Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 3:16
And Simon he surnamed Peter;
16. and Simon ] We have in the New Testament four lists of the Apostles: ( a) Mat 10:2; ( b) Mar 3:16; ( c) Luk 6:14; ( d) Act 1:13. The position of some of the names varies in the lists, but in all four the leaders of the three groups are the same, Peter, Philip, and James, the son of Alphus, while in all four Judas Iscariot is placed last. According to St Mark’s catalogue they may be arranged in three groups:
(i) 1 Peter.
2 James.
3 John.
4 Andrew.
(ii) 5 Philip.
6 Bartholomew.
7 Matthew.
8 Thomas.
(iii) 9 James the Less.
10 Thaddus.
11 Simon the Cananite.
12 Judas Iscariot.
( a) Group i
i. Simon. The name of Simeon (Act 15:14) or Simon, a “hearer,” the son of Jonas (Joh 1:42; Joh 21:16), whom our Lord surnamed Peter or Cephas, the Rock-man, stands first in all the four lists. He was brought up in his father’s occupation, as a fisherman on the Galilean lake, and lived originally at Bethsaida, and afterwards in a house at Capernaum (Mar 1:21; Mar 1:29). His earliest call came to him through his brother Andrew, who told him the Messias, the “Anointed One,” had been found in the Person of the Lord (Joh 1:43). His second call took place on the lake near Capernaum, where he and the other three in this group were fishing. He is specially prominent on various occasions before the rest of the Apostles. Sometimes he speaks in their name (Mat 19:27; Luk 12:41); sometimes answers when all are addressed (Mat 16:16; Mar 8:29); sometimes he is addressed as principal, even among the favoured Three by our Lord Himself (Mat 26:40; Luk 22:31); sometimes he is appealed to by others as representing the rest (Mat 17:24; Act 2:37). After the Ascension he assumes a position of special prominence (Act 1:15; Act 2:14; Act 4:8; Act 5:29).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 16. Simon, &c.] See Clarke on Mt 10:2, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Matthew nameth the apostles upon his relating the history of their mission, or sending out; Mark nameth them upon their election, or first choice. Both these evangelists agree with Luke in their names, saving that Luke calleth him Judas whom Matthew calls Lebbaeus, and Mark, Thaddaeus, so that he had three names. Christ changeth the name of Simon, whom he called Cephas, or Peter, Joh 1:42; we have the reason, Mat 16:18; he also changed the names of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, calling them Boanerges, about the etymology of which name critics must dispute. The evangelists tell us it signifieth Sons of thunder, thereby minding them of their duty, to cry aloud, and to preach the gospel as on the housetops; or perhaps declaring what he knew was in the fervour and warmth of their spirits. We must not here inquire too narrowly into the secret counsels of God, in suffering a son of perdition to come into the number of his first ministers: Christ did it not because he did not know what was in his heart, for before that he showed himself a devil, by informing against his Master, Christ told his disciples that he had chosen twelve, and one of them was a devil; nor yet because he had no others to send, he had multitudes of disciples, and he who of stones could have raised up children to Abraham, could easily have fitted out a person for this service; nor yet did he do it to let in any sots and scandalous persons into the ministry, for we read of no scandal in Judass life. We ought to believe that God had wise ends in the permission of this, and that Christ did out of infinite wisdom do this, though we possibly are not able to give a satisfactory account in the case. What if we should say that Christ by this:
1. Instructed those that after his ascension should have the care of the church, not to pretend to judge of secret things, but only to judge as man ought to judge, according to the outward appearance, leaving the judgment of the heart to God alone.
2. God by this arms his people against the scandal of wicked ministers, such in whom corruption may break out after their entrance into that holy function, though before no such thing appeared, that they may not think the ministerial acts performed by them to have been nullities.
3. God by this also lets us know, that the efficacy of the ordinance doth not depend upon the goodness of the spiritual state of the minister that administers.
