The First of the Names of the Twelve Apostles Matthew 10:2

Matthew the apostle shared how Jesus, “said unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” In chapter ten and verse two of his book, Matthew began to share, “the names of the twelve apostles” where we read:

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

The verse reads, “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these;” Matthew began with the word, “now” or “moreover and” “the names” which means “the words used for everything which the name covers including the thoughts or feelings of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing and remembering” “of the twelve apostles” or “belonging to the twelve delegates, messengers and ones sent forth with orders” “are these” which refers to “consist of the following”. Matthew began to list the men who were the students, pupils, attendants and now “sent out ones” by Jesus Christ.

The verse goes on to say, “The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;” Matthew added the words, “the first” or “the principal and chief one of influence, honor and rank”, “who is called” which means “that is spoken of, affirmed over, mentioned and maintained as” “Peter” which means “a rock or a stone ”, “and Andrew” which means “manly” “his brother” or “Peter's brother by birth”; “James” which means “supplanter” and was “the son of Zebedee” or “the progeny and offspring of the one whose name means my gift and was a fisherman of Galilee, the father of the apostles James the Great and John, and the husband of Salome ”, “and John” which means “Jehovah is a gracious giver” who was “his brother” or “James' biological brother”. Matthew shared the names of four of the “twelve apostles” whom Jesus commissioned with His gospel.

When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus chose ordinary people to be His instruments within the world. God employs people from all walks of life to share His “good news” or “gospel” with everyone they encounter, and when a person submits their life to Him in full surrender, He will use them, like these disciples, to work in mighty ways that are beyond their natural ability to understand.

Next time Matthew shares more, “names of the twelve apostles”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.