Family Devotionals

  • The Twelve Apostles: Matthew 10

    Jesus had a plan that he would choose certain men who would be specially commissioned as His eyewitnesses to teach and deliver His word. He chose twelve men, called apostles (those who are sent), to serve this purpose. They are named in Matthew 10:2-4.

    These men had special authority from God. They could cast out demons and perform signs which demonstrated that God had chosen them. They spent over three years in close contact with Jesus. He taught them many things in preparation for His coming kingdom, and prepared them for their role in establishing the Lord’s church (Eph. 2:19-22).

    It was through the apostles that all truth would be delivered and confirmed. Jesus promised them in John 14-16 that the Holy Spirit would be sent to them so they could carry out their mission. God would reveal His word of the New Covenant through them. Note especially John 16:13, where Jesus promised them that the Spirit of truth “will guide you into all truth.” Because of this, it would be through the word revealed to the apostles that would become the means through which others could believe and have unity in Christ (John 17:20-21).

    Of the twelve apostles, three were particularly close to Jesus. These were Peter, James, and John. One of the apostles, Judas, would end up betraying Jesus to the cheif priests so that they could put Him to death. The apostles were humans who struggled with temptation as all do. Judas fell. The others had their problems, but ultimately they did fulfill their mission as special servants of Christ. It is because of their work, through the Spirit, that we now have the New Testament.

    Discussion
    1. Name the twelve apostles. Who were they? What kinds of backgrounds did they have? Who were closest to Jesus?

    2. What role did the apostles play in the establishment of the church of Christ?

    3. Discuss the importance of Jesus’ promise to the apostles in John 16:13. Why is it important, and how does it affect our situation today?

    4. What kind of men were the apostles? Discuss their strengths and weaknesses? Did they fulfill their roles? How?