A bell may call others to hear the word, though itself receives no benefit by it. In the mean time here is no warrant either for people to choose, or the governors of a church to ordain, lewd and visibly scandalous persons. Judas was no such person; nor yet for people to own, or the governors of churches to continue, lewd and scandalous persons in the ministry, God ordinarily not blessing the labours of such. No sooner had Judas discovered himself, but he went out and hanged himself. Christ no longer allowed him his company, nor the disciples their fellowship. There is a great deal of difference with relation to our fellowship and communion, between secret wickedness concealed in the heart and open and scandalous sinning, though both be alike dangerous to the soul of the sinner.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And Simon he surnamed Peter. Or Cephas, which signifies a rock, or stone, because of his courage and constancy, his strength and fortitude, steadiness and firmness of mind: this name was imposed upon him, not at the time of his mission as an apostle; nor when he made that noble confession of his faith in Christ, as the Son of the living God, at which time this name was taken notice of; but when Christ first called him to be his disciple and apostle; see Joh 1:42.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Simon he surnamed Peter ( ). The Greek idiom seems awkward, but it is not. Peter is in apposition with name or (accusative). This surname Jesus gave in addition () to Simon (dative case). Here then is a direct reference to what is told in Joh 1:42 when Jesus met Simon for the first time. Mark here reflects Peter’s own words. Luke (Lu 6:14) simply says “Whom he also surnamed Peter.” See Mt 16:18 for the full explanation of the name Peter, a Rock, Cephas.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
And Simon he surnamed Peter. Mark relates only his naming and not his appointment, leaving his appointment to be understood.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And Simon,” (kai epoiesen tous dodeka) “And He made the twelve,” formed the twelve as apostles. (kai Simoni) “And Simon,” He also made as one of the twelve.
2) “He surnamed Peter (epetheken onoma to Petron) “He added the name Peter,” or gave to him, placed upon him the surname Peter, at the time, Mat 10:2. The term means a “little rock,” suggesting he should be firm as a rock in character, in example, and in leadership, as an apostle, Mat 16:18.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Mar 3:16
. And to Simon he gave the name Peter. Though all Christians must be living stones (354), of the spiritual temple, yet Christ gave this name peculiarly to Simon, according to the measure of grace which he intended to bestow upon him. This is not inconsistent with the shameful weakness which he manifested in denying his Lord: for this title showed his invincible power and steadiness, which continued till his death. Yet it is absurd in the Papists to infer from this, that the Church is founded on him, as will afterwards be more fully explained, ( Mat 16:18 .) Christ called the sons of Zebedee sons of thunder, because he was to give them a powerful voice, that they might thunder throughout the whole world. (355) And that thunder is heard, in the present day, from the mouth of John. As to his brother, there can be no doubt that, so long as he lived, he shook the earth. The word has been corrupted: for the full pronunciation would be בני רגש, (Benae-regesh;) (356) but the changes which words undergo in passing into other languages are well known.
(354) This alludes to the Greek word Πέτρος, (Peter,) which literally signifies a stone. We shall afterwards find (Mat 16:18) that our Lord makes express reference to the meaning of the name. — Ed.
(355) “ Afin qu’ils tonnassent par tout le monde en preschant;” — “in order that they might thunder throughout the whole world in preaching.”
(356) Philologists have been a good deal perplexed by this word. There is even some difficulty in settling the Greek orthography: for conflicting manuscripts present us with the various forms of Βοανηργές, Βοανεργής, and Βοανεργείς. The name is unquestionably of Hebrew origin. Some of the derivations, which have been given, are so far-fetched as not to deserve refutation. There is plausibility in Jerome’s hypothesis, that it comes from רעם, (Ragam,) thunder. But the substitution of final, ς for μ has never been satisfactorily explained. Admitting that ές or ής, is a Greek termination, the absence of the final and radical Mem ( ם) is too violent a supposition. After many trials, scholars are pretty nearly agreed, that they must return to the derivation which is suggested by our author, and which some writers have illustrated and defended by a considerable array of learning. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16-19) And Simon he surnamed.On the list of the Apostles see Notes on Mat. 10:2-4.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THE LIST OF THE APOSTLES, Mar 3:16-19.
Compare Mat 10:2-4, Luk 1:14-17.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
16. Surnamed Peter Meaning rock. Mark seems to name the apostles very much in couples. See notes on Mat 10:2-4.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he gave to Simon the name Peter.’
This is a typical piece of Mark’s literary roughness that later manuscripts have sought to improve on. Simon is assumed to have been appointed and in his appointment it is the description of his new name that is given, to indicate that he had become a new man. Mark was satisfied that he had already indicated that Simon was a uniquely called disciple, and that everyone knew he was one of the twelve, and now simply indicates that this Simon whom he has previously talked about is the one well known as Peter. The new name was first given to him when he met Jesus after being introduced to Him by Andrew in Joh 1:42. So we must read it as indicating ‘Simon, to whom He had given the new name Peter’. No one needed to be told that Peter had been appointed one of the twelve as Mark’s comment verifies.
