Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples for there were many of them, and they were following Him. They were known for taking extra money from the people of Israel to pay off the Romans and to pad their own pockets. Levi, the Son of Alphaeus, Matthew was a tax collector-the most despised people in all of Israel. Need to strengthen your faith in this season? Download our FREE 30-Day guide to grow your faith today. Now that we know the names of the apostles, let's take a deeper look into the life story of each man.Īlthough the disciples were all different, when the Early Church began, they were known for their unwavering faith. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother Philip and Bartholomew (Nathanael) Thomas and Matthew the tax collector James the son of Alphaeus (James the Less), and Thaddaeus (Judas, son of James) Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. We find the names of the disciples in the Gospel books of Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19 and Luke 6:13-16. He exalts the humble and lays low those who are proud.

That’s how it has always been in God’s economy. Christ purposely passed over the elite, aristocratic, and influential men of society and chose mostly the men from the dregs of society. They were from rural areas, farmers, and fisherman. What we know to be true about Jesus is that He chose ordinary and unrefined men to be his apostles. Jesus’ plan was to eventually have the disciples take over and carry on the work He had started. Jesus spent three years training these men to be leaders. They were Jews, uneducated commoners, and simple men of faith who gave up everything to be followers of Christ. Twelve men responded to the call to be disciples of Jesus.

And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named apostles.

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Anxious Disciple by Mark Mills