We think we know so much about the Twelve Apostles… and yet, we know so little for sure.
And maybe it’s better that way.
I’m a big fan of St. Andrew. He was the kind of Christian I aim to be: always bringing people to Jesus (starting with his brother); seemingly unconcerned that Peter, James, and John get more face time with the Lord; and answering the questions Jesus asks rather than the questions the apostle is asking himself.
Some of the others? Not so easy to love. I mean, seriously, Philip telling Jesus to show the Twelve the Almighty, and then they will be satisfied? Nathanael Bartholomew questioning whether anything good can come out of Nazareth? James and John lobbying for top positions? And Peter, on so many occasions.
In short, they seemed like the ideal, imperfect group of people for what became my new book, 12 Unforgettable Men of the Gospels: Reflections and Portraits of the Apostles.
Ultimately, I learned they were just people, like you and me, chosen by Jesus for a particular purpose, just like you and me. For some, like Peter, the purpose seems obvious, even after two thousand years. For others, like Simon the Zealot who doesn’t say anything in any of the Gospels, that purpose may be beyond our comprehension.
Many things I thought I knew about the Twelve proved to be wrong. I was stunned to find Judas’s death by suicide is reported only in Matthew’s Gospel; the other three say nothing about what happened after he left the Last Supper. (Luke does mention Judas’s end in Acts, however.) Matthew, according to the New American Bible, likely didn’t author the Gospel that bears his name. James may not have ever made it to Spain.
I want to help you see the Twelve as men, not stained-glass images. In the book, I share the scriptural references for each and some thoughts on the type of man each was, for example, Peter, the outspoken one; James, the ambitious one; and Jude Thaddeus, the ordinary one. I’ve also included Old Testament Scripture that the apostle may have known and that is related to his particular gift or challenge. I also share information about paintings or drawings for each apostle to consider, and some discussion or contemplation questions There’s also a story about being the apostle today (or learning from his faith to overcome a deficit).
In my research and writing, I realized there’s some of each of the Twelve in me.
Frightened, yearning to connect, struggling, prideful—and each and every day, clinging to Jesus for dear life. Because without him, there is no life.
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This brand new book from Melanie Rigney is available from Twenty-Third Publications. It is the companion volume to Unforgettable Women of the Gospels: 8 Unnamed Women in Scripture and Their Encounters with Jesus.