The name given was actually Cephas (kepha) which means a rock (Joh 1:42), but when translated into Greek becomes petros (masculine – which means small rock) and not petra (feminine – a large foundation rock, rocky ground). This was, of course, because Simon was male. However the distinction is maintained in Mat 16:18, where petros could have been used both times (as a translation of kepha if Jesus was there speaking in Aramaic), but where the switch is made to petra signifying that the rock there was either:
1). Peter’s statement (the most probable), opted for by 44 out of 76 of the early fathers, which explains the change to petra.
2). Christ (far less probable) opted for by 17 out of 76 of the early fathers, but in that case puzzling as to why there was a change to petra.
Thus 59 out of 76 of the early fathers agreed that the rock was not Peter himself, in spite of the then importance of Peter. See our discussion on Mat 16:18. This was not Protestant bias.
Jesus chose Peter not only to be one of the twelve, but also one of the inner three of Peter, James and John (Mar 5:37; Mar 9:2; Mar 14:33). He clearly saw in him one who would in the end prove to be a rock, once he had conquered his impetuosity and occasional unreliability (Mar 8:32-33; Mar 14:37; Mar 14:68; Mar 14:70-71; Gal 2:11 following). Perhaps the giving of the name was intended to make him consider his need to do exactly this. He is always named first and became the natural spokesman of the twelve (Mar 8:29; Mat 17:24; Joh 21:3; Act 1:15; Act 2:14; Act 8:14 (with John)), although we should note in Acts how there is a continual emphasis on the twelve acting together. Furthermore Peter’s position was not seen as such that he could not be challenged. See for example Act 11:2-3 – where he had to back up his position with reason, not by claiming special personal God-given authority – and see also Gal 2:11 where he temporarily failed and had to be rebuked.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;
Ver. 16. And Simon he surnamed Peter ] Not now, but after that famous confession of his,Mat 16:16Mat 16:16 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
16. . ] for , .
On the list of the Apostles, see note at Mat 10:2 . The name, according to Mark, seems to be now first given . This, at all events, does not look like the testimony of Peter : but perhaps the words are not to be so accurately pressed.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mar 3:16 . . ., and He appointed as the Twelve the following persons, the twelve names mentioned being the object of , and . being in apposition. is the first name, but it comes in very awkwardly as the object of the verb . We must take the grammar as it stands, content that we know, in spite of crude construction, what is meant. Fritzsche (after Beza, Erasmus, etc.) seeks to rectify the construction by prefixing, on slender critical authority, , then bracketing as a parenthesis = first Simon (and He gave to Simon the name Peter).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
surnamed = added [the] name. See App-141.
Peter. Only his naming given here; not his appointment. In Mark; Peter, James, and John are kept in a group. In Matthew and Luke, Andrew is placed between,
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
16. .] for , .
On the list of the Apostles, see note at Mat 10:2. The name, according to Mark, seems to be now first given. This, at all events, does not look like the testimony of Peter: but perhaps the words are not to be so accurately pressed.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mar 3:16. , He put upon) It is a mark of Lordship to give a surname; this He gave also to James and John jointly, Mar 3:17; but to Peter first of all before them. So in the catalogue of the twelve spies of the land of Canaan, mention is made of Joshua receiving that name instead of Hosea; Num 13:4-16.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Simon: Mar 1:16, Mat 16:16-18, Joh 1:42, 1Co 1:12, 1Co 3:22, 1Co 9:5, Gal 2:7-9, Cephas, 2Pe 1:1
Reciprocal: Exo 31:2 – I have Mat 10:2 – Simon Luk 8:1 – and the Act 1:13 – Peter Act 10:5 – whose
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Chapter 19.
The Twelve: The Men and Their Work
“And Simon He surnamed Peter: And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and He surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphus, and Thaddus, and Simon the Canaanite, And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed Him: and they went into an house.”-Mar 3:16-19.
The Men Called.
In the last chapter we made the calling of the Twelve the subject of meditation. Here let us think of the men called.
We speak of these twelve men as the “glorious company of the apostles.” And a “glorious company” in the deepest and truest sense they were. But when Jesus summoned them to Him on the hill they did not appear a “glorious company” to the scribes and Pharisees. They could, indeed, scarcely have seemed more insignificant. For what were they? A band of poor and illiterate provincials-fishermen, for the most part. There does not appear to have been a single man of wealth or rank or culture amongst them. Judged by the ordinary standard of society the Twelve were amongst the “weak things,” and the “base things,” and the “despised things” of the world. But they were chosen of God (1Co 1:27-28).
