12 Ordinary Men
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class opened with an overview of the new adult education series “Twelve Ordinary Men,” drawn from John MacArthur’s book. The teacher explained that the twelve apostles are consistently listed across the four New Testament passages—Matthew 10:2‑4, Mark 3:16‑19, Luke 6:14‑16, and Acts 1:13—always appearing in the same order. He divided the names into three groups, noting that the first group (Peter, Andrew, James, John) had the closest relationship with Jesus, as they appeared in pivotal moments like the Transfiguration and Gethsemane. The second group (Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas) was less prominently featured, while the third group (James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas son of James, Judas Iscariot) was the least documented, aside from the notorious Judas. Through a reading of Luke 6:13‑16 and a brief look at Luke 24, the teacher highlighted how even after Jesus’ resurrection the disciples struggled to grasp the full scope of His mission. He encouraged participants to identify with the apostles’ human flaws—doubt, denial, impulsiveness—using personal examples from Peter, Thomas, and even Judas. The session concluded with a call to study each disciple’s life, recognizing that God can work powerfully through ordinary, imperfect people, just as He did with the original twelve.
Key Scriptures
One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God. And when morning came, he called his disciples to him, and he chose 12 of them, whom he designated as apostles. Simon, whom he named Peter, his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, the son of Alphaeus, Simon, who was called the Zealot, Judas, son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.