What does an Apostle and a penny have in common?
They are both one sent.
What did the disciples say when they caught all those fish in the net?
Holy Mackeral
Matthew 10:1-8:
“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
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; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”
Hello Matthew: I guess when Jesus called the 12 of you to be His disciples you all felt pretty confident about the task?
Actually, it was just the opposite. A disciple means we had a lot to learn. Jesus had to disciple us in His Word, teach us to love each other, train us to be obedient, and help us develop new habits. And even though we had a lot to learn, we finally reached a point where He called us His Apostles.
Apostles? So you were both disciples and Apostles? So what’s the difference between a disciple and an Apostle?
As disciples we were students - in training – as Apostles – we became the teachers – the evangelists - sent out 2 x 2 to share all we had learned as disciples. In fact, that is God’s goal for every disciple – soak up the learning – then become an Apostle and go into all the world and share the good news of Jesus Christ.
So, you feel ready to share your faith now?
We have grown in our Faith, but we will never reach the perfection of our Lord because we are just ordinary men – on the other hand, we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit. God gave us the power to cast out demons and heal the sick. It is an indescribable gift! But our main task is to preach the kingdom of heaven.
Rumor has it, Matthew, that you are the only wealthy disciple.
That is true. And to my shame, I gained it by being an extortionist – by working for Rome – against my own people. That’s why I was hated so much. It would take time for the other disciples to forgive me and accept the fact that I had changed.
Speaking of the other disciples – I find it interesting that Simon – who became known as Simon Peter – always seems to be mentioned first. Was he the first disciple chosen?
No, not first in number, but first in rank.
Wait a minute, I thought all 12 of you would be equal in power and authority? How come Simon, called Peter, is at the forefront?
Well, we were equal in terms of function, but not equal in terms of rank. Let me explain it this way. Every church, every government, every family needs a leader. Our leader was Peter. In fact, we had little groups within our group. Andrew, Peter, James and John hung together. Group 1. Then Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, and I were seen as group 2. And group three was made up of James (this one the son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, and the other Simon - who was a Zealot, as well as Judas Iscariot.
Oh my, I had never heard that before. So the 12 disciples were in three groups and each group was made up of 4 disciples?
That’s right. And that first group of four were the first four to be called. I was in the second group. Judas, who ends up betraying Christ, what a dummy, he was in the last group to be called.
I never realized that. In fact, I know the most about the four disciples in the first group. And when I think about it, I hardly know anything about the disciples in group two or three – other than the fact that Judas was “the Betrayer.”
Yes, that’s about all anybody knows about Judas – he was the bad guy.
This is starting to make more sense. That first group would have been a little more intimate with Jesus, wouldn’t they? They would have been with Him for a longer time too? And in that first group they needed a strong leader. And whallah – you have the strong-willed, outspoken, go-get-em Peter.
Yes. And we must understand that Jesus is God, but He was also human and there is no way He could have been extremely intimate with all 12 of us. That would have been impossible. And to be honest, Jesus spent most of his time with Peter. But Peter was clingy. Like a little fly on Jesus’ back. He loved being with Jesus and talking to Him all the time.
Did you feel like Jesus loved Peter and the rest of the disciples in that first group a little bit more?
No, we didn’t look at it that way. We knew we all had different functions to perform. Besides, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all interrelated, they were brothers and fishermen. So they were already close and intimate. I was in that second group of disciples. Everyone knows I was the hated tax collector, yes, originally hated by those fishermen in group one. But nobody even talked about what occupation Philip, Thomas, and Nathanael had before they were called. The same goes with the last group of disciples.
So what was it about Peter that Jesus found so attractive?
To know Peter was to love Peter. He was a man of action. He was impulsive and eager to talk to others. Super outgoing. But sometimes we laughed at him because he continually put his foot in his mouth.
What do you mean by that?
It wasn’t uncommon for Peter to blurt out his opinions before thinking. And just the opposite was John, the beloved John. He was a quiet, meditative man. Always thought things through. He had a heart of gold and literally loved to recline and rest his head on Jesus’ shoulder or chest. Sometimes I smiled watching the outspoken Peter working with the soft-spoken John. But the personalities of the two men complimented each other so well. Peter was always saying come on, get up, let’s get going, we’ve got work to do. And John was always laid back, let’ reflect and meditate and find inner peace.
I love it! So, Matthew, can you tell us a little more about Nathanael, better known as Bartholomew?
Sure. He believed everything. Didn’t seem to doubt or question anything Jesus said. I loved his faith. And then there was Thomas, known as “doubting Thomas,” he was just the opposite. Kind of like Peter and John, only opposites in another way. Thomas was simply skeptical about everything.