Why these?
Why did Jesus choose fishermen and ex-publicans to be His first apostles? Probably, as Dr. A. B. Bruce suggests, for the prosaic reason that they were the best men that could be got. It was only amongst these humble provincials that Jesus could find the necessary love for Himself and faith in His mission. But while that may be true, it does not require any very great subtlety of thought to perceive that there must have been something in the social condition and personal character of these men that fitted them to become good apostles. (a) To begin with, they had unprejudiced minds, and were therefore far apter scholars in the school of Christ than scribes or rabbis could possibly have been, (b) Then, by the very fact that they were poor men, they belonged to what Mr. Lathom calls “the stratum in which the centre of gravity of humanity lay.” (c) And again, as Mr. Lathom points out, the plain, homely, matter-of-fact character of these men was in itself an excellent qualification for the apostolate.
An Apostle’s Work.
For what was the chief work and duty of the apostle? He was not primarily to be a theologian; his business was to be a witness, a witness to facts about Jesus, and especially to the great fact of the Resurrection. And when it comes to witnessing, the testimony of the plain, homely, unimaginative man is the most impressive of all. Now the apostles were men of that type. They were not subtle men, they were not imaginative or romantic men; they were not at all likely to confuse subjective experience and objective fact; they were men of a prosaic and literal type of mind, and therefore admirably fitted to be trustworthy and convincing witnesses.
Nevertheless, the striking fact remains, that the Twelve chosen to be Christ’s first apostles were humble men, poor men, socially insignificant men; and this fact suggests two thoughts.
The Secret of their Success.
(1) The very insignificance of the apostles makes it all the more evident that the success of their labours was not due to their own gifts, but to the power of God working with them. Had the twelve been men of genius, we might have been tempted to account for their success by the gifts they possessed. But they were just a handful of unlettered provincials! And yet they turned the world upside down. We look at the men, and then we see the work accomplished through them, and we say, “This is the power of God.” The insignificance of the messenger throws into relief the Divinity of the message. The weakness of the instruments calls our attention to the real Worker. These base and weak things of the world were employed, in order that all might know that the excellency of the power was of God.
God and His Instruments.
(2) This list reminds us of the great things God can do with feeble instruments. With these weak, and base and despised things of the world He put to shame the wise and strong, and brought to nought things that are. God is continually putting His treasure into earthen vessels. He takes a Martin Luther, the son of a poor miner, a poverty-stricken student obliged to sing for his daily bread; He puts His truth in him, and then uses him to bring spiritual freedom to half Europe. He takes John Bunyan, a tinker-yes, and a profane and foolish tinker at that; He reveals His truth to him, and then sets him to write his Dream, that has helped thousands of pilgrims, in every part of the world, on their heavenward way. God can do wonders with poor tools and insignificant folk.
Shall we not put ourselves into God’s hands and say, “Oh, use me, Lord, use even me”?
Fuente: The Gospel According to St. Mark: A Devotional Commentary
9
There are three of the Gospel accounts that give the list of the twelve apostles. The persons are the same but the names not always, since some of them had more than one name. For the sake of space the reader is asked to see the complete treatment of this subject at Mat 10:4. Which also betrayed him was said prospectively as the betrayal of Jesus had not yet taken place.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 3:16. He surnamed Peter. It is not asserted that this name was first given on this occasion. Still the words of our Lord at His first meeting with Simon (Joh 1:42) were prophetic, and Mark seems to have mentioned the name for the first time here, because it was the Apostolic name. On the lists of Apostles, see Mat 10:1-4.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 16
It is noticeable that Peter’s name is placed first upon the list. Then follow James and John,–and Judas comes last. They seem thus to take precedence somewhat according to the standing which their talents and piety gave them. They who occupy prominent positions in the church, should learn humility from the fact, that the highest on the catalogue of the apostles was the one who afterwards denied his Master.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Mar 3:16 And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
The renaming of the men was of note. He renamed Simon, Peter, and James and John “The sons of Thunder” but did not rename the others. One is left with the question of why these three and not the others? What was the significance of renaming men when they became disciples? Is it something we should be doing in the church today?
This tradition is carried on in some of the movements of our own day, but usually the fringe to cultic movements.
