Our Savior Lutheran Church

Introduction

Last week we met Thomas, the apostle with a decidedly pessimistic outlook on life. By nature he doubted situations and people, came across as sarcastic and arrogant, and tried the patience of his friends. Jesus met Thomas head on. He treated Thomas patiently but firmly. He led Thomas to move beyond self-protective doubting to a deep faith. This week we look at three apostles who are almost anonymous within the pages of Scripture. Our Lord Jesus saw them as chosen servants upon whom He planned to build His church. We may seldom notice them, but God would reward them.

To Get Us Started

Back in the 1960s pop artist Andy Warhol claimed that, given the state of instant communication and electronic interconnectedness, everybody would enjoy at least fifteen minutes of fame in their lifetimes. It isn’t so. Certainly a lot more people do enjoy minor celebrity status or notoriety for an instant before slipping back into anonymity. However, most people still live lives below the radar beam of public awareness.

1. Which of these describes the highest level of fame you have enjoyed. Elaborate.

2. When you were young, in which of these areas did you imagine yourself excelling? Explain.

The Word

As you reach the end of the list of apostles, the names get less familiar. The men at the end of the list don’t appear in the stories of the Gospels or the book of Acts. It may be tempting to discount them as unimportant figures who never did anything of consequence. However, tongues of fire rested on them at Pentecost, and they proclaimed the glories of God. They form an integral part of the foundation on which the Holy Spirit is still building the church of Jesus Christ.

Faces In The Crowd – Mark 3:13-15

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. [14] He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach [15] and to have authority to drive out demons.

Luke 6:14-16

Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, [15] Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, [16] Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Men On A Mission – Acts 1:4a, 7-8; 2:1-7, 11b

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised. …[7] He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." …[1] When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. [2] Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3] They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. [5] Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. [6] When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. [7] Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? … “we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"

Foundation Of The Church – Ephesians 2:19-22

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. [21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. [22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Revelation 21:9-14

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." [10] And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. [11] It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. [12] It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. [13] There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. [14] The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Observations

Jesus chose twelve men to help Him carry out the most significant task of all time: the establishment of His church on earth. No head of state or CEO of a multinational corporation has ever born responsibility as important as that which each of the apostles carried. Their task transcends history. It’s part of a plan God devised before time began, and what they accomplished will endure eternally when time is no more. Ironically, three of the twelve apostles survive in history as little more than names on a list. We know next to nothing about them and can conjecture little more. Their earthly fame parallels yours and mine.  However, in God’s eyes, they were giants.

Observation 1

God will not forget what we do to build His kingdom though few people know who we are.

The writers of the Gospels and the book of Acts selected their material to make points and develop themes. Their accounts are not exhaustive records of the life of Jesus and the ministries of the apostles. Of the three apostles in this lesson, only Judas, son of James, made a cameo appearance in the Gospel narrative (John 14:22). Acts focused on Peter and Paul so intently, that virtually little is said of the ministries of all the other apostles except John. We don’t know what James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James did to extend the kingdom of God. We know from the book of Hebrews that “God is not unjust; He will not forget you work and the love you showed from His name when you served the saints” (6:10).

James, Simon, and Judas stand in the vanguard of the last who will be first (Matthew 19:30), of those who have labored in anonymity on earth only to receive great reward in heaven (Matthew 6:1-6), and of the poor in spirit to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs (Matthew 5:3). Jesus saw qualities in them that made them men He wanted around Him. In eternity we, too, will fully appreciate their greatness.

Observation 2

God wants to use our unique personalities to do His kingdom work.

Of James, son of Alphaeus, we know next to nothing. He probably wasn’t a forceful personality, but a behind-the-scenes laborer who willingly let others receive recognition. Simon the Zealot, on the other hand, probably was a fiery, cause-driven character. After all, the Zealots were political fanatics who later became the terrorist assassins known as Sicarii, the “Daggermen.” How hard it must have been for Simon to learn to love his enemies and turn the other cheek.

