The 12 men that Jesus chose to be His apostles were plain, ordinary, common men, who were weak and sinful, just like you and I. God still delights in choosing the weak and foolish and base things of the world to confound the wise, so that all boasting must be in Him.
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The Master’s Men
Luke 6:12-16
There is an old legend that says that when Jesus had been crucified, risen, and ascended to heaven, he was met by the angel Gabriel.
Gabriel asked Him, “What happened when you were on the earth? Did they make you King?
Jesus said “No.”
Gabriel asked, “Did they worship you?”
Jesus said, “Some did, but most didn’t.”
Gabriel asked, “Well, then what happened.”
Jesus said, “They crucified Me.”
Gabriel responded, “Surely after you died and rose again, everyone believed in You. Surely they all understand that Your death and resurrection was so that they might be saved.”
Jesus said, “No, almost no one believes.”
Gabriel then said, “Well then, what is your plan to make sure that the whole world hears what You have done for them?”
Jesus said, “Before I left, I chose 12 men, and commanded them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing those who believed.”
Gabriel said, “But Jesus, that’s a very tall order. What if they let you down, and fail to do what You told them to do? What is Your other plan?”
Jesus responded, “I have no other plan.”
Today in our text, we are going to be introduced to the Master’s men – the men who turned the world upside down as they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Luke 6:12 says, “It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray.” What time is Luke referring to? Luke has been showing us the increasing hostility of the religious leaders to Jesus Christ. In Luke 4, when they heard Him announce that He was the Messiah, and that God was free to bless whomever He wanted, they tried to throw Him off the brow of a cliff to kill Him. In Luke 5 when Jesus announced to the paralytic that His sins were forgiven, the religious leaders said that He was blaspheming because only God can forgive sins. Later in that same chapter when Jesus went to Matthew’s big party and ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners, they grumbled and criticized Him to His disciples. Still later they came to Jesus and complained that He and His disciples weren’t fasting like they were. In Luke 6 these religious leaders condemned Jesus for allowing His disciples to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath, and then they condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Their response was that they were filled with rage and talked together about how they could get rid of Jesus. So, it was at this time, when the hostility was raging between Jesus and the religious leaders. Jesus knew it would not be long before they would crucify Him. He would not be with His disciples much longer, so He deliberately chose 12 of them, and then poured Himself into them in the remaining months He had left.
This morning we are going to ask 2 questions of our text:
- Who Were the Master’s Men?
- What did Jesus do for His Men?
1. Who Were The Master’s Men?
Simon, whom He also named Peter: There are 4 lists of the apostles, one in Matthew, one in Mark, this one in Luke, and another in Acts 1. In every single list, Peter’s name is given first. In fact, in Matthew 10:2 it says, “The first, Simon, who is called Peter.” Although Peter had the same authority as all the rest of the apostles, he was the spokesman and leader of the rest. I think this hints that some will be leaders among leaders, a kind of first among equals in the Church.
I find it very interesting that we have almost no information on some of these apostles, but when it comes to Peter we have a huge amount of information. His name surfaces about 180 times in the New Testament, more the other 11 disciples combined; even more than the apostle Paul. Simon means “wavering one”, but Jesus had nicknamed him “Rock” which was what Jesus would make him into. It was Peter who spoke on the behalf of the 11 on the Day of Pentecost, preaching Christ until 3,000 people were converted and baptized on that same day. It was Peter who healed the lame man at the Gate Beautiful. It was Peter who preached boldly to the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin, telling them, “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” It was Peter who stared down Ananias and told him that He had lied to God. It was also Peter who told Saphira that she would die under the judgment of God. Peter developed such a reputation that the people of Jerusalem would carry the sick and lay them in the streets, hoping that at least his shadow would fall on one of them. It was Peter, along with John, who went down to the new converts of Philip in Samaria and laid their hands on them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. It was Peter who went to Cornelius’ household, preached the gospel, and saw the whole household converted and baptized. It was Peter who healed Aeneas who had been bedridden 8 years. It was Peter who raised up Tabitha from the dead. It was Peter who was arrested and put in prison, but who was miraculously delivered by an angel in the middle of the night. Wow, what an impressive dude, right?
