The original twelve disciples of Jesus were an assorted bunch, quite diverse and yet with many things in common. They were not all ‘book smart’ educated, however, some were. They did not all have ‘street smarts’ however, some did. Together they were resourceful, educated and experienced in life. They were all well into what we would consider adulthood by the time they were called by Jesus, who himself, began his ministry at age thirty. This was in accordance with many accounts of priests and kings in the Old Testament beginning their ministry and reigns at 30 years old. Jesus was our king and priest. They all had careers and the direction for their lives already set into motion. The disciples are listed in Matthew 10:2 -4, Mark 13:13-19, Luke 6:12-16 and Acts 1:13-14 excluding Judas Iscariot. They were all chosen by Jesus for a reason. Some had things in common and already had bonds formed, but others were brought into the group for a divine purpose. Whether for their skills, occupational experience, temperaments, or education, we may never know, but they became a cohesive force that attracted the attention of the masses in their day.
Simon Barjonas referred to as Peter or Cephas by Jesus meaning stone or rock was called to follow Jesus, along with his brother Andrew. They were fishermen by trade. Probably coming from a long line of fishermen as was the custom and is often the case with families still. James (the greater, because he was older than the other James) and John the Sons of Zebedee which Jesus referred to as sons of Boanerges meaning ‘thunder’ in Aramaic, were also fishermen. Perhaps their dad was a man with a temper or strong temperament and character. They all lived and did business in Capernaum on the shores of Galilee and were not strangers to Jesus who had also taken up residence there. James the Lesser (because he was younger than the other James) also thought to be the brother to Matthew also known as Levi, a former tax collector, also called by Jesus, because they were both, on separate occasions, referred to as the sons of Alphaeus. Matthew, a former publican, aka sinner, seemed to be a man of means, maybe from an affluent family or from his former occupation, opened his home to Jesus and his disciples for gathering and feasting.
Philip having a Greek name, gave opportunity for Greeks curious about Jesus to come to him. He in turn was instrumental in recruiting Nathaniel from Cana of Galilee, also known in Aramaic as Bartholomew meaning, son of Tolmai, who was a skeptical Jew who probably knew the Jewish law more than the others. He became a believer that Jesus was the Messiah that was to come, spoken of in the Old Testament after his first encounter with him. Simon Zelotes also referred to as the Cananaean, a word in Aramaic meaning ‘zealous.’ Judas son of James was also known as Labbaeus son of Thaddeaus or Jude of James, who was also thought to be Jesus’ brother. Thomas Didymus was actually named, “Twin, Twin”, because Thomas is twin in Aramaic and Didymus is twin in Greek. Some think that he might have been Jude/James’ the brother of Jesus’ twin, but it is not established. Though skeptical, Thomas was outspoken and probably willing to say what others were already thinking, but too scared to say. This earned him the misconceived title of ‘Doubting Thomas.’ He was no more a doubter than the others. Nevertheless, most all of them ran in the same circles and were not strangers to one another. A possible exception was Judas Iscariot son of Simon. It is said that their last name denoted that they were from a place called Kerioth which was in the Southern part of Judah. A stranger to the northern part of Israel and therefore had no allegiance to anyone but himself. A wanderer and a scoundrel out to make a dollar. However, Jesus was not caught by surprise with this selection. We know that there was one that was predestined to betray Jesus and Judas had the shady character to be that one. And of course, we know the end of the story, which worked out well for us. Jesus had to die to take our place and pay the ransom fee for our sins and that betrayal facilitated it.
Why then were they ‘straining at the oars’ as stated in Mark 6:48? They had just witnessed Jesus feed the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. They should have been on a high, an adrenaline rush in a euphoric state, but they were not. They should have been having a praise session. The fact of the matter was they knew that the people were hungry and should eat and they were asking Jesus to send them away so they could go buy food. However, Jesus told them to feed the people themselves. They did not understand his thinking. After they had found the five loaves and two fish, the miracle was complete, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered up and they left the crowds, the disciples’ hearts were hardened, Mark 6:52 states. Matthew Henry Commentary writes regarding the miracle that they must have been contemplating that, “he who had wrought it must be Lord over the whole system of nature and could, therefore, whenever He pleased, bend the elements to His liking.” However, when they found themselves in a precarious situation, they immediately forgot the wonder of the miracle that they had just witnessed. Mark 6:45-52 tells us the story, “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” Repeatedly Jesus tried to reveal to his disciples who he really was, but they could not see. They were limited to their human understanding.
There are times when our education, resourcefulness, experience, and talents will not assist us no matter how we ‘strain at the oars’ to try to make things happen. God is in control of the winds and the waves in our lives and will always have his will. Jesus comes to us in unexpected ways that may sometimes be so unusual that we do not even know it is him. Romans 11:33,
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” They were all going the same direction. The goal was to get to the other side to preach the gospel there. He would have passed them by walking on the water and would have made it without incident. However, he saw their need, and this moved him with compassion.
He sees the storms we are in and is always watching over us. We are his children. Psalms 139:7-10 asks, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” As seen in the text, he wants us to ask for help, cry out to him as the disciples did, even though they were afraid and did not understand, he heard their cries for help. Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” He will put our hearts at ease as he did theirs. His spirit brings peace. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” We must know his word and hide it in our hearts for those times when the storms arise in our lives. He will get involved in your situation and bring a calm to them. He has an answer for all our questions, worries and fears.
Often, we struggle because we forget the miracles that he does in our lives daily. He gives us life each day, he has given us food, clothing, and shelter. He has given jobs and wonderful families. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” The disciples forgot about the five thousand men, plus women and children being fed with only five loaves of bread and two fish! That is astounding. What extraordinarily miraculous thing is it that the Lord has done for you that you have completely forgotten about. We need to stop and take stock of our lives from time to time to see how he has provided for us, healed us, lead us, and protected us. Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” We do not have to struggle or fear. We can let Him take control and the wind will cease at his very presence. We do not have to ‘strain at the oars’.
Another inspiring article!