The Twelve Apostles
by Nick Bibile
The word
“disciple” refers to a learner or follower. The word
“apostle” means “one who is sent out.” While
Jesus was on earth, His twelve followers were called disciples. The
twelve disciples followed Jesus Christ, learned from Him, and were
trained by Him. After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus sent the
disciples out to be His witnesses (Matthew
28:18-20; Acts
1:8). They were then referred to as the twelve apostles. However,
even when Jesus was still on earth, the terms “disciples”
and “apostles” were used somewhat interchangeably.
The
original twelve disciples/apostles are listed in Matthew
10:2-4; “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; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and
Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.” The
Bible also lists the twelve disciples/apostles in Mark
3:16-19 and Luke
6:13-16. A comparison of the three passages shows a couple of
minor differences in the names. It seems that Thaddaeus was also
known as “Judas, son of James” (Luke
6:16) and Lebbaeus (Matthew
10:3). Simon the Zealot was also known as Simon the Canaanite
(Mark
3:18). Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, was replaced in the
twelve apostles by Matthias (see Acts
1:20-26). Some Bible teachers view Matthias as an “invalid”
apostle and believe that Paul was God's choice to replace Judas
Iscariot as the twelfth apostle.
The twelve disciples/apostles
were ordinary men whom God used in an extraordinary manner. Among the
twelve were fishermen, a tax collector, and a revolutionary. The
Gospels record the constant failings, struggles, and doubts of these
twelve men who followed Jesus Christ. After witnessing Jesus'
resurrection and ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit transformed
the disciples/apostles into powerful men of God who turned the world
upside down (Acts
17:6). What was the change? The twelve apostles/disciples had
“been with Jesus” (Acts
4:13). May the same be said of us!
Was Matthias or Paul God's choice to replace Judas as the 12th apostle?
With Judas
having betrayed Christ and then committing suicide, the 11 remaining
disciples decided to replace Judas with a new 12th apostle (Acts
1:16-20). The requirements were that the man had to have been
with them the entire time of Jesus’ ministry, and to have been
a witness of the resurrection and ascension (Acts
1:21-22). The 11 disciples proposed two men: Joseph called
Barsabbas (possibly the same person as Barnabas), and Matthias (Acts
1:23). The 11 disciples then prayed for the Lord’s
direction (Acts
1:24-25), and then cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias (Acts
1:26).
But, was this the Lord’s choice? Some propose
that Paul, not Matthias, was God’s choice for the 12th apostle.
They argue that Jesus had told the apostles to wait for the coming of
the Holy Spirit (Acts
1:8) and that casting lots is not how the disciples should have
made the decision. They also point out that Matthias is never again
mentioned in the New Testament, while Paul obviously became very
prominent in the early Christian church. So, are they correct that
Paul, not Matthias, was God’s choice to be Judas’
replacement as the 12th apostle?
The New Testament nowhere
condones or condemns the way the apostles made the decision in Acts
1. Casting lots was a biblically-allowed method of making a
decision (Proverbs
16:33). And, while Matthias is never again mentioned in the New
Testament, the same can be said for most of the other 11 apostles.
Church history records that Matthias died as a martyr for Christ, as
did all of the other apostles, except John. Yes, Paul was definitely
more prominent than Matthias, but Paul was more prominent than any of
the 12 apostles, except for perhaps Peter and John. Also, Paul would
not have been qualified based on the apostles’ criteria (Acts
1:21-22). So, a conclusive biblical case cannot be made for the
11 apostles’ choice of Matthias being invalid.
Further,
God is sovereign. If it was not His sovereign will for Matthias to be
chosen, Matthias would not have been chosen. It could be argued that
while it was God’s sovereign will (what He ordained) for
Matthias to be chosen, it was God’s perfect will (what He
desired) for the apostles to wait for Paul. But, this would be pure
speculation, as again, the Bible nowhere condemns Matthias being
chosen for the 12th apostle.
So, what name will be written on
the 12th foundation in the heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation
21:14)? The Bible does not explicitly say, but it likely will be
Matthias. Ultimately, though, we will have to wait to find out.
Their Deaths
The only
apostle whose death the Bible records is James (Acts
12:2). King Herod had James “put to death with the sword,”
likely a reference to beheading. The circumstances of the deaths of
the other apostles are related through church tradition, so we should
not put too much weight on any of the other accounts. The most
commonly accepted church tradition in regard to the death of an
apostle is that the apostle Peter was crucified upside-down on an
x-shaped cross in Rome in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy (John
21:18). The following are the most popular “traditions”
concerning the deaths of the other apostles:
Matthew suffered
martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound. John faced martyrdom
when he was boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of
persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from
death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of
Patmos. He wrote his prophetic book of Revelation on Patmos. The
apostle John was later freed and returned to what is now modern-day
Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die
peacefully.
James, the brother of Jesus (not officially an
apostle), was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. He was thrown
from the southeast pinnacle of the temple (over a hundred feet down)
when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered
that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a
club. This is thought to be the same pinnacle where Satan had taken
Jesus during the temptation.
Bartholomew, also known as
Nathanael, was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed in present-day
Turkey and was martyred for his preaching in Armenia, being flayed to
death by a whip. Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece.
After being whipped severely by seven soldiers, they tied his body to
the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported
that when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these
words: “I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The
cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.”
He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he died.
The apostle Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India during one of
his missionary trips to establish the church there. Matthias, the
apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and
then beheaded. The apostle Paul was tortured and then beheaded by the
evil Emperor Nero in Rome in A.D. 67. There are traditions regarding
the other apostles as well, but none with any reliable historical or
traditional support.
It is not so important how the apostles
died. What is important is the fact that they were all willing to die
for their faith. If Jesus had not been resurrected, the disciples
would have known it. People will not die for something they know to
be a lie. The fact that all of the apostles were willing to die
horrible deaths, refusing to renounce their faith in Christ, is
tremendous evidence that they had truly witnessed the resurrection of
Jesus Christ.