Matthew 10:1-4, “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 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 Nathanael; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Judas (not Iscariot); 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.”

The twelve disciples were a varied and somewhat Motley Crew…

Simon Peter & brother Andrew, James & John fishermen (unclean)

James & John – Nickname: Boanerges (Aramaic) = sons of thunder
Christianity.com describes James and John as “rough-hewn guys—amazing, colourful characters. They would not back away from a confrontation. In fact, they might even have looked forward to one. They could be very aggressive. And they also could be very insensitive”

Philip – timid and shy

Nathanael – cynical (“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”)

Thomas – doubting & pessimistic
At the raising of Lazarus he said, “Let’s go too and die with him!”

Matthew – Tax Collector (despised as a Roman collaborator)

James the son of Alphaeus – James the Less

Judas the son of James (Jude / Thaddaeus)

Simon the Zealot

Zealots were a Jewish sect noted for its uncompromising opposition to pagan Rome and the polytheism it professed. The Zealots were an aggressive political party whose concern for the national and religious life of the Jewish people led them to despise even Jews who sought peace and conciliation with the Roman authorities. Extremists among the Zealots turned to terrorism and assassination and became known as Sicarii (“dagger men”). They frequented public places with hidden daggers to strike down persons friendly to Rome. In the first revolt against Rome (AD 66–70) the Zealots played a leading role, and at Masada in 73 they committed suicide rather than surrender the fortress, but they were still a force to be reckoned with in the first part of the following century.

Judas - Jesus’ treasurer and a thief

Jesus spent over three years training these twelve men. They saw and did amazing things, and yet when Jesus needed them most they faltered and failed. When Jesus was praying with them in the garden of Gethsemane they all fell asleep. At his arrest Judas betrayed him, Peter denied him, and the others deserted him.

When Jesus rose from the dead he found his disciples meeting behind closed doors in fear. Some of them had gone back to their previous occupations, and he had to refocus them on the task he’d spent three plus years training them to do – to be fishers of men! They were indeed a motley crew.

Q. What does all this mean to us as we desire to become more like Jesus?

Practical Application

1. Becoming like Jesus doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect

Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Perfect (Gk. Teleios): complete, mature, grown up

Becoming like Jesus doesn’t equal perfection. We will not be without sin, without fault, this side of heaven…

1 John 3:2-3, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

1 John 2:1-2, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

2. Becoming like Jesus doesn’t immunise us from difficulty

One of the biggest difficulties we all face is relational challenges
Peter, James & John were outgoing and brash. Peter’s brother, Andrew, was reserved and not a natural leader. Philip was timid and shy, Nathaniel was a cynic, and Thomas was a pessimist. Matthew, the Tax Collector, and Simon the Zealot

Becoming like Jesus doesn’t immunise us from difficulty. In fact, one of the paradoxes of life is that we can only find true joy on the other side struggle…

Hebrews 12:2, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

3. Becoming like Jesus means relying on the Holy Spirit

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist foretold that Jesus would baptise his followers with the Holy Spirit. At Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit settled on him. He was then led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested & tempted for forty days. He then returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is by the Holy Spirit that Jesus proclaimed the Good News and performed miracles. Jesus taught that the Holy spirit would lead his followers into all the truth, be their advocate, their comforter, their counsellor, and their guide. As followers of Jesus we are to rely on the Holy Spirit, allow him to transform us and make us more like Jesus.

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul wrote, “we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

It’s by the power of the Holy Spirit that we see the twelve ragtag disciples completely revolutionized. They were transformed from Jesus denying, fearful, deserting followers into brave believers speaking boldly in the face of persecution, performing miracles and leading a church of thousands all around the world.

All but two of The Twelve became martyrs for their faith – Judas committed suicide and John died of old age…
• James, the brother of John, was beheaded with a sword by king Herod (Acts 12)
• Thomas preached in India and was slain with a dart
• Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James were crucified
• Nathanael was beaten, crucified, and then beheaded
• Andrew, the brother of Peter, was crucified
• Matthew was run through with a spear
• Philip was crucified and then stoned to death
• Peter was crucified upside down
• James, the son of Alphaeus, was stoned by the Jews for preaching about Jesus, and then buried in Jerusalem.

The experience of Pentecost is what made the difference to them and will make the difference to you too…
Q. How can you experience Pentecost today?
A. Ask Him and then wait for Him to do it (Luke 11:5-13)