Jesus the Christ Chapter 16
Lots of thought provoking things about disciples!
I think the thing I’m most struck by in this chapter is how very human and normal the men ultimately called to be the Twelve were. They weren’t the smartest, the most prominent, the most enlightened; they hadn’t developed all of the qualities that would ultimately make them great ensigns for Christ, but He saw all of those things in them (recognized their spirits from the preexistence, as it said in a previous chapter) and called upon them. I love that He treats us as we could be, not as we are. It says “Peter was impulsive and stern, and, until trained by severe experience, was lacking in firmness”. Their being called to be Apostles was due not only to the Lord’s trust in them, but also because it was an essential part of their path of progression. I find that fascinating.
Interesting that there were two sets of brothers in these twelve, and two sets in the Nephite twelve.
It makes sense, but I’d never thought about it, that some of the disciples would have been disciples of John the Baptist. And I love that some of them sought out Christ, and He found the others. It’s so like all of us. We all come to Him in different ways.
My seminary teacher always used to laugh (lovingly) about John and his humility- you could always tell he was talking about himself if he didn’t name the disciple. 🙂 I also heard somewhere that the reason that Christ entrusted Mary to him at His death was because John was the only one he could be absolutely positive would outlive her. (Not that that was the only reason, but a pretty good one, don’t you think?)
I love the name Didymus. I’m just sayin’.
Judas Iscariot makes me sad. He always has. When Talmage says “He recognized in each the characteristics of fitness developed in the primeval world of spirits”, he wasn’t leaving Judas out of that; Judas had every opportunity to become what he could be, he just didn’t. So often it’s those with the incredible potential that fail so spectacularly. Just look at Lucifer.
I love this: “They were as children to be trained and taught; but they were mostly willing pupils, receptive of soul, and imbued with a sincere eagerness to serve. To Jesus they were His little ones, His children, His servants, and His friends, as they merited.” There is so much in those sentences that I aspire to.
I never realized that the title of Apostle was such a sacred term, that’s really kind of neat.
Sermon on the Mount tomorrow! Woohoo!
I LOVED this chapter!!! I love getting the nitty gritty on who each of the apostles were. It really solidified who everyone was in my mind. I hadn’t really paid that close attention before.
I continue to be struck by the seriousness Christ places on prayer:
“…in solitary seclusion; He had ‘continued all night in prayer to God.'”
How often do I pray “all night”? Not often enough.
I also wondered about Peter’s resurrection; when did that happen? Are people just sometimes resurrected? I have always pictured a mass resurrection at some point in the future, but I guess not. Any ideas?
Oh, and I heart this quote, because I feel like it describes me so perfectly 🙂
“Before their selection as apostles they had all become close disciples of the Lord; they believed in Him; several of them, possibly all, had openly confessed that He was the Son of God; and yet it is doubtful that any one of them fully understood the real significance of the Savior’s work.”
Some people were resurrected after Christ was resurrected, (I think very close to the time afterward), and then I think others are resurrected if they need to have a body to serve a particular purpose. Peter, James, John, and John the Baptist all had to have physical bodies to lay hands on Joseph Smith’s head to give him the priesthood keys. There will be a mass resurrection at the start (I think) of the millennium (the first resurrection- the resurrection of the just), and then the second resurrection after the millennium (the unjust) and then I think I remember there’s a 3rd, and I really don’t think things bode well for those folks. And then there’s judgment. Long way to say, I think Peter was resurrected when he needed to be. 🙂
I heart that quote too. I think it applies to all of us. 🙂
ah, i see…resurrection is messier than i knew 🙂
Just more common, apparently. 🙂
I really appreciated that as well, because, as it says in the chapter, some of the poor disciples just get mentioned the once and then not again. I’m sure they did amazing things too. How humbling that must be not to be mentioned…