The Gospel and the Kingdom - Matthew - Jesus Instructions to Former Disciples - Part 2

 

TEXT: Matthew 10:1-14 – And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Today we’re continuing our series in Matthew and Jesus is apparently giving instructions to three kinds of Disciples – each living at a different time period. Instructions to:

• ·      To former disciples living in the time He was with them
• ·      To future disciples living during the time of the Great Tribulation
• ·      To faithful disciples living throughout church history.

We will continue to look at the first group today. This first group is who we tend to call the Apostles (verse 2). So, you ask, “What is an Apostle?” The Greek word used here –  Apostolos – means a messenger, one sent forth with orders.  We already viewed Peter, Andrew, and James. Let’s see the next three – John, Philip, and Bartholomew.

The Apostle John – known as the “disciple Jesus loved,” was also a part of the inner three. (John 3:23) He wrote a large portion of the New Testament—The book of John, 1, 2, and 3 John, and the book of Revelation. He wrote more about love than any other New Testament author. His close proximity to Jesus taught him much about love. He was exiled to the island of Patmos under Domitian, but after his death, John was allowed to return to Ephesus where he governed churches in Asia until his death at about  A.D. 100.

This is followed in the list by Philip. What do we know about Philip? Almost nothing. Although a Jew, we only know him by his Greek name, Philip. With a heart for evangelism, he was anxious to tell Nathanael about the One foretold by Moses and the prophets had been found. (John 1:45) He and Nathaniel appear to be close companions and possibly studied the Old Testament together. Philip was stoned and crucified in Hierapolis, Phrygia.

The last one we are seeing today is Bartholomew – also known as Nathanael came from Cana in Galilee. (John 21:2) He expressed some local prejudice about Nazareth. (John 1:46) Jesus recognized how sincerely his love for God was from the beginning when He said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (John 1:47) Nathanael may have preached in India and translated the book of Matthew into their language. He was beaten, crucified, and beheaded. He died as a martyr while serving the people of Armenia.

So, once again, let me challenge you to ponder upon these three hand-picked Apostles, and consider what we can learn from them to apply to our lives today.