and immediately declare their allegiance to Him. ItÕs James and John who say to Him, in Luke 9:54, should we Òcommand fire to come down from heaven and consume them.Ó 
Quite the evangelism strategy. Bend the knee or burn. ThatÕs how James and John rolled. The point being, these brothers, James and John, they had some blind spots. They each had this fiery, stormy, energetic personalities, especially in those early years. Which is why Jesus would refer to them as the ÒSons of Thunder.Ó But, over the years, Jesus significantly softened them, as He molded them. As they learned in His school. James, in fact, was the first to die a martyrÕs death. The first of the twelve to die a martyrÕs death. ThatÕs recorded in Acts 12, where King Herod of Judea is reported as having executed him. It says, ÒNow about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to harm them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.Ó
So, thatÕs James.

Then John, the brother, had his own story. In terms of how he developed and how he grew. How he matured over the years. John, of course, would go on to become the human author of the Gospel of John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and the book of Revelation. John was the one who was called the Apostle Òwhom Jesus lovedÓ in John 13:23. While James, his brother was the first of the twelve to die. John, we believe, was the last. He would go on to live upwards of 90 years old suffering for Christ along the way. Being imprisoned on the island of Patmos, we know before eventually dying of natural causes in Ephesus. As the years went on, John, this former ÒSon of ThunderÓ would be known more as being Òthe Apostle of love.Ó He would be the one who would go on to eventually write, in I John 4:8, that God is a God of love. HeÕs the one who would write, in John 3:16, that God loves the world. HeÕs the one who would write, in John 5:20, that God the Father loves His Son. HeÕs the one who would write, in John 14:21, that God the Father loves His SonÕs followers. HeÕs the one who would write, in John 15:12 that Jesus, GodÕs Son, loves His Disciples. HeÕs the one who would write, in John 14:15, that the followers of Jesus, love Him in return. He is also the one who would write, in John 13:35, that all believers in Jesus, should love one another, because this is the mark of Discipleship. This is how the world knows that we are truly of Him. So, John, in other words, started as this hyper-zealous young man. This ÒSon of ThunderÓ who wanted to set on fire, cities who wouldnÕt immediately bow the knee to his teacher, his master only to go on to become this gracious, caring, loving older man and a worthy example for anyone to follow. 


Next, is ÒPhilip.Ó Philip is also listed here in verse 14. This is not the Philip that we see in Acts 8, who had that encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. That was Philip the evangelist. Here, we have Philip the Apostle. If you would, go back with me to John 1, because itÕs in this scene in John 1, that we have a few more details given to us about the life of Philip, in one of the Gospel accounts. This is John 1:44, it says, ÒNow Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ÔWe have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote Ð Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.Õ And Nathanael said to him, ÔCan any good thing come out of Nazareth?Õ Philip said to him, ÔCome and see.ÕÓ Now, Philip is portrayed in a few other places in the Gospel of John, as being a rather ordinary Disciple. An ordinary Apostle. One who often struggled to fully grasp whatever it was the Lord was doing. For instance, in the instance of the feeding of the 5,000. You can go over with me to John 6, actually, to see this one. In the feeding of the five thousand scene, Jesus asks Philip a question. John 6:5, ÒWhere should we buy bread, so that these people may eat?Ó And Philip, two verses later, in verse 7 answers Him. He says, ÒTwo hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.Ó So, Philip here is basically running the numbers. HeÕs doing the math. HeÕs trying to add everything up. And heÕs quickly realizing, with that calculator-like brain of his, that itÕs not going to add up. That theyÕre not going to be able to feed everybody. HeÕs completely overlooked the power of Jesus to overcome any mathematical conundrum. Or in John 14, you could flip over there next. ThereÕs this scene where Philip, again, clearly wasnÕt able to grasp the profundity of what Christ was proclaiming to him. Look at John 14:7. These are the words of Jesus, He says, ÒIf you have come to know Me, you will know My Father also; from now on you know Him and have seen Him.Ó Then look who speaks up in verse 8, ÒPhilip said to Him, ÔLord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.ÕÓ In verse 9, ÒJesus said to him, ÔHave I been with you all so long and have you not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ÒShow us the FatherÓ?ÕÓ So, Philip is this very organized, methodical, linier type of thinker. HeÕs good at crunching numbers. HeÕs good at the equation, the formula thatÕs right before him. HeÕs a little slow, though, to catching on to the spiritual truths, that Jesus is imparting to him. Jesus is saying, IÕm showing you the Father right now, by being in your presence and Philip has something else in mind. Jesus chose him anyway, to be one of His disciples. He needed a guy like that, He decided, to be on the team of twelve. 