Well, consider him when Jesus found him. When we meet him in the gospels he’s always got a foot-shaped mouth, always saying the wrong things at the wrong time. When he was on the Mount of transfiguration, watching Jesus being transfigured before them, he blurts out, “Lord let’s make 3 tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While Peter is still speaking, God speaks out of the cloud and says, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” In other words, shut your trap, stop talking, and listen to Jesus! When Jesus told His disciples that was going to suffer and die in Jerusalem from the hands of the scribes, Peter took Him aside, and rebuked the Lord and said, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” Jesus had to say to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
And then of course, we remember that it was Peter who denied the Lord three times before His crucifixion. Peter had a number of strengths, but even a greater number of weaknesses.
Perhaps Peter reminds you of yourself. Maybe you enjoy talking and you’ve got a huge heart, but have a tendency to speak first and think later. Maybe you can relate to Peter.
Andrew his brother: It was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus. In fact, whenever you find Andrew in the Scriptures, he’s always bringing someone to Jesus. Andrew did not thrust himself forward. He was not in the limelight. In fact, he seems to be very content, just serving in the background. There’s a quietness about him. He doesn’t put himself forward. He’s not the first to speak. He was known as “Simon Peter’s brother.” I love this guy. The church needs more Andrews – humble, self-effacing guys who don’t care about applause and praise of men, but are perfectly content to serve the Lord in the shadows of others.
Perhaps you can relate to Andrew. You’ve always been in someone else’s shadow – maybe your older brother or sister. They were always the star, and you were just their brother. But, you’re OK with that.
James and John: Jesus nicknamed these two brothers, “sons of thunder.” I wonder how they got that nickname? Could it be when some Samaritans would not show Jesus hospitality, and they asked Him if they could call down fire from heaven to burn them to a crisp? Great evangelistic methods, huh? If they won’t believe, just burn them up, Lord! You Clint Eastwood types really like James and John. I find it extremely interesting that at the end of John’s life, he was referred to as the apostle of love. When he was so old that he had to be carried in to the church, he would have only one word of instruction, “Little children, love one another.” Jesus transformed him from a son of thunder, to a son of love. James went on to be the first martyr in the Christian church, being slain by the sword. John goes on to write not only the gospel of John, but also 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Revelation.
Philip: Philip was also a man who brought others to Jesus. Philip brought Nathaniel to Jesus. It was also Philip who said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus responded, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’
Bartholomew: Bartholomew is not really a name. Bar means “son of”. So, Bartholomew just means “son of Talmi.” The name he usually went by was Nathaniel. It was Nathaniel the skeptic that said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Matthew: We were introduced to Matthew just a few weeks ago. He was a traitor, one who collected taxes from the Jews and gave it to the hated Romans. He was despised and distrusted. A good Jew would not have anything to do with him. Yet, Matthew was gloriously converted by Jesus Christ, and went on to write one of the four gospels in our Bibles.
Thomas: We get our first glimpse of Thomas in John 11. Jesus received word that his friend, Lazarus, was sick. Because Jesus loved Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Afterward, he told his disciples that they must go back to Judea again. The disciples were astonished, because the Jews were just trying to stone Jesus to death. Jesus told them that He must go to awaken Lazarus out of sleep. Of course they didn’t understand, so Jesus told them plainly that Lazarus was dead. At that point, Thomas pipes up and says to all of his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” Don’t you just love Thomas?! What a loyal, true, and faithful disciple! If Jesus was going to die, then he wanted to go and die right along with him!
Later we find Thomas again in John 14. Jesus tells His disciples “you know the way where I am going?” Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” And his question elicits Jesus famous response, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
However, Thomas is primarily known, not for his loyalty, or questions, but for his doubts. You will recall that after Jesus died, the other disciples reported to Thomas that they had seen Jesus alive from the dead. Do you remember what Thomas said? “Unless 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.” Then a week later, Jesus appeared to all of them again, including Thomas. The Lord spoke directly to Thomas and said, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God!”
