Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
After Peter, we probably know more about John than any of the other disciples. Many believe John and his brother, were followers of John the Baptist. However, these followers are never mentioned by name. {John 1:35-39} Scripture first shows Jesus interaction with John and his brother on the sea shore. Actually, Jesus came upon Peter and Andrew first and “going […]
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John was part of Jesus’s inner circle, but he also has another name he gave himself. That of the beloved disciple. The Gospel of John is believed to have been written by John the apostle. This is the only book of the Bible, in which the beloved disciple is referred to. We do not know what prompted John to refer […]
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Herod the Great has died and his son Herod Antipas has become tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea. John the Baptist has come from the wilderness and been teaching. Eventually he is arrested and imprisoned. “Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. “ {Mark 6:21} […]
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We’ve been viewing the Eyewitnesses to Easter and have discussed Mary, Mary Magdalene, Peter, John and Judas view points so far. Thomas was one of Jesus disciples and an eyewitness to his ministry, arrest and death. However, he is best known to us as doubting Thomas for his doubts when Jesus was raised from the grave. Before we get to […]
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Judas Iscariot has betrayed Jesus, who has been crucified and risen from the grave. Judas was remorseful for his actions and killed himself. Jesus has ascended to heaven and the disciples gather in the upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit to descend. Here were are introduced to two followers of Jesus, who have been following him since his baptism […]
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Judas Iscariot is the most reviled of the 12 disciples, after all he was the one who betrayed Jesus. The name Judas is Hebrew and means praise or the praised one, while Iscariot is Greek and means man from Kerioth. Today the name means traitor. We are told early in the gospel accounts that Judas betrayed Jesus. “Judas Iscariot, who also […]
Read more The disciple Thomas is commonly known as doubt Thomas, but we’ll get to that in a moment. In the first three gospels {and book of Acts}, Thomas is only mentioned as one of the disciples of Jesus and nothing else is mentioned about him. The name Thomas is Hebrew and means twin. The name Didymus is Greek and means twin. […]
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We first meet Thaddeus in the list of disciples of Jesus. “…Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus.” {Matthew 10:3} The name Thaddeus is believed to be a Aramaic form of the Greek name, which means a courageous heart. The name Lebbaeus is a form of Judas or Jude, to which it is believed he is often referred to later in scripture. […]
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Bartholomew is almost always mentioned in connection to being with the disciple Philip. In the book of John, he is referred to as Nathanael. The name Bartholomew in Greek meaning son of Talmai or son of the furrows in Aramaic, while the Hebrew name Nathanael means gift of God or God has given. In the first three gospels, Bartholomew is […]
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Philip is a Greek name meaning friend and friend of horses. Many believe the disciple Philip may have spoken Greek. We first meet Philip right after Jesus has called Andrew and Simon Peter to follow him. It is possible that Philip was one of two {the unnamed} disciple who was following John the Baptist. When John the Baptist saw Jesus […]
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Andrew was a brother of Simon Peter. The brothers were from the village of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. The Greek culture and language were very significant in the area. His name is Greek, instead of the traditional Hebrew, of the Jews. The name Andrew means manly, brave, manhood and valour. Peter and Andrew were both fishermen by trade, […]
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James was the brother of John. He was the son of Zebedee and his mother is believed to be Salome. The name James is a version of Jacob, meaning to supplant. James is always listed first, leading to the belief he was the older of the two. James and John, along with their father, were fishermen. The men were fishing […]
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We have been looking at the life of Jesus through the eyes of the witnesses of his birth and death. However, what about his life? Other, than his mother, those who knew him best were his inner circle, the twelve disciples. But who were these men? What do we know about them and what happened to them after Jesus ascension […]
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The book of Acts opens with the transfiguration and then the men return to the upper room to wait. John is mentioned along with the other disciples. While in the upper room the Holy Spirit comes upon them. “Many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.” {Acts 2:43} John was with Peter, when his friend performed his first miracle. […]
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Jesus asked Peter “Lovest thou me?” and tells him how he will die. {John 21:12-19} So, Peter is like so many of us. He wants to know about his friend. He looks over at John and asked “what about him?” How did Jesus answer? “Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that […]
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Jesus has been crucified and the disciples are probably feeling lost and questioning everything that happened the last three years. We do not know where they are or who else is with them, but we do know they are together. Mary Magdalene runs up to them and tells them the stone has been moved from the tomb. The two men […]
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Jesus has been arrested, tried and sentenced to death. Each of the gospel accounts mention the women gathered at the cross to witness the crucifixion of Jesus, either by name or as a group. {Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40; Luke 23:49}. However, none of the other gospels mention the disciples. We know Judas is remorseful and commits suicide. Peter is remorseful […]
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The disciples did not understand Jesus purpose, nor his power at times. A crowd was following Jesus to Jerusalem. We are told they are afraid of what’s to come. He took the twelve disciples aside and tried to prepare them for what was to come. He told them he would be beat, made fun of, spit on and killed. {Mark […]
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We have been review John’s relationship with Jesus and his eyewitness to not only Easter, but the life of Jesus. However, there is one other man who is often mentioned with John and that is Peter. Clearly, we know Peter and John knew one another before they met Jesus, because Peter is with Zebedee and his sons, when Jesus comes […]
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After the Passover meal ended, Jesus went to Gethsemane which is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and […]
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