12 Disciples: Flawed, Called and Chosen

12 Disciples: Flawed yet Chosen | Where Is Your Voice Podcast

In this Easter special, Erica delves deep into the lives of the 12 disciples of Jesus in the Where Is Your Voice Podcast. Discover how these ordinary and flawed men with diverse backgrounds were chosen by Jesus to be his closest followers and leaders. From Peter's denial and redemption to John's deep understanding of love, each disciple's journey teaches us valuable lessons about faith, doubt, and transformation. Join Erica as she explores the qualities, struggles, and ultimate sacrifices of these pivotal figures in Christianity. #EasterSpecial #12Disciples #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #FlawedButChosen

00:00 Introduction to the 12 Disciples
01:08 Peter: The Rock Who Denied Jesus
02:25 Andrew: The First Follower
03:36 James: The First Martyr
04:17 John: The Beloved Disciple
05:30 Philip: The Naive Evangelist
06:47 Nathaniel: The Genuine Skeptic
07:55 Matthew: The Transformed Tax Collector
08:37 Thomas: The Doubting Twin
09:49 James the Lesser: The Quiet Leader
10:41 Simon the Zealot: The Political Revolutionary
11:41 Jude Thaddeus: The Curious Disciple
12:39 Matthias: The Replacement Apostle
13:41 Judas Iscariot: The Betrayer
15:21 Conclusion and Prayer

Transcript

2 Disciples flawed, Called and Chosen
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[00:00:00] 


Introduction to the 12 Disciples
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And this week in light of Easter and Good Friday, I wanna take you deeper into the life of the 12 Disciples. These weren't perfect men. They struggled with fear, pride, doubt, and were outcasted. But Jesus still chose them and he still chooses people like you and me today. So before I get into it, my name is Erica and welcome to Where Is Your Voice Podcast.

And today's topic is the 12 disciples flawed, called and chosen. They gave up everything. Spent three years in training to be leaders. Jesus planned to have them take over for him. They were ordinary. Crude men to be apostles. They came from rural areas. Jesus purposely passed over what most would deem qualified.[00:01:00] 

They were outcast and drugs of society. Uneducated, common, but simple men of faith. 


Peter: The Rock Who Denied Jesus
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So the first disciple up is Peter, also known as Simon Fus Rock. He is also the brother of Andrew, who was another disciple and was born in Beita. They moved to caper and were fishermen alongside James and John. He was also a follower of John the Baptist natural leader.

Outspoken name is mentioned more than any other disciple. He was the oldest brother of two, the only married disciple. His wife did go with him at times, as mentioned in First Corinthians chapter nine, verse five. His assignment was to preach to the Jews. He is known for denying Jesus three times. He asked to be [00:02:00] crucified with his head down because he didn't feel worthy to die in the manner of Christ.

He was martyred in Rome during the reign of Nero. Some assume around the same time Paul was beheaded. A lesson that you can take from Peter is failure isn't final with Jesus, and that you don't have to defend Jesus. He can defend himself. 


Andrew: The First Follower
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The next disciple is Andrew. Andrew was Peter's brother, and introduce Peter to Jesus as mentioned in John chapter one, verse 40 through 42.

He was an early disciple of John The Baptist was present when John said, behold the lamb of God was the first to follow Jesus. He introduced Peter to Jesus out of love. He wasn't as outspoken and as aggressive as Peter was. He was passionate, shared courageously. [00:03:00] And he is a part of sharing to the early church.

Andrew died a martyr's death and faced with boldness and courage, he said, oh, cross most welcome and longed for with a willing mind joyfully desirably. I come to you being a scholar of him, which did hang on you because I've always been your lover and learned to embrace you. A lesson you can take from Andrew is you don't have to be loud to be faithful.

~All right. ~


James: The First Martyr
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The next disciple is James, who is the older brother of John, also a fisherman son of Ze beauty. He was quiet, was in the inner three that Jesus would take with him, was present when Jarius was brought back, witnessed Jesus transfiguration and was in the garden of Kamy. With Jesus. He [00:04:00] was the first disciple to be beheaded, and the only disciple to have it mentioned in the Bible in Acts chapter 12, verse one through three.

A lesson you can take from James is faith sometimes leads to suffering, but is never in vain. 


