D is for DISCIPLE

So which disciple made the greatest impact on you. Probably not Simon the Caananite or indeed Thaddeus nor even James the son of Alphaeus. And most of us only remember Thomas because he was better known, when I was at Sunday school, as 'Doubting Thomas'. Yet he was also quite a vocal member of the group and on several occasions made his voice heard especially when, at the Last Supper, he said to Jesus, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' And this from a man who had spent most of his previous three years with the Master. I think to call him 'Doubting Thomas' is slightly unfair because who among us hasn't had our doubts at some point in our faith history, but better to remember him as 'Thomas the Believer' who, when he had seen the resurrected Christ, proclaimed 'My Lord and my God.'

And what of Matthew, the man from the Inland Revenue, who, if he was following the example of most other tax collectors at the time, was probably lining his pockets with people's hard earned wages which they thought was all going to pay their taxes to the government. Hardly the sort of person you would enlist to help you run a charity event or to raise money for a new church roof. Philip, living in the same town of Bethsaida as Andrew and his brother and possibly knowing them as two of the fishermen down at the port but no indication that they knew each other beyond this acquaintance. Yet he was the fifth named disciple and probably best remembered for initially introducing Bartholomew to Jesus and then for missionary work he carried out in Samaria after Jesus went back to heaven, including many miracles that he performed and the conversion of an important Ethiopian from the palace of Queen Candace . I wonder what impact that conversion had on the royal household?

Or maybe you remember Bartholomew, also called Nathaniel, whose initial reaction to Philip's invitation to meet the Messiah should be 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth.' Yet his scepticism is quickly dissolved when he meets the Son of God, who talks of him as 'one in whom there is no deceit.' And certainly Judas leaves an impact on all of us as the disciple who spent so long in the company of Jesus and yet was willing to betray Him for silver, though the instant gain of wealth could never rid him of the guilt he felt at such an act and ultimately would cause his premature death.

I suppose for most of us, the disciples who come most easily to mind are the two sets of brothers, James and John and of course Andrew and Peter, all men who fished for a living. And while James, along with his brother was the first disciple to be called to follow Jesus, it would be John who would hold a special place 'as the disciple whom Jesus loved' and who, sometimes along with Peter and James, would witness many important events, including the Transfiguration, the Passover preparation, Gethsemane on that fateful night, the Crucifixion, the empty tomb and of course most of Jesus' miracles and parables. And then there is Andrew, most notable for being Peter's brother but it should never be forgotten that it was he who brought Peter to Jesus in the first place. Peter, that rock, that follower of no fear, the one who walked on the water, who cut off an ear in the garden, who denied Jesus and fled and who would return again to the tomb, witness the folded grave clothes and on seeing his Saviour risen would become one of the greatest missionaries the world has ever seen.

The word disciple interests me, for while it conveys a sense of someone being a pupil or a learner from another, it also embraces the idea of a person not only learning but also believing and helping to spread those teachings to a wider audience. Clearly Jesus had great faith in the twelve people he picked, to learn from Him and then to take His message into the world. Clearly too, background or social class didn't enter the equation, nor did position in the community, family ties, education or level of wealth. Probably, He knew that those things might hinder anyone from being a true disciple. And I suppose when He looks for disciples today, He needs those who are as ready and willing to leave all and follow Him, no questions asked and no turning back. What are we? Pupils or disciples? I've thought about all the disciples and I've plumped for Thaddeus. He seems to have been a level headed guy, who just seemed to get on with the job and because we're not really told anything about Him, doesn't mean that he wasn't busy at His Lord's work. And at the end of the day, Jesus was happy with Him and I guess that's all that matters. And you know, I'd have been quite happy to be a Thaddeus, just to be that close to God.