Back to our text. Back to Luke 6:14, we get our next one Bartholomew. Now, other than the four different places in the New Testament, where we see these lists of twelve. Three in the Gospels. One in the book of Acts. This name, Bartholomew, is mentioned nowhere else in the New Testament. Although, I do think this man appears elsewhere in the New Testament, albeit by another name his second name, Nathanael. I believe ÒBartholomewÓ and ÒNathanaelÓ are referring to the same person. Bartholomew, just to get a little nerdy with you here is a patronym. A patronym is simply a name that identifies someone as being the son of someone else. Bartholomew would have been the son of Ð the word in Hebrew, for son is bar. He would have been the Son Òof Tolmai.Ó Or we might think of it as Tolomy. Bartholomew was the son of Tolmai. But his actual name was Nathanael. In fact, go back with me to John 1, weÕve already seen this man mentioned in John 1where he interacted with Philip. John 1:45, Philip there says to him IÕll read from verse 44 where weÕre catching up. ÒNow Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael [Bartholomew] and said to him we have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.Ó To which Nathanael, Bartholomew, famously replied, ÒCan any good thing come out of Nazareth?Ó So, like Peter, Bartholomew-Nathanael, would go down in history as being a little bit sharp. A little bit rash with his words. But then, reading on. We see that Nathanael has this opportunity now to interact with Jesus directly. Look at verses 47-49, this is the only recorded verbal interaction between these two in the scriptures. Verse 47, ÒJesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said about him, ÔBehold, truly and Israelite in whom there is no deceit!Õ Nathanael said to Him, ÔFrom where do You know me?Õ  Jesus answered and said to him, ÔBefore Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.Õ Nathanael answered Him, ÔRabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.ÕÓ So, in this moment, Nathanael confesses Jesus as the ÒSon of God, the King of Israel.Ó Then later, the ÒSon of GodÓ would name him, Nathanael-Bartholomew, as one of His Apostles. 

Back to Luke 6:15. Next, we have ÒMatthew.Ó We wonÕt spend too much time on him of this man also called ÒLevi.Ó Because we just worked through his story at length, a few weeks ago. But just by way of brief review, remember this is the man who, when Jesus called him, was a tax collector, working for the Roman government just outside of Capernaum. Doing work that was considered the lowest of the low among fellow Jews. But we also saw that Levi-Matthew, also left everything to follow Christ. And then was eventually named, as we see here, as one of His Apostles. 

Next, number eight, is ÒThomas.Ó HeÕs mentioned in verse 15. This man is also referred to, in the Gospels by another name, ÒDidymusÓ is another name that he goes by, or heÕs referred to as. And that word ÒDidymusÓ means ÒTwin.Ó So, apparently, he had a twin brother twin sister, weÕre not sure. What this man is most known for is his doubt. He goes down in history, does Thomas, as Òdoubting Thomas.Ó The reason he does so is given over in John 20. Turn with me to John 20:24, this is that scene, where after our LordÕs resurrection, Thomas is noticeably vocal in expressing his doubts as to whether Jesus had truly risen from the grave. John 20:24 says, ÒBut Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, [thereÕs that other name] was not with them when Jesus came. So, the other disciples were saying to him, ÔWe have seen the Lord!Õ But he said to them, ÔUnless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.Õ And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ÔPeace be with you.Õ Then He said to Thomas, ÔBring you finger here, and see My hands; and bring you hand here and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.Õ Thomas answered and said to Him, ÔMy Lord and my God!Õ Jesus said to him, ÔBecause you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed.ÕÓ So, thatÕs the story. ThatÕs how we get the idea of Thomas being Òdoubting Thomas.Ó But I have to say, itÕs a little bit unfair to mark Thomas merely as being a doubter. Because earlier in JohnÕs Gospel, go back to John 11. WeÕre going to see another side of Thomas. Which is that he was incredibly devoted to Jesus. 