“Boanerges” is of Aramaic origin according to the lexicon and means sons of thunder, or something fiery and loud. Peter means rock or stone. This is important in later passages. The names they were using were of Hebrew origion so the Lord many have been just setting them apart from their past toward their future and new life.
Now, for a little further information on the twelve. The following information is a compilation of sources including Encarta Standard Encyclopedia 2003 and other sources. Note should be made that most of what we know of the apostles comes from outside of the Biblical record. Most comes from tradition either Catholic or Greek Orthodox, thus historical but not Biblical.
Peter: We all know about Peter and his future. He was strong in the beginning of the early church and continued his ministry to the end of his life. He is said to have been crucified upside down at his own request thinking he was not worthy of suffering the same death as the Lord. Most feel that he became a pastor/writer due to I and II Peter.James: In Act 12:1-2 we see that James was the first apostle to die for his faith. Tradition tells us that he preached in Spain just prior to his death. His remains were supposedly moved to Spain in the middle ages.
John: John the Gospel writer also was a disciple of The Baptist and went on to become very important in the founding of the church. He wrote the book of Revelation from the island of Patmos where he was exiled because of his Gospel witness. Some suggest that he survived death when he was to be boiled in oil. He put in a lot of work at the church of Ephesus and the surrounding area. Some think that he took care of Mary in his own home for many years. He is the only apostle thought to have died a natural death of old age.
Andrew: Andrew, Peter’s brother was a fisherman from Bethsaida. He had been a follower of John the Baptist according to the Gospel of Joh 1:35-42. Encarta details his life further “According to tradition, Andrew was crucified at Patras, in Achaea, on a X-shaped cross, the form of which became known as Saint Andrew’s Cross (see Cross). Eusebius of Caesarea records that Andrew preached Christianity among the Scythians, thus becoming the patron saint of Russia. He is also the patron saint of Greece. In the 8th century relics of Andrew were taken to the future site of Saint Andrews in Scotland, so that he is the patron saint of that country as well; a white Saint Andrew’s cross on a blue field is the national flag of Scotland.”
Philip: Tradition suggests that he was powerful in the church at Carthage in North Africa, but little is known of him.
Bartholomew: Bartholomew was thought to have gone preaching as far as India and was skinned alive according to some sources. Some relate him to Nathaniel in the Gospels. Some mention other preaching trips to the east and that he may have traveled with Thomas.
Matthew: We know little of Matthew other than that he was a tax gatherer and an apostle. It is evident that he is the Gospel writer, but not much else is known of the man other than that he was a willing follower of the Lord Jesus which speaks volumes to his intelligence and commitment to God. Matthew means “gift of Yahweh.” Some say he ministered in Persia and Ethiopia.
Just a brief side note. Since we know little of him it may be that Christ called him simply to be a gospel writer. God calls many people to minister for Him in varied ways. Some pastors feel they do little for the Lord, yet they fail to give thought to writing for Him. There is so much training that goes into making a pastor and yet many of them preach and teach their entire lives with no thought of setting their thoughts to paper or disk for future generations.
I find reading on Internet forums that there are men that have spent years studying in small areas of the Word and doing so in minute detail. All of that study is lost because they shared their thoughts in a message or two and there is no record. Might I suggest that you take some of your ministry time to write, to put down on paper/disk that which you have found. It might save many others that same study that you have just done.
I find that reading what others have found assists me in two major areas. One, they are a goodcheck upon my own conclusions. I do my study, then read what others have found. Often they have noticed things that I completely missed. This is the second area in which they assist me. They add to what I have found and they are a good double-check on what I have concluded.
All too often the areas where I desire assistance are areas where no one has written. Please consider doing some writing pastors. Some of you will find that you do not do well at the written page, but others of you will find that it is another great medium to communicate the Good News with. You may never get anything published, but you might put your information on the Internet so that others can share in your efforts.
Thomas: Thomas supposedly preached into India and is said to have lead a proconsuls wife to the Lord for which he was crucified.
James son of Alphaeus: According to Josephus the historian James was stoned and then clubbed to death.
Thaddaeus: Luke adds Judas the son of James which seems to be Thaddaeus. Jud 1:1 mentions “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James….” The Lexicon states that these two are the same and that he is the writer of Jude. Some mistakenly call him Lebbaeus as mentioned in the Lexicon and Encarta.
Simon: Luke mentions that he was called the Zealot. Tradition places him in Persia and killed for not sacrificing to the Sun god.