James, the son of Alphaeus: I know this can get confusing, because there are a bunch of James in the Bible. We have already been introduced to another James, the brother of John, the son of Zebedee. He was the one Herod had slain with the sword in Acts 12. Then there is James, the brother of Jesus. He is the one who wrote the book of James in our Bible. Tradition says that later in life he was thrown off the pinnacle of the temple, and then clubbed to death. Well, this is a 3rd James. He is called James the son of Alphaeus to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee. He is also called James the less, maybe because he was shorter and smaller than the other James. So, you have Big James, and Little James.
Simon who was called the Zealot: Simon was a political, right-winged radical. He hates Rome. The zealots were famous for walking around with daggers hidden under their cloaks. When they found a Roman official by himself, they would quickly plunge their dagger into his heart. Their objective was to stamp out Roman rule over the Jews. Can you imagine the dinner talk when Simon and Matthew got together?! Here is Matthew who worked for the Romans, and then there is Simon who hated the Romans! In any other context, Simon might have been the guy plunging his dagger into Simon’s heart. That is, until both of them began following the Master.
Judas, the son of James: We really don’t know very much about this Judas. His distinguishing characteristic is that he is not Iscariot. He is called Thaddeus in the other gospels. I can understand why they would have called him Thaddeus. The name of Judas carried such a stigma that the gospel writers preferred to call him by his other name “Thaddeus.” Not many people name their baby “Adolph” any more, do they?
Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor: In every listing of the apostles, Judas is mentioned last, and in every account we are told that he was the one who betrayed Jesus. The book of Jude was written by Jesus’ half-brother. We are told in Mt. 13 that his real name was Judas. The early church was so opposed to the name Judas, that they shortened it to Jude to avoid the stigma of that name.
So, why would Jesus deliberately choose Judas, after spending an entire night in prayer? Did He not know that Judas would betray Him? Oh, he knew it all right. In John 6:70 Jesus said, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas would betray Him, yet He chose Him anyway. Why? Because He came into the world to die for sinners, and Judas would be the human instrument through which He would die. In fact, in John 17:12 Jesus prayed, “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” In Mt. 26:23-24 Jesus said, d”He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” Judas was predestined to be the one that would betray Jesus. So, did that mean that He was guiltless for his crime? Of course not! He is fully culpable and liable for his sin of betraying Jesus Christ. In fact, it would have been good for him if he had not been born. Why? Because having been born, now he must face endless punishment in hell. You see, Judas was never a true convert. In John 13:10-11 Jesus said, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” That’s why he is called the son of perdition. Perdition means damnation. Judas was the son of damnation. That’s why in Acts 1:25 the Bible says that he went to his own place. Judas was never a true believer. He never experienced the saving grace of God.
Judas stands forever as a warning to all church members, and especially to church leaders. He had all the privileges of all the other apostles. He spent three years in the inner circle with Jesus Christ. He was granted power to cast out demons and heal the sick. Yet he still sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. Anyone that looked at Judas would have said, “There’s a fine disciple. Look at how he commands the demons, and heals the sick.” Yet, he is in hell today. Let that be a warning to you, professing Christian. Professing something doesn’t make it so. Make sure that you truly possess the grace of God in truth!
Now, let me ask you – would you have chosen these 12 men to turn the world upside down? Not hardly! Who do we have in this bunch? We have an impetuous loudmouth, two men with bad tempers, a skeptic, a rip-off artist, a doubter, a political radical, and a traitor. Not exactly the “Who’s Who of 1st Century Jews” right? They were weak and sinful men.
They were also common, ordinary men. There was not a single Pharisee, scribe, or priest in the bunch. There was no member of the Sanhedrin. There was no Hebrew scholar. These were fishermen and tax collectors, for goodness’ sake! They were not the Movers and Shakers of the first century. There were no rich and famous ones among them. You would not have watched them on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Their faces would not adorn the cover of People magazine. They were ordinary!
Now, why would Jesus choose 12 ordinary, weak, sinful guys? Number one, Because that’s all there was, and number 2 to display His own glory and power. You see, when these 12 ordinary guys shook the world for Jesus Christ, and set up the Church in all the world, you could never look at them as the explanation. God wanted to make sure that it was obvious that He was doing this work. Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” We are just cracked pots. He is the treasure that releases supernatural power!
In fact Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:26, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” How many of you would be considered the “wise, the mighty, the noble”? Probably none of you. And you know what? That’s on purpose! God chooses the foolish, the weak, the base, and the despised. Why? So that no many may boast before God! If God chose the Donald Trumps, and the Tom Cruises, and the Barry Bonds of this world, they could boast before God, because of their great talents. But he chose the nobodys that He would get the glory.
If a surgeon performed a very sophisticated and delicate brain surgery using the latest state-of-the art machinery costing millions of dollars, when his patients got better, they would give a lot of the credit to the wonderful technology he used. But if that surgeon performed his surgery using a can opener and a pair of pliers, all the glory is going to go to that surgeon! Folks, you and I are the can opener and the pair of pliers. He is the great physician!
Now, let’s quickly ask and answer our 2nd question.
2. What Did Jesus Do For His Men?
He Chose Them: In Luke 6:12-13 we are told that Jesus spent the whole night in prayer, and when day came, He chose 12 of them to be apostles. This was His sovereign choice. These guys did not volunteer for the job. They did not submit their resumes to Jesus. Jesus made a sovereign choice of exactly who He wanted for these roles.
Folks, it is exactly the same way with us. Not only are we chosen to be saved, but we are chosen to serve. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills” (1Cor.12:11). It is the Spirit of God who calls different people to different roles in the body of Christ. Some he calls as pastors, some as evangelists, some as deacons. To some He gives the gift of leadership or prophecy or teaching or exhortation. To some He calls with the gift of mercy, or service, or helps. God does this. Our role is to discern where God has called us, and then serve Him in that capacity with all our might.
He Trained Them: Jesus knew that He would die soon, and that someone needed to carry on His mission in the world. Jesus’ method was a few men, that He would pour His life into. In fact, the closer He gets to the cross, the more He withdraws from the crowds, and spends His time with the 12. What does He do with them? Well, first He just has them hang around and watch Him, teach, cast out demons, and heal the sick. Then in Luke 9, He sends them out to preach, cast out demons and heal the sick. Then they got together with Jesus and reported to Him all that they had done and taught. Jesus would have brought instruction and correction to them. It was on-the-job training. They were apprentices, watching the Master, and then trying to imitate Him.
Friends, Jesus has chosen you and gifted you and commissioned you to serve Him with all your might. But you feel inadequate for the job don’t you? You are afraid to witness for Him. You fear you won’t know all the answers to the questions people will ask you. Don’t worry. Don’t fear! Jesus will Himself train you as you go along. Listen to this benediction in Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Step out in faith, and trust that Jesus will be equipping and training you along the way. He will be faithful to do just that.
He Sent Them: The word “apostle” means “sent one.” Jesus chose these 12 men in order to send them out to preach, cast out demons, and heal the sick. Now, we don’t have any apostles today in the same category as the 12 and Paul. Those men had unique authority over the churches which were being established.
But we do have a different kind of apostle today. We call them “missionaries.” They are sent on a mission, to represent Jesus, and expand His kingdom throughout the world. There are 2 kinds of missionaries today: foreign missionaries and local missionaries. Folks, every single Christian is called to be a missionary, either a foreign or a local missionary. If God has not called you to go into another foreign nation to establish His kingdom there, He has called you to do the same right here where you live. We need to begin to really see ourselves as a band of missionaries. All of us are on mission together. And when a bunch of these local missionaries get together weekly, what do we call it? A Missional Community. Friends, we need to start living like we are missionaries. When we do, we will be busy loving and serving our neighbors, our co-workers, our workmates, our family. We will be looking for gospel opportunities to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus. We will live for Jesus’ glory wherever we are, and proclaim Him as the Sovereign Lord and Savior of Sinners.
Folks, let me leave you with one thought. God wants to use you in extending His kingdom! You say, but I’m just a simple, ordinary guy. How could God ever use me? You are exactly the kind of person God wants to use, so that all the glory and power will be of Him, and not of you! God wants to use you, but you have a responsibility to Him. We call it the FAT principle. Faithful – Available – Teachable. The kinds of people God uses the most are Faithful (they hear His voice and do His will), Available (they make themselves available to do whatever God wants whenever He wants). And they are Teachable (they don’t think they know it all, but are humble and willing to learn). Are you a FAT disciple? I hope so. Let’s pray.
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