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Section 1: Opening Prayer
Let us pray.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe.
You made the whole earth for your glory; all creation praises you.
We lift our voices to join the songs of heaven and earth
in thanksgiving for the many blessings you have given us. Renew in us the commitment
to use our gifts in the service of others, and especially of those in need.
Let us be your hands to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless,
clothe the naked, comfort the weary and outcast,
welcome the stranger, care for creation,
and be loving neighbors to all people. To you, O God, be glory and honor through your Son, Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in your church and in the world, now and forever.
Amen.
Opening and Closing Prayers adapted from Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2017 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #25165.
Section 2: Story
How many disciples were there?
Where is the great commission found?
Section 3: Message
So just who where the original followers of Jesus and how many were there? We are taught there were 12 disciples, yet even the Bible tells us different names in the different gospels. Here is a chart from Wikipedia that outlines the names of the 12 Disciples:
| Gospel of Matthew [Mt 10:1–4] | Gospel of Mark [Mk 3:13–19] | Gospel of Luke [Lk 6:12–16] | Gospel of John |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon (“who is called Peter”) | Simon (“to whom he gave the name Peter”) | Simon (“whom he named Peter”) | Simon Peter / Cephas |
| Andrew (“his [Peter’s] brother”) | Andrew | Andrew (“his brother”) | Andrew (“brother of Simon Peter”) |
| James (“son of Zebedee”) | James (“son of Zebedee”) / one of the “Boanerges” | James | one of the “sons of Zebedee” |
| John (“his [James’s] brother”) | John (“brother of James”) / one of the “Boanerges” | John | one of the “sons of Zebedee” / thought to be the “disciple whom Jesus loved”[13:23] [20:2] |
| Philip | Philip | Philip | Philip |
| Bartholomew | Bartholomew | Bartholomew | Nathanael |
| Thomas | Thomas | Thomas | Thomas (“also called Didymus”)[11:16] [20:24] [21:2] |
| Matthew (“the tax collector”) | Levi | Levi | not mentioned |
| James (“son of Alphaeus”) | James (“son of Alphaeus”) | James (“son of Alphaeus”) | not mentioned |
| Thaddaeus | Thaddaeus | Jude (“son of James”) | Jude (“not Iscariot”)[14:22] |
| Simon (“the Cananean”) | Simon (“the Cananean”) | Simon (“who was called the Zealot”) | not mentioned |
| Judas Iscariot | Judas Iscariot | Judas Iscariot | Judas (“son of Simon Iscariot”) |
Now some say that Thaddaues and Jude are the same person, just different names, like Matthew and Levi. Which would mean there were only 12, but is that actually the case? Were there only 12 original followers of Jesus? Here is some more information on the 12 Disciples. How Did Jesus call these men?
This video is from Matthews version which you can read here.
Here is the story from Luke.
Here is the story from Mark
Section 4: Learn and Engage
– What are 3 things you learned?
– What is 1 question you still have?
– What part of the lesson did you most identify with?
– What part of the lesson was hardest for you?
– Where have you seen God this week?
Section 5: Closing Prayer
Let us pray.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe.
You made the whole earth for your glory; all creation praises you.
We lift our voices to join the songs of heaven and earth
in thanksgiving for the many blessings you have given us. Renew in us the commitment
to use our gifts in the service of others, and especially of those in need.
Let us be your hands to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless,
clothe the naked, comfort the weary and outcast,
welcome the stranger, care for creation,
and be loving neighbors to all people. To you, O God, be glory and honor through your Son, Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in your church and in the world, now and forever.
Amen.
Opening and Closing Prayers adapted from Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2017 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #25165.