The setting here in John 11 is the raising of Lazarus. The death of Lazarus, the raising of Lazarus and Jesus here has just learned that Lazarus is sick. He suggests to His disciples in verse 7, that they Ògo to JudeaÓ, He says Òlet us go to Judea again.Õ So that He could go be with Lazarus and heal him. Well, his Disciples objected. They didnÕt like that idea. They didnÕt like that idea because of the fact that Jews in that region had just tried to kill Jesus. So, was He really planning to go right back to that place of opposition? But look at His reply, our LordÕs reply in verse 11. John 11:11, He says, ÒOur friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him.Ó So, He is going against the conventional wisdom. And then down in verse 16, John records this of Thomas, ÒTherefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow Disciples, ÔLet us also go, so that we may die with Him.ÕÓ Meaning, with Jesus. In other words, Thomas was sure that Jesus, by going into Judea to heal Lazarus, was Himself going to die and Thomas was ready to die with Him. So, yes, Thomas had his moments of doubt. But he also was incredibly devoted to Jesus Christ. 

Back to our text, Luke 6:15, number nine on the list, is ÒJames the son of Alphaeus.Ó Now, there are several James mentioned in the New Testament. We have James, the brother of John, one of the sons of Zebedee, who weÕve already encountered. We have James the brother of Jesus. We know that Jesus had other siblings, contrary to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. But then thereÕs this James, Òthe son of Alphaeus.Ó  Of this James, the only thing we know about him, is really that his father was named ÒAlphaeus.Ó ItÕs possible that this ÒJamesÓ is also the ÒJames the LessÓ mentioned over in Mark 15. But the reality is, weÕre not totally sure. All we know, is that this man James, was Òthe son of Alphaeus.Ó He never wrote a book of the Bible. He doesnÕt have a recorded sermon that we can point to. All we know is what Luke here in the other Gospel writers record, which is that Jesus saw fit to choose him as one of His Twelve. 


Number ten, end of verse 15. Luke 6:15 is ÒSimon who was called the Zealot.Ó Luke uses that label to identify this man named ÒSimonÓ to distinguish him from ÒSimon Peter.Ó Unlike Simon Peter, of whom we know much we know very little about this ÒSimonÓ, except for this label thatÕs attached to him. That he was Òcalled the Zealot.Ó And that word ÒZealotÓ isnÕt some generic label. ItÕs not some sort of generic statement to say that this was a guy that was just passionate about a bunch of different causes. No. ThereÕs a specific meaning to this. This man was a nationalist. This man was a political revolutionary. This man was a part of fanatical party of Jews, who were looking to revolt against the Roman Empire, based on unfair taxation practices. SimonÕs political views would have raised all sorts of red flags for those who were linked to him. This would have put a target on SimonÕs back, to be called this. Also, a target on JesusÕ back, to be linked to this man. So, by associating with Simon the Zealot, Jesus was taking a chance. But He called him. He called this man, to be one of His Twelve. 

The list concludes now, with two Judases numbers eleven and twelve on the list of Twelve. Apostle number eleven, verse 16, was, ÒJudas the son of James.Ó Now, notwithstanding its connotations today. I mean, weÕve all heard the word ÒJudasÓ used as a descriptive term. To talk about a turn coat, a Benidict Arnold kind of person. Right? The name ÒJudasÓ actually is a wonderful word. ItÕs a beautiful word in Hebrew. It would actually means ÒYahweh leads.Ó  God leads. It was only after the betrayal by the other Judas, Judas Iscariot, that this name, like Jezebel, was forever tarnished, and never used again. Well, this man, ÒJudas the son of JamesÓ, was actually better known by a different name. Another name that heÕs referred to as, in the New Testament, that name being Thaddeus. Judas the Son of James is also known as Thaddeus in both MatthewÕs Gospel and MarkÕs Gospel. But here in Luke, he refers to him simply as ÒJudasÓ. And then immediately clarifies which Judas he is talking about. ItÕs as though Luke is saying ÒOh, no, itÕs not that Judas.Ó ÒNot that one, not the Judas youÕre thinking of.Ó ÒHeavens, no.Ó ÒIÕll get to him later; this is the good Judas.Ó ÒThis is Thaddeus.Ó Well, whether itÕs the name ÒJudasÓ or ÒThaddeus.Ó ThereÕs only one other place in scripture where this manÕs words are recorded and thatÕs back in John 14. Go back to John 14, briefly, if you would. John 14, and weÕll start in verse 21 here. Jesus here is addressing His disciples, and He says, ÒHe who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.Ó
This is where Judas or Thaddeus speaks up. This is where we have his words recorded in verse 22. ÒJudas [look at the parenthetical there] (not Iscariot) said to Him, ÔLord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?ÕÓ

