Matthew 10:3-4 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. “Simon” the Zealot. The better manuscripts read “Cananaean” a term for the party of the Zealots, a group determined to overthrow Roman domination in Palestine. Simon was probably a member of the Zealot party before coming to Christ. Let us stop here a moment and look at these disciples. Peter (rock) and Andrew (manly), his brother, were fishermen before Jesus called them, and their partners were James and John (sons of Zebedee; sons of thunder). John means Jehovah is gracious. John was called the beloved of Jesus. This John truly loved Jesus. He was the only one present at the crucifixion. Jesus entrusted His mother to John. The name Philip means lover of horses. Bartholomew, some believe that he was the same as Nathaniel. Thomas was best known as doubter. The name Thomas means twin, but it was not evident in the Bible who the twin was. We just studied about Matthew, the tax collector. His name means a gift of Jehovah. James (not son of Zebedee) was believed to be the nephew of Mary (mother of Jesus). He was called James the less. No one knows whether this had to do with stature, or importance. This Lebbaeus, or Thaddaeus means courage. Thaddaeus was, probably, the name he used in his ministry. Simon, the Canaanite belonged to the faction of the Zealots who were dogmatic about the Mosaic Law. Judas Iscariot was the betrayer of Jesus. He also carried the purse.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 23:27:58 +0000