Jesus’ twelve disciples are really important, but I don’t think they felt like it.
Almost anyone you would ask about Jesus would pretty quickly also mention the Twelve, and anyone who studies the Bible any further than the Gospels knows that, in Acts, the Disciples are the ones who start the Church. They are really important.
They were actually friends with Jesus. I don’t mean friends like we sing, “I am a friend of God…” I mean really, truly friends. They knew Him. They knew what He liked to eat. They knew what His prayer and devotional habits were like. They got His sense of humor. They were discipled (hence the name, disciples) by God Himself! I think we ought to listen to whatever they have to say. They are really important.
But I don’t think they felt like it.
In Matthew 10:1-4, King Jesus sends out His disciples to do the same kind of ministry He had been doing, “…to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (niv 2011). Jesus has reproduced Himself in these twelve men, and now He is telling them that everything they’ve seen Him to is meant to be done again—by them. That’s a tall order.
Right after we hear their marching orders, Matthew 10:2-4 gives us a list of twelve names—the first and only time we see all twelve names in Matthew’s Gospel.
2 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; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him (niv 2011).
Okay, so in our text, there are about twice as many words dedicated to naming the disciples than there are describing what Jesus told them to do. They’re pretty important guys! But the truth is that Matthew 10:1-4 is actually more about how the disciples are really nothing special than it is about how important they are.
I guess where we should start is back in Matthew 4:18-20. Jesus calls His first disciples, Peter and Andrew, but what sticks out to me about this narrative is not how great Peter and Andrew are. It’s not even what amazing talent or ability or charisma they have. What sticks out to me is verse 20, “At once they left their nets and followed him.”
Look at the next couple of verses—now Jesus calls James and John to follow Him. But again, nothing sticks out to me about what they bring to the table. There’s nothing in the text about them being great fishermen or about them being dynamic communicators or leaders. What sticks out is verse 22, “…and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”
Look at Matthew 9:9. Now Jesus is going to call Matthew to follow Him. Remember, Matthew is the one writing this story, so this would be a convenient time to mention something about how Jesus called him because he was a gifted writer or historian, a persuasive communicator who would write to fellow Jews and convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. Instead, what sticks out to me is the fact that, when Jesus calls, Matthew gets up, leaves his tax-collector’s booth—his good job with good pay and great government connections—and follows Jesus.
What’s the common thread? Everyone Jesus calls leaves something behind. All five of these new disciples left great jobs, some left family, some left significant amounts of money, some probably left what they had always known. But when Jesus called, they answered. Being a disciple, at least the way Matthew writes about it, has nothing to do with what you bring to the table. Being a disciple is all about what you’re willing to leave behind.
That’s really important, because that’s where it has to start. It starts with what you leave behind, but there’s one more thing Matthew’s Gospel teaches us about what it means to be a disciple.
Back in Matthew 10:1, the Bible says, “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (niv 2011, emphasis mine). What makes the list of names in verses 2-4 even worth mentioning is the fact that, before they go out to try to do ministry the way Jesus has been doing it for the last nine chapters, Jesus gives them the authority to do so.
We see the Twelve as really important because they were part of Jesus’ ministry, but it really wasn’t much about them. I don’t think the Twelve joined in Jesus’ ministry because they were amazing people who brought talent or charisma or ability or leadership to the table. I don’t think it was because they were powerful men who only needed a little nudge from Jesus to do what they had in them in the first place.
The reason Jesus’ disciples are important to us as people who joined in His ministry has nothing to do with all the reasons God should or shouldn’t have used them. Being a disciple has nothing to do with your ability. Being a disciple is all about who sends you.
Jesus’ ministry was, and is, the example for us. What He did, what He said, and who He talked to are the model for every Christian. And the disciples are a big deal to us because they did it; they were the first to follow The Example. But I think if they were here today, they would tell us that they really don’t feel like a very big deal.
The ministry they did, the Church they started was all because of two things: What they were willing to leave behind, and who gave them the authority to do it. Here’s why I think they would be so quick to tell us that they’re really not a big deal: we have the same opportunity they did.
What are you willing to leave behind? Maybe you’ve always wanted a bigger house, but it’s time to leave that dream behind and join in the ministry of Jesus with that savings account. Maybe you love your job, but it’s time to leave it behind to pursue full-time ministry. Maybe you feel like your ability to fit in at school is based on being a little bit like everyone else, but it’s time to leave behind your desire for popularity and be a follower of Jesus instead of just another kid. Maybe you’ve let the boundaries for purity in your marriage expand a little too far—finding an old boyfriend on Facebook, flirting a little at work, letting your eyes wander at the gym, confiding in another man—and it’s time to leave behind the rush of forbidden romance in order to pursue the marriage Jesus intends you to have. What are you willing to leave behind?
What authority do you have? Who is sending you? This might be the easier question to answer, but the harder one to accept. The truth is that Jesus said it was actually better if He left this world, never to make another disciple. What?! How can that be? Jesus said in John 16:7 that it is actually or our good that He went back to the Father—the Holy Spirit is better. The Spirit is within every Christian, eager to empower us to do the work that Jesus left for us. God is actually in you! He is sending you.
When Jesus sends out the Twelve in Matthew 10, the purpose is that they join in His ministry. He sends them because they’ve been willing to leave something behind and He sends them with His authority. In Matthew 28:18-19, when He sends out His disciples for good, He says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go…” (niv 2011). He entrusts them again with the authority that He has, and He sends them out into the world.
Jesus’ twelve disciples are really important, but I don’t think they felt like it. Because what made them so special is simply this: they had answers to the two questions of discipleship.
What are you willing to leave behind?
Who is sending you?
No matter what job you have, no matter how much money you have, no matter how gifted you think you are, no matter how comfortable you are in front of a crowd, no matter how well you know the Bible, if you can answer those two questions Jesus is asking you to be a part of His ministry.
Ben Cross
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