Leadership Lessons from the Lists of the Twelve Disciples

Jesus called twelve men to follow Him as His disciples and to send them out as His apostles. Their number is a staple in their name. Sometimes called the twelve disciples (Matt 10:1; 11:1; 26:20) or twelve apostles (Matt 10:2), these men were often simply called the twelve (Matt 10:1, 2, 5; 20:17; 26:14; Mark 3:16; 4:10; 6:7; 9:35; 10:32; 11:11; 14:10, 17, 20, 43; Luke 6:13; 8:1; 9:1, 12; 18:31; 22:3. 47; John 6:67, 70, 71; 20:24; Acts 6:2; 1 Cor 15:5).

After Judas’s death, they were called “the eleven,” “the eleven disciples,” or “the eleven apostles” (Matt 28:16; Mark 16:14; Luke 24:9, 33; Acts 1:26), but they could still be called “the twelve,” even before Matthias made them technically twelve again (John 20:24; cf. Acts 1:26; 6:12; 1 Cor 15:5).

In the coming millennial kingdom of Christ, the twelve apostles will sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28; Luke 22:30). In the New Creation, the wall of the New Jerusalem will sit upon twelve foundation stones that bear the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev 21:14).

Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us lists of the twelve (Matt 10:2–4, Mark 3:16–19, Luke 6:14–16, and Acts 1:13), and though John does not, he calls them “the twelve” and describes them as chosen by Jesus (John 6:67, 70, 71; 20:24).

Digging some details out of these lists, we can make some interesting observations:

• The twelve are always divided into the three groups of four apostles, the three groups always being in the same order, and though variation exists for the order of each set of four names, each group is always headed by the same person.
  • Group 1: Peter, James, John, and Andrew
  • Group 2: Philip, Bartholomew (Nathanael), Thomas, and Matthew
  • Group 3: James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeaus (Judas, son of James), Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot
• Peter is always first in the list, and Judas Iscariot is always last with a note that he betrayed Jesus. Acts 1:13 notably exempts Judas due to his death.
• Some of the apostles were related to each other, and two were related to Jesus.
  • James and John were brothers and sons of Looking beyond the lists, it seems Salome was their mother, Mary’s sister. This relationship indicates that James and John were cousins to Jesus (Matt 27:56; Mark 15:40; John 19:26–27).
  • Peter and Andrew are also brothers.
  • Some suggest Thomas Didymus (literally, “Thomas the twin”) was twin brother to Matthew since their names are usually together in the lists. Some suggest Philip and Bartholomew (Nathanael) were brothers for the same reason. But for both sets, nearness in these lists is not a definitive reason to conclude a familial connection.

Having dumped out all of our data, let’s organize it into some practical lessons for us today.

A group works well with a single leader. 

Peter’s name is always first in the lists of the twelve. He led the disciples in Acts 1. He preached on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.  He was the first among equals. And even before his leadership, Jesus was leading the twelve. This arrangement often works well in groups, whether the church as a whole (e.g., James in Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18), a group of Christians ministering together (e.g., Paul and his companions in Acts 13:13),  or as here with Peter and the apostles.

A single leader can share his leadership with an inner circle over the group. 

Peter, James, and John are often called “the inner three.” They joined Jesus for the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:37), His Transfiguration (Matt 17:1–8), and the night before His death (Matt 26:37). Sometimes Andrew is said to be part of an “inner four” because of his listing with the first group of four and was because he with Jesus as He taught in various settings (Mark 1:29; 13:3). As Jesus sometimes spent time with only three or four of the disciples, a leader might sometimes find his greater fellowship and strength in key relationships within a group.

Groups may form within a group and can have leaders among themselves. 

In addition to Jesus and His inner circle among the apostles, the apostles had three groups with a leader for each one: Peter, Philip, and James (son of Alphaeus). Perhaps this order was a way to remember a list as recorded in the Gospels, and perhaps it reflected a leadership arrangement that Jesus put in place among the apostles. Whether one or the other or both, sometimes people within a larger group will pair or group together due to family ties, similar personalities, or other commonalities. As groups divide into further groups, it can help to have a leader among each of these groups. As these leaders do well with their responsibilities, these subgroups can function as training grounds to see who leads well and might be capable of greater leadership in time.

Unity and success in any Christian group is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Everything above is descriptive and not necessarily prescriptive, as helpful as these observations might be. We have been looking at narrative details and not normative demands in Scripture. What we certainly share with the apostles, however, is that they all followed the Lord Jesus Christ, minus Judas Iscariot, whose treachery was revealed in the end. With a firm commitment to loving Christ and obeying His Word, whatever the nature of the group and whatever its endeavors may be, we will find our unity and success in Him.

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David Huffstutler is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Troy, MI. He blogs here, where this article also appeared. It is published here by permission.

Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay