Jesus and the Apostles

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John,
Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Luke 6v12-16 [TNIV]

Whenever there is a list of names like this, it is too easy to skim over it. Names, boring, move on! But behind every name is a story. Names become very, very, very interesting when you get to know the story that goes along with it. This list of names includes some very interesting stories - and Luke intends for us to be inspired by them.

At this point in the gospel, we've already been introduced to the first four apostles: Simon, Andrew, James and John. Two sets of brothers who were in business together as part of the fishing industry. We've also been introduced to Matthew (who's Jewish name is Levi). Very interesting stories so far - and one of the implications we ought to have caught by now is this: we're a lot like the apostles that Jesus chose.

Jesus didn't choose the apostles because there was something that set them apart from the other disciples who followed Jesus. In fact, we don't know the reasons for why Jesus chose them; but we do know from the stories that they were ordinary people like you and me. As you read through the text, did you notice that there must have been many disciples that Jesus considered to be his apostles? We don't know how many disciples he had, but we know that from them he picked twelve to be apostles.

Disciple is a Greek word that basically translates to "student"; Apostle is a Greek word that basically translates as "sent ones". Jesus intends for all of his disciples to become apostles. We see this in Luke 9 when Jesus sends the Twelve out to do Jesus-work: heal and proclaim, cast out demons and teach. The Twelve are sent out - that's what they were called to do: be sent. Next, in Luke 10, Jesus sends out the Seventy-Two, disciples paired up two by two to do what the Twelve had done, who did what Jesus was doing.

These Seventy-Two aren't listed according to their name and rank like the Twelve were, but they were given the same work. I think the emphasis is not on the title, but on the task. So know we know that Jesus had at least seventy-two disciples who followed him, it's likely that he had more than that. But the pattern has emerged: once you become a disciple Jesus intends for you to become an apostle.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, know this up front: he intends to use you as an apostle. You become a student of Jesus so that you can become a sent one of Jesus.