And what about you Matthew, can you give us an honest picture about yourself?
I can pretty much sum me up in one sentence. I worked for the Roman government extorting taxes. That did not make me popular with anyone. But it made me rich. I’m glad Jesus opened my eyes and I found my wealth in Him. But I 42think you might find it interesting that in my group we had Simon the Zealot.
What exactly is a Zealot?
A radical Revolutionist, who tried to overthrow the Roman government that I had originally sold my soul too. Oh ya, I think you get the picture. Two complete opposite walks in life. If it weren’t for our Master Jesus, Simon would have found a way to kill me, for sure.
So, it’s safe to say you and Simon the Zealot had political differences?
Yes, that would be safe to say. In fact, within all the groups, and our group as a whole, there were differences – whether they were political, spiritual, or emotional. We were a conglomerate of men thrown together, and Jesus miraculously brought us all together, united us, and taught us how to love instead of hate, how to give instead of take, and how to change the world for the better, through Him.
Before we close, can you tell us a little more about your leader – Peter?
Sure. Peter always spoke up more often than the rest of us, on the flip side, nobody was reprimanded by the Lord as much as Peter. I mean, at one moment in time Jesus is praising Peter for his deep understanding that Jesus is the Christ – the Son of the living God and then wham - two seconds later – Jesus is speaking harshly to Peter saying: “Get me behind me Satan.” Oh man, I will never forget that day. That was harsh. But even though Peter stood up for the Lord all the time; he had a weak side – he was human – he denied the Lord when He needed him most and the rooster crowed 3 times to remind him that he had failed the Lord.
In your opinion Matthew, was Simon Peter a good leader?
Absolutely.
What made him a good leader?
Good leaders are people who ask questions, and they ask questions because they want to find solutions and solve problems. Peter asked more questions than all of us combined. I remember when the Lord was talking about forgiveness. Peter said: “How many times am I supposed to forgive? 7 times?” And the Lord said NO, seventy times seven. And what made us all smile was the fact that Peter rarely got the answer he expected to get.
Are there any other qualities that made Peter a good and respected leader?
Absolutely. He was an initiator. Pay attention to Peter’s actions when you read my gospel account. And look for the one disciple who always jumped in with both feet to answer Jesus’ questions. Who do you think it was?
Peter?
Yes, Peter. When Jesus said, Who touched Me? Peter quickly answered, it was this lady here. And when we were walking down the road Peter would say, where are we going? What are we doing? Where will eat tonight? Sleep tonight? Peter was always in the middle of the action.
Could you give us some examples on what you mean by that?
Oh that’s easy. One of my all-time, classic Peter favorites. We all saw Jesus walking on water, but guess who jumped out of the boat to walk on the water too?
Let me guess – Peter!
And yes, People often talk about Peter not having enough faith because he began to sink. But let me remind you – there were 11 other disciples on that boat with Peter – how many of us jumped out of the boat? Ya, you get the picture – none of us. Peter made things happen. And when Jesus is eventually crucified and rises from the dead, who do you think is the first one there?
Peter – Peter and John.
Yes, but Peter buzzed right past John and went directly into the empty tomb. You see, Peter was always right in the middle of everything. He really was a dynamic leader.
Was Peter really married?
Yes. He was the only one of us who was. In fact, his wife came with us on several of our journeys.
So why did the Lord change Simon’s name to Peter?
Because Peter means Stone. A rock. I think the Lord wanted to remind Peter every day that he needed to be solid, firm, like a stone, because he wasn’t firm by nature. He was all over the place.
Is that why sometimes the Lord called him Peter, sometimes Simon, and sometimes Simon Peter.
Exactly. Peter got the message by how he was addressed by Jesus. Simon was his secular or sinful side. Peter was his praiseworthy side. Simon Peter – well – that was a little of both.
When you read through my gospel, notice when the Lord calls Peter by his different names. It’s very interesting indeed.
In closing, what would you say was Peter’s finest hour?
Ironically, His death. Before he was crucified, he was forced to watch the crucifixion of his wife. How painful that must have been. They didn’t crucify many women. But he stood at the foot of her cross; the woman he dearly loved; and he just kept saying to her - over and over again: ‘Remember the Lord, remember the Lord.’ And after she died, they crucified him – but he pleaded with his assassin’s to crucify him upside down because he was unworthy to die like His Lord.”
I guess we can’t say anything more than that. Peter is an example, all of you are an example to us, of what a devoted disciple and Apostle of the Lord should be. No, he may not call us to die for Him, but he is calling all of us to live for Him. To share His story to the rest of the nations. Thank you for the interview, Matthew. We look forward to reading the rest of your gospel.
(shake hands)
