Week 2: The Calling of the 12 Apostles

This week, I learned about the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ.  The 12 He called were Peter (Simon Peter), Andrew, James and John (sons of Zebedee), Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon, Thaddeaus (Lebbaeus), and Judas Iscariot.  I'll tell you about three of these apostles.

Thomas we don't hear much about, but we know when Jesus appeared unto the other apostles after He resurrected and they told Thomas, but he said he wouldn't believe it unless he saw the Lord with his own eyes and touch His hands and side.  Well, the Lord appeared unto all of them the next time and Thomas finally believed but was sort of scolded by Jesus about that.

Judas Iscariot was the apostle who betrayed the Savior for money.  To signal who the Savior was, he gave a kiss on His forehead.  After he woke up to what he had done, he went to give the money back and then hung himself out of guilt.

John is my absolute favorite apostle, because of the huge part he plays.  Before John became a disciple and apostle of Christ, it’s assumed that he was learning with Andrew under John the Baptist.  He was a fisherman with his father Zebedee and brother James until the brothers both left to follow the Savior.  John is my favorite because of his importance in this world.  Jesus referred to John as His Beloved.  It shows the love Jesus has for his apostle.  Also, John was with the Savior at the Transfiguration.  When Jesus asked Peter, James and John the things they wished for, John said he wanted to tarry to proclaim the word to the world until the Savior comes again.  You could tell how pleased the Lord was of that decision and made it so that John could not die.  What is most amazing to me is that John is still on this earth somewhere to this day doing the work of the Lord.  He wrote the book of Revelation.  He is a mystery, which is why I’m drawn to him.  Sorry, that was a little long!

Anyways, let me explain what an apostle is.  To be an Apostle means to represent the Lord, to be a special witness of Christ, and travelling around the world to do the Lord’s work.

When Jesus had called His 12 Apostles, He told them to gather the lost sheep of Israel, go around and heal the sick, cast out devils, and do service and good works.  He tells them to travel with basically nothing on them (money and extra clothes) and to reside with the righteous in the places they visit. in other words, He tells them to be humble.  He warns them that it will not be easy, and there will be arrests that take place, but to not worry, because they will have the Holy Ghost with them to help them say the right things in tricky situations.  When they are persecuted, they must go on to the next city. 

I look back to when the Savior first approached Peter, James and John and the fishing boats.

After they had witnessed a miracle from the Lord and He bid them to follow Him, they dropped their precious work and life (James and John also left their father) to follow Him.  They sacrificed their jobs and comfortable life-style.  This teaches me that I must give up something precious to me in order to follow my Savior’s teachings and Gospel at some point.  We will all go through this, especially when joining the church or re-activating.  If I am willing to drop all those precious things that are distracting me from the teachings of the Savior, I know will be blessed in return.  I have seen many examples in and out of the scriptures.