Judas, son of James, may have preferred to go by Thaddaeus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18) in the days after Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. Thaddaeus roughly means “The Beloved.” The King James Version, following some late Greek manuscripts, also refers to him as Lebbaeus, which means “Man of Heart.” These names suggest that Judas, son of James, exhibited warmth and compassion.

No matter what our unique design and background, God has a special place for each of us in the body of Jesus Christ. True, He wants to mold all of us into His image so that we reflect the fruit of the Holy Spirit. At the same time He wants to use our uniqueness. He wanted what only James, Simon, and Judas could bring to the apostles then. He wants what only you can bring to His church today.

Observation 3

No matter what people call us, what we are in our hearts is what counts with God.

Sometimes a name change is in order. The apostles renamed Joseph and called him Barnabas, meaning “Son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter or Cephas to indicate his leadership role among the apostles (John 1:42). Saul’s name was changed to Paul – perhaps to help him shed his image as a persecutor of Christians. Levi became Matthew, and Judas was called Thaddaeus. It seems all these name changes were made to give these men new identities.

People look at externals; God looks at our heart (1 Samuel 16:7). What we are in our inner being is what counts with God. God does not evaluate our lives by the names, titles, accolades, or criticisms other people aim at us. He looks at our desire to serve Him and to walk in His will.

Observation 4

The most important recognition we can ever have is when our names appear in the Book of Life.

When all is said and done, the final chapter of history is written, and eternity begins, “many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matthew 19:30). Many people who are honored in this life will not be present in heaven. They will have had their reward on earth and will spend eternity separated from Christ Jesus because they rejected the  free gift of salvation that He offered them (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The apostles led the way and have their names on the foundation of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14). To join them there in eternity, we also must not reject Jesus Christ as Savior so that our names appear in the Book of Life (20:12, 15). Then our eternal abode will be with the Lord and His apostles throughout eternity.

To Discuss

3. Are you surprised, puzzled, disappointed, or encouraged that there are apostles about whom we know very little? Why?

4. Which of these best captures our opinion about the recognition you receive in your employment?

5. Jesus chose all twelve apostles to “be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” (Mark 3:14-15). How do you imagine James, Simon, and Judas felt about being selected for those tasks?

6. What individual contributions do you think a quiet man (James), a passionate man (Simon), and a compassionate man (Judas) may have made to the mix of personalities in the apostolic community?

7. How was the commission Jesus gave the apostles in Acts 1:8 similar to and different from their mission spelled out in Mark 3:14-15?

8. What roles did James, Simon, and Judas play on the day of Pentecost? How did their roles compare to those of the prominent apostles?

9. What is the relationship of James, Simon, and Judas to the church of Jesus Christ from Pentecost to the present time (Ephesians 2:20)? What will be their eternal relationship t the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14)?

10.What encouragement do you draw from the importance of these anonymous apostles to the church of Jesus Christ?

11.How do these anonymous apostles challenge you to spend time with Jesus and faithfully fulfill your ministry?

12.What are the internal and external barriers quiet people have to deal with to serve the Lord effectively?

13.What are the internal and external barriers passionate, cause-driven people have to deal with to serve the Lord effectively?

14.What are the internal and external barriers compassionate, emotionally sensitive people have to deal with to serve the Lord effectively?

The kingdom of God includes no unimportant people. Jesus has a mission for each of us. Sometimes our greatest barriers to serving Him are inside of us. We assume we have nothing to offer Him (or we insist on being the star of the show). James, Simon, and Judas illustrate how Jesus takes greater delight in dependability than star ability.

15.How do you classify yourself?

16.How do our diverse temperaments compliment one another?

17.What internal and external barriers to serving the Lord effectively do you wrestle with most often?

Next Week

Next week we turn our attention to Judas Iscariot, the chosen apostle who turned away from Jesus and betrayed Him. He did not learn that all that glitters is not gold. How could a man called to be with Jesus end up filled with Satan? Why did Jesus ever choose him? Judas serves as a chilling warning. “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24).