John: The Beloved Disciple
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So the next disciple on the list is John, the brother of James and Jesus nicknamed them. Sons of Thunder, as mentioned in Mark chapter three, verse 17. John is also known as the disciple Jesus loved. He was part of the Inner three, wrote the Book of John and John one and Two, and the Book of Revelation.

He wrote more about love than any other New Testament author. His closeness to Jesus clearly taught him a lot about love. He was one of the only disciples that stayed with Jesus at the cross. He was exiled to the island [00:05:00] of Pop, miss Under Do Mission, but after that, he was allowed to return to Ephesus, where he governed churches in Asia into his death in about 8,100.

He may be the only disciple that didn't. Die from martyr and died from old age naturally and was the last of the apostles to die. A lesson you can take from John is the more time you spend with Jesus, the more love you will have and give. 


Philip: The Naive Evangelist
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Next is Philip. The Bible says that Jesus went to Galilee and found Philip and said, follow me, as mentioned in John chapter one, verse 43.

It's really not that much known about Philip. He was Jewish, but he went by his Greek name. He had a heart for evangelism. He was eager to tell Nathaniel about Jesus. As mentioned in John chapter one, verse [00:06:00] 45, he is considered as naive, somewhat shy. He's present during when Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people and he questioned Jesus about how to provide so much food.

He is the one that asked Jesus to reveal the Father during the last Supper, which Jesus replied that seeing him is seeing the Father. He is also associated with Philip the evangelist who was the leader in the early churches. He died a martyr with some saying he was either crucified, upside down or stoned to death.

A lesson you can take from Philip is that. It is okay to not know everything. Just stay close to Jesus. 


Nathaniel: The Genuine Skeptic
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Next up is Nathaniel, also known as Bar Limo from Cana and Galilee, as mentioned in John Chapter 21 verse two. He is the one that said nothing [00:07:00] good can come from Nazareth mentioned in John chapter 1 46.

Jesus recognized how sincere his love for God was when he said, behold an Israelite indeed on whom there is no deceit as mentioned in John chapter 1 47. And Jesus also stated that he saw him under the fig tree and after that, Nathaniel didn't doubt Jesus. Nathaniel may have preached in India. He translated the book of Matthew into their language.

Nathaniel was beaten, maybe even skinned, alive, crucified, beheaded. He died a martyr while serving the people in Armenia and converting the king to Christianity. A lesson you can learn from Nathaniel is God values genuineness over perfection. So just be you with Jesus. 


Matthew: The Transformed Tax Collector
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And next up is Matthew, also known as Levi, [00:08:00] was a tax collector.

Who were the most despised people in all of Israel. He was known for cheating people. But after Jesus said, follow me, he devoted his whole life to serving Jesus and spreading the gospel. He is the author of the book of Matthew. He brought the gospel to Ethiopia and Egypt, and it said that he was martyred but not much evidence to prove by a king who killed him with a spare.

A lesson you can take from Matthew is your past does not disqualify your purpose. 


Thomas: The Doubting Twin
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Next up we have Thomas, also known as Doubting Thomas, also called Didi Must, which means the twin. But a twin was never mentioned in the Bible. Thomas was an outspoken skeptic, pessimistic. Nothing is mentioned about him in the first three gospels.

[00:09:00] Other than his name. He is also the one that said in John chapter 11, verse 16, let us All Go, that we may die with Him, which that did show courage and loyalty. He is also the one that wouldn't believe that Jesus came back until he can see and touch the wound from the nails. Some say that he preached in India, China.

He is believed to have been martyred in India with a spare. It's also a Thomas Feast Day, which is July 3rd, and there are relics of Thomas in various places like India and Italy. He is also venerated as the patron saint of art attacks. A lesson you can take from Thomas is Jesus meets us in our doubts.


James the Lesser: The Quiet Leader
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So next up we have James the Lesser. He is not James brother James, and he is also not John's brother, James either. [00:10:00] This is why I think. They called him James the Lesser, to distinguish him from those two. He was also the son of AALS and Mary. Not much is mentioned about him. He is called James The Less. In Mark chapter 15, verse 20, he is more in the background, but still chosen by Che Jesus and a valuable member.

