Apostleship

In studying the last incarnate hours of our Lord in John chapters 13-17, I was struck by the intense intimacy of Jesus with His men. They were first called disciples (students), when He called them away from their nets, tax tables and even political zealotry. The eleven had been positive to the reality of God and His Word, as best they could comprehend it under the religious system of their day. Some had been disciples of John the Baptist, and had heard him warn Israel to prepare the way for the Messiah. They willingly, perhaps eagerly followed that Messiah, when they knew Who He was, and they learned from Him as He ministered among His people, Israel. He, and they, preached and performed miraculous works among those people for 3 years. Those people who came to Him believing were saved—He told them so—and some were healed--but many simply followed and watched with contempt, despising His grace, because it conflicted with their religion of works and threatened their power base.

Those original twelve, one of whom was a fraud, were appointed as apostles (Greek: apostolos—ambassador, messenger, he that is sent) to Israel. These appointments were sovereignly decided by Jesus. There was no merit involved. The apostles were commissioned by the Messiah to do specific work, among a specific people for a specific period of time. He qualifies the called.

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;  Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:1-8

After Judas was dismissed at the last Passover, Jesus spent the next several hours teaching the eleven about His love for them and the love He expected them to have for each other. He was clearly announcing a shift in the program. God’s policy never changes. The Policy is always grace. The program, however, changed with the finished atonement of His Son. Now all the laws, rituals and feasts of the Old Testament teachings were fulfilled. The prophecies about the coming Messiah were fulfilled. In the new dispensation God’s Word is still the final authority, and identification with God and His Word is the believers’ security. We now would have a supernatural helper indwelling us; the Holy Spirit. We now have a personal High Priest, Jesus Christ. Those who rejected Jesus had not known the Father or comprehended His Word. If they had, they would have received His Son.

Fast-forward to the post-ascension action of Peter and the other apostles, in preparing to lead the brand new baby Church; they held an election to replace the deceased Judas—apostle number 12. Matthias was elected (Acts 1:26). He was probably a trustworthy and honorable disciple, but apparently not appointed by Jesus. There is no more information about Matthias in the Bible.

Jesus did make a twelfth appointment, on the road to Damascus some time later, when He interrupted Saul of Tarsus on his cruel mission to imprison and kill Christians. A criterion for apostleship was to have been an eyewitness to the risen Christ. 

I Corinthians 15:5-9 “…he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

I Corinthians 9:1 “...Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?^”

Galatians 1:15-18 “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased  to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.

Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.”

Three years. That period of time alone with Jesus intrigues me, because it is roughly the same length of time the original disciples/apostles spent closely studying Jesus. This cannot be coincidence. Paul became the twelfth apostle; the one assigned to evangelize and teach the Gentiles, and the writer of 13 of the 27 New Testament books. His writings are the most intricately detailed, deeply doctrinal of all the New Testament writings, except for Hebrews, whose author is unknown.

In the early Church, apostleship was a spiritual gift (I Corinthians 12:28) which carried authority over the churches until the canon of scripture was completed, with the writing of Revelation. The absolute authority over the Church now is the canon of the New Testament, which was written by apostles and close associates of apostles to the Church. There is no legitimate office of apostleship today. They served their purpose and left us the equipment we need to continue.

Jesus’ public ministry to Israel set forth God’s policies for His coming kingdom. The Messiah and His kingdom were rejected by those to whom He was sent: Israel. This did not take Jesus by surprise.
Nevertheless, He fulfilled His responsibility to that people and then, after making propitiation for them and the whole world, He commissioned His Church; His spiritual body in the world, to continue His work until He returns for us. He didn’t leave us orphans; He sent His Holy Spirit to enable us for that work.

So we’ll work…’til Jesus comes…and we’ll be gathered home.