Note: This is a study from the book 12 Ordinary Men by John McArthur an excellent book. This is the fill in the blank outline from Adult Bible Fellowships of First Baptist Church Orion. This is not original but worth posting for study.
Twelve Ordinary Men
James, Simon, and Judas
I. James the Less or “Little James”
a. The New Testament only tells us four things about this man that are for certain: his name was _________, he
was the son of ______________ and _________, his nickname was the _______, and he was an _____________.
b. An interesting possibility: Mark 2:14 says that Levi (_______________) was also the son of Alphaeus. It is
possible that the ____________ brothers and the _________ brothers were joined by the Alphaeus brothers.
c. Another interesting possibility: By comparing Mark 15:40 with John 19:25, it appears that Mary, the wife of
Clopas and mother of James the less, was the sister of Mary the mother Jesus. This would make James the less
one of Jesus ____________.
Early church history is mostly silent about this man named James. Some of the earliest legends about him
confuse him with James the brother of the Lord. There is some evidence that James the Less took the
gospel to Syria and Persia. Accounts of his death differ. Some say he was stoned; others say he was beaten
to death; still others say he was crucified like his Lord.
In any case, we can be certain that he became a powerful preacher like the others. He surely performed “the
signs of an apostle… in signs and wonders and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12). And his name will be
inscribed on one of the gates of the heavenly city.
II. Simon the Zealot
a. Simon was apparently at one time a member of the _____________ party known as the Zealots.
b. The historian Josephus described four basic parties of the Jews at that time. The __________ were the
religious fundamentalists of their time. The ______________ were the religious liberals who denied the
resurrection. The Essenes are not mentioned in Scripture but were very much like medieval monks. The Zealots
hated the __________ and advanced their agenda primarily through ______________ and ______________.
c. When Jesus sent the disciples out two by two in Mark 6:7, it is likely that Simon and Judas Iscariot were a
________. They probably both originally followed Christ for similar ______________ reasons. But Simon became
a genuine ____________ and was transformed. Judas never believed.
d. One of the sorest spots with Zealots was the issue of ___________. Yet Simon learned to serve alongside
Matthew the ______________.
Several early sources say that after the destruction of Jerusalem, Simon took the gospel north and preached
in the British Isles. All accounts say he was killed for preaching the gospel. This man who was once willing
to kill or be killed for a political agenda within the confines of Judea found a more fruitful cause for which
to give his life – in the proclamation of salvation for sinners out of every nation, tongue, and tribe.
III. Judas, son of James
a. Jerome referred to him as “Trinomious” – the man with ____________________.
b. Luke calls him Judas, son of James and John refers to him as “Judas (not _____________).”
c. Mark calls him _______________ (lit. breast child) and Matthew says that he was “__________________
(lit. heart child) also called Thaddaeus.”
d. So Judas was given two nicknames which both basically meant “___________ boy” and suggest that he had a
tender, childlike heart. It is interesting to think of such a gentle soul hanging around in the same
group of four apostles as Simon the _________ and Judas ____________.
e. In John 14:21-23, we have the only words of Judas Lebbaeus Thaddaeus to be found in Scripture. His question
is full of gentleness and meekness, and devoid of any kind of pride.
Most of the early tradition regarding Lebbaeus Thaddaeus suggests that a few years after Pentecost, he took the gospel north, to Edessa, a royal city in Mesopotamia, in the region of Turkey today. There are numerous ancient accounts of how he healed the king of Edessa, a man names Abgar. In the fourth century, Eusebius the historian said the archives at Edessa (now destroyed) contained full records of Thaddaeus’s visit and the healing of Abgar. The traditional apostolic symbol of Judas Lebbaeus Thaddaeus is a club, because tradition says he was clubbed to death for his faith.
Thus this tender-hearted soul followed his Lord faithfully to the end. His testimony was as powerful and as
far-reaching as that of the better-known and more outspoken disciples. He, like them, is proof of how God
uses perfectly ordinary people in remarkable ways.