Something. He may have wrote the book of James, but this is debated. He was also the first bishop in Jerusalem. He was stoned to death by an angry mob. A lesson you can take from James, the lesser is, even the quiet ones, have a place in God's plan. 


Simon the Zealot: The Political Revolutionary
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So now we have Simon, the zealot. He was considered a political revolutionary in Judea who advocated for the violent resistance against Roman rule, which is not proven.

But Zeitz were a group known [00:11:00] for opposing Rome. And their willingness to use their violence. They were driven by deep zeal for their Jewish law, the Torah, and a desire to protect their homeland. Simon went on to preach in West Africa, England joined Jew, the Apostle in Persia. He has mentioned in Matthew, mark, Luke, and the Book of Acts, and was believed to be martyred either by SA and half are a crucification.

A lesson you can take from Zi Simon is Jesus chooses people from all backgrounds and transforms their missions. 


Jude Thaddeus: The Curious Disciple
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Okay, so now we have Judas, a K, a, Jude Thes, and son of James, not to be mixed up with Judas, the traitor. He is the one that asked Jesus at the Last Supper, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us and not the world?

[00:12:00] He was there when Jesus preached on the Mount. Judas also went on to preach in North Odessa. He healed the king of Odessa, but they destroyed the record of him doing that. The symbol of Judah is a club and he is depicted with the flame around his head representing his presence of Pentecost when he received the Holy Spirit.

The club represents the way he was martyred to death for his faith. He was beaten with a club. A lesson you can learn from Judas is that curiosity can lead to a deeper faith. So don't be afraid to ask Jesus questions that you're unsure about. 


Matthias: The Replacement Apostle
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So next up is Mathas. Who took over after Judas, the trader Betrays.

Jesus. Mattus is believed to be one of the 70 disciples who have preached the gospel in Judea and around the Cassian sea. He was not [00:13:00] chosen by Jesus, but was chosen by the remaining 11 disciples, which was made while casting of lots between him and someone else, he is mentioning acts where. Seen as a witness of Jesus' resurrection and present at Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The details about his death vary, but some believe that he was martyred for his faith by crucification. Stoned are beheaded. He is depicted with a battle sword over a book symbolizing his struggles in preaching the gospel. A lesson you can take from Matthias is God always fills the gap. And keeps the mission going.


Judas Iscariot: The Betrayer
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All right, last and least we have Judah's the traitor. He was the treasury of the group and is described as having a love for money and a history from stealing from the money he [00:14:00] was supposed to be managing. Judas was giving grace to not do what he did, but he was warned. He trained and was under Jesus for three years, but still didn't love Jesus.

Jesus knew when he chose him that he would betray him. Judas brought the man to arrest Jesus, then kiss Jesus to betray him, and Judas name has become the symbol of betrayal. He portrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Which was probably about a few weeks of work, but since we don't know the value of the silver, we can't say for sure, but the 30 pieces of silver represent a symbolic betrayal rather than a precise value.

After he saw Jesus being condemned, he unloved himself. A lesson that you can learn from Judas is one, just because you [00:15:00] deem yourself to have a relationship with Jesus, you may need to ask yourself, what is the motive behind that relationship? Is it only for gain or genuineness? And another lesson is that.

Sometimes our enemies are the ones who will transform us to the person we are destined to be more than our friends can. 


Conclusion and Prayer
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So which disciple do you think you can relate to the most right now? Are you passionate like Peter, but struggling? Are you Thomas? Wanting to believe but needing to see the resurrection of Jesus Christ restored these men from fear to faith.

The same power is available to us today. So before I go, let's go ahead and pray and thank you so much. Lord, we come to you. The name of Jesus. Thank you, father God, for choosing ordinary people like us, choosing outcasted [00:16:00] people like us, choosing the unexpected people because that allows us to see Lord, that if you chose them.

You can choose us to God and that the way that you met Peter when he rejected you, Thomas and his doubt. Nathaniel with his questions, we know that we can come to you. In that same way, Lord. And we just wanna say we are so thankful to be your chosen vessel, God, and we are eager to be another disciple for the kingdom.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. All right, so thank you so much from tuning in and listening to more information about the 12 Disciples and I hope to see you back. Alright, bye.