Judas: We all know of Judas and his future as well. Some wonder at the Lord’s choosing of Judas. Why would He choose someone that He knew would betray Him? The obvious, is that maybe He did not know that he was going to betray Him. The crux of the matter rests on how you view Christ during His earthly ministry – whether fully God in his omnipotence, omniscience etc. or was he limited in these areas in some manner and relying on the Holy Spirit for His powers over nature.
Either way, He may well have known of the coming problems whether by omniscience or by the leading of the Spirit. Why He wanted the culprit within his own group is not known to us. It would have been God’s way to be sure the man would have every opportunity to see and know the Messiah and to force him into a choice one way or the other.
The downfall of Judas due to his greed is well known. Might we have just a little application to pastors and other church leaders. Greed is a terrible taskmaster and it will put you down if you do not control it. The history books are filled with greedy preachers that allowed that greed to ruin their ministry for Christ.
Not many months go by between newspaper and media accounts of men that have fallen victim to the temptation to greed. Beware your physical appetites and control them or they will control you and stop you from God’s best for your life.Mathias was the disciple chosen in Acts. He is said to have been with Andrew in his travels and that he was burned to death. (Act 1:13 lists Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon Zelotes and Judas the brother of James.)
Now back to Mark.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
The following table shows the 12 disciples as they appear in the four lists that the Holy Spirit has given us in Scripture.
|
Mat 10:2-4 |
Mar 3:16-19 |
Luk 6:14-16 |
Act 1:13 |
|
|
1. |
Simon Peter |
Simon Peter |
Simon Peter |
Peter |
|
2. |
Andrew |
James |
Andrew |
John |
|
3. |
James |
John |
James |
James |
|
4. |
John |
Andrew |
John |
Andrew |
|
5. |
Philip |
Philip |
Philip |
Philip |
|
6. |
Bartholomew |
Bartholomew |
Bartholomew |
Thomas |
|
7. |
Thomas |
Matthew |
Matthew |
Bartholomew |
|
8. |
Matthew |
Thomas |
Thomas |
Matthew |
|
9. |
James, son of Alphaeus |
James, son of Alphaeus |
James, son of Alphaeus |
James, son of Alphaeus |
|
10. |
Thaddaeus |
Thaddaeus |
Judas, son or brother of James |
Judas, son or brother of James |
|
11. |
Simon the Cananaean |
Simon the Cananaean |
Simon the Zealot |
Simon the Zealot |
|
12. |
Judas Iscariot |
Judas Iscariot |
Judas Iscariot |
All four lists contain three groups of four names each. The same individuals head each group, though there is variation within each group. Probably these groups constituted ministry teams that broke up into pairs when the Twelve preached apart from Jesus (Mar 6:7).
Mark never used the double name "Simon Peter." Peter ("Rocky") was Simon’s second given name, his nickname. All the lists place Peter first, and they all put Judas Iscariot last, except for the Acts list that omits him. "Boanerges" is a Hebrew word, but why Jesus called James and John "sons of thunder" is unknown. Perhaps they had an impetuous nature (cf. Mar 9:38; Luk 9:54).
Bartholomew is not really a name but a patronym meaning "son of Talmai (Ptolemy)." He may have had another name, but the disciples consistently referred to him as Bartholomew. Matthew’s other name was Levi.
James the son of Alphaeus was James the Less (or little, Mar 15:40). Thaddaeus and Judas, the son or brother of James, may have been the same person. Likewise Simon the Cananaean was the same person as Simon the Zealot, "Cananaean" being the Aramaic form of "Zealot." The Zealots were a later political party bent on the overthrow of the Roman government, so it is unlikely that Simon was a member of this party. Probably the name "zealot" referred to Simon’s personality, not his political affiliation. "Iscariot" is a name of origin, but the exact location of Judas’ hometown is uncertain, though many believe it was a town in Judea named Kerioth. "Iscariot" means "man of Kerioth." [Note: See The New Bible Dictionary, 1962 ed., s.v. "Judas Iscariot," by R. P. Martin.]
"It was a strange group of men our Lord chose to be his disciples. Four of them were fishermen, one a hated tax collector, another a member of a radical and violent political party [?]. Of six of them we know practically nothing. All were laymen. There was not a preacher or an expert in the Scriptures in the lot. Yet it was with these men that Jesus established his church and disseminated his Good News to the end of the earth." [Note: Wessel, p. 643.]