See, this man was heartbroken, as he thought about the rest of the world not having the benefit of seeing the Lord, and hearing from the Lord like he and the other Apostles, or the other Disciples have. He couldnÕt believe that Jesus would reveal Himself to the likes of him but not to the whole world. There is actually a real sweetness and tender-hearted humility here underlying these words. And then, Jesus gives these words of assurance, in verse 23, ÒJesus answered and said to him, ÔIf anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.ÕÓ But thatÕs it. That is the only record we have of this man, ÒJudas the son of JamesÓ, speaking or sharing anywhere in scripture. We donÕt have any record of his accomplishments his tendencies his thoughts. All we know is what Luke 6 tells us, which is that Jesus chose him to be one of His Twelve apostles. 

Well, last. And I think I can say very much at least. We come to the end of the list with Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Now, ÒIscariotÓ was not this manÕs last name. Instead, this word ÒIscariotÓ highlights the town he was from, Kerioth. Which was in the southern region of Judah. Though originally one of the Twelve, and apparently a trusted member of the Twelve he was the one who kept the Òmoney box.Ó He was the treasurer. Judas, of course, is most known for being a traitor. Judas is the one who, when Satan entered into him, he betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Judas is the one who would go down in eternal infamy for selling off the Shepherd of Israel, for thirty pieces of silver, in fulfillment of Zechariah 11, the Old Testament prophecy. Judas is the one for whom Jesus would say, in Matthew 26:24, ÒIt would have been good for that man if he had not been born.Ó Judas eventually came to understand the wickedness he had done by saying, in Matthew 27:4, ÒI have sinned by betraying innocent blood.Ó Before, as the scriptures record, he took his own life. A sad story, of course, if there ever was one. Judas heard the greatest sermons ever preached. Right? Judas had witnessed, firsthand, the very miracles of Jesus, that we still marvel at and talk about today. Judas had been exposed to the light and yet he still wanted the darkness. Judas identified outwardly with Jesus. He would have called himself a follower of Jesus. A believer in Jesus. But in reality, he was a fake, all along. A sober reality, if there ever was one. ThereÕs a solid difference between sort of riding on the coat tails of Christianity and actually being a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. 

We need to stop there. This morning, weÕve been up on the mountain with Jesus, you could say as He prayed. As He appointed these men. As He appointed this diverse group of men. A pragmatic man like Philip. And He had a rash man like Peter. He had a devoted man like Thomas. He had a traitor like Judas. He had a tax-hating revolutionary like Simon the Zealot. And He had an actual tax collector in Levi, Matthew. So, though this was a diverse group of men at the same time it was a diverse group that had a common goal, and a common objective, which was to proclaim Jesus as Messiah, Savior and Lord. WeÕve been up on the mountain with Jesus this week. Next Sunday, as we get into verse 17 and following, weÕre going to come down that mountain, and on to a plain Òa level placeÓ it says, where Jesus would teach some of the most profound truths ever to fall on the ears of men. 

LetÕs pray.

God, we thank You for this morning, and this time of fellowship around and teaching from and instruction in Your Word. Thank You for what You have recorded in the Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, about the life and the death and the ministry of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I do pray, that as we consider these Twelve, whom Jesus called, that we would see the diversity of the types of people that Jesus calls, to serve Him, as He saves them, and calls them into His service. At the same time, there is one mandate and one mission, which is to proclaim Him. To proclaim His message of repentance and faith in the Gospel that He came to share. I do pray for us, as we look at our role, today, in the church age, in our part of history. That we would take that mandate, that commission HeÕs given us, seriously. To proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to the ends of the earth. To all who would hear that message. God, if thereÕs someone here that does not know Jesus today, I pray that today would be the day that You would cause the scales to fall off their eyes, as truth goes into their ears, and most importantly, into their hearts, as they hear this message that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. And that there is not salvation found in any other name above heaven, on earth, or under the earth, but Jesus the Messiah. May You call more to Yourself, for Your glory today. We pray in JesusÕ name. Amen