Matthew 10:1-4 Jesus chose a Dozen
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: March 6, 2019, Matthew 10:1-4
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
(Understanding the Text) In the first third of his book, Matthew established Jesus’ credentials as the Messiah. He answered three (or more) basic questions about Messiahship. Jesus had the correct lineage. Jesus was a great spiritual leader and teacher. Jesus had the power of a prophet to heal, cast out demons, and even raise from the dead. Now, Matthew begins a new section. In other words, there is no reason to try to date the choosing of the twelve disciples after the healing of Jairus’ daughter or the two blind men. Matthew was not writing chronologically.
(Revelation of God) Matthew starts out this new section by telling the reader that Jesus not only had the power of a prophet, He had a power beyond the prophets because He could transfer that power to other people. This was something that the prophets did not do. During His ministry, not only could Jesus perform miracles, but the twelve disciples could also. Performing miracles came before the filling of the Spirit. That’s something I don’t quite understand, except that maybe at this point, the disciples had submitted themselves to God so much that they were capable of receiving the Spirit to the point of miracles. However, there was a bigger filling at Pentecost. This tells me that the miracles did not need as much of a connection with God as the infilling that happened at Pentecost. We look at miracles as the ultimate sign of the presence of the Spirit, but I have a feeling that we’ve got it backwards.
(Understanding the Text) We know a lot about Peter, James, and John and a little about Andrew. I know about the calling of Philip and Bartholomew. We’re told that Thomas was a skeptic. Matthew wrote this gospel and was called as he collected taxes in a booth. Judas was a greedy betrayer. However, I don’t know much of anything about James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot. There is speculation that Matthew and James are brothers because in other verses, they have the same father’s name. “And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him” (Mar 2:14). Some argue that they would have been listed as brothers if that were true, and they may be right, but it may also be that Matthew had been disinherited, or maybe there was so little said about them and they didn’t act like brothers, so no one thought to mention their relationship. When John writes about James, he never says “my brother James did this” and here Matthew lists brothers together, and he lists James right after himself, so that is favorable to the idea. On the other hand, he does not say they were brothers like he does with the others.
It’s interesting that in Luke’s list, Thaddeus is called Judas the son of James. That’s the only thing we know about him–he shared a name with the betrayer, and he was known by two names. I’ve heard it mentioned in a sermon that there must have been some interesting interactions between Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot. All we know about Simon is that nickname, but the nickname says a lot. He was politically minded, wanted the Jews to be out of the yoke of Rome, and had had no patience with those who cooperated with Rome. On the other side was Matthew, who had made a fortune by cooperating with Rome.
(Revelation of God) I wonder if Jesus gave Peter his nickname to distinguish him from the other Simon. I think it might also be to give Peter special authority. Jesus’ habit of giving nicknames is one that I cannot quite fit in with my picture of God, which tells me that my picture is wrong. Anyway, I wonder what insight into God’s character I should get from that? I know that there is a big emphasis in the Bible on names and how they reflect a message. Also, God has promised us new names in Revelation, but I’m still not sure what this tells me about God, except that it reveals something. I will have to think on this some more.
(Understanding the Text) Guzik’s commentary of this list is “The main feature of this list is its diversity. Jesus chose His disciples from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. About all they had in common was the fact that none of them were from privileged or backgrounds of high status.” He may be a little off on this observation. It is true that Zebedee, the father of James and John, was a fisherman, but he was wealthy enough to have servants who fished with him, and some speculate that the reason that John was able to get into the high priest’s house and not be hassled is that he had traveled in some of their circles by reason of his father’s wealth. Some commentaries say that his mother was one of the women who supported Jesus with money. On the other hand, others say that John got in because he stuck close to Jesus and was young. The money did not stop Herod from killing James, but maybe James was killed quickly because Herod knew that if he waited, someone with power might interfere. Certainly, the Sons of Thunder’s attitude toward the Samaritan village and their mother’s political maneuvering speak of people who had some privilege and power in the world.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that Jesus has called me to serve Him. I need the Spirit to fill me in order to do this. I don’t need flashy miracles, but I need the deeper filling of Pentecost. I pray for this filling of the Holy Spirit so that I can do Your work that You ask of me and be close to You. Guzik suggests these verses apply to the calling of the disciples (and I think myself also): “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1Corinthians 1:26-31). I know that I only need to stand in You and witness You work miracles. I pray for that ability to be in Your Spirit and watch You work.