Thoughts for the Day

He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananarea, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

There were twelve Apostles - we all know this, but are we sure what it means? And how does it differ from a Disciple? Well if you look up Wikipedia (which according to the two PhD experts in my family is trustworthy these days), the following are definitions:

• 'Apostle - A title given to a messenger or receiver of knowledge, especially in Christianity: An apostle, in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος, literally "one who is sent off". The purpose of such sending off is usually to convey a message, and thus "messenger" is a common alternative translation; other common translations include "ambassador" and "envoy".'
• 'Disciple: Christianity: A disciple is a dedicated follower of Jesus. This term is found in the New Testament only in the Gospels and Acts. In the ancient world, a disciple is a follower or adherent of a teacher. Discipleship is not the same as being a student in the modern sense. A disciple in the ancient biblical world actively imitated both the life and teaching of the master. It was a deliberate apprenticeship which made the fully formed disciple a living copy of the master.'

Eleven of these Apostles (obviously minus Judas Iscariot), as well as some others (see Luke 10.1-12), were to take the message of the Good News - of the coming of God's Kingdom and of the Messiah to all parts of the world after his death and resurrection. But during their three year apprenticeship with Jesus they also learnt to become living embodiments of their Master - so that they lived, and most died, for their faith in Jesus Christ. May we learn to give humble thanks for their work and their lives, and may we learn to live as believers who daily exercise our faith.

Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank You for the faith
of those original Apostles
who spread the Good News
to all parts of the world.
We thank You also for all
who since then have been
called to be Your Disciples,
and who have fought to be true to their faith.
So enable us to remember our calling
as Your followers,
and give us the strength to live out
that calling each day of our life.
Amen.