A Snapshot of the Church (Part III): Mark 3:16-19

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In his book Quiet Talks on Service, S. D. Gordon tells of an imaginary conversation that takes place in heaven after Jesus returned there following His death and resurrection. Gordon imagines that Jesus is welcomed home by the angel Gabriel, who asks, “Master, You died for the world, did You not?” Jesus says, “Yes.” And so Gabriel continues, “Do they all know that You died for them?” And Jesus says, “No, only a few in Palestine know about it so far.” So Gabriel asks again, “Well then, what is Your plan for telling the rest of the world?” And to this Jesus answers, “I asked Peter and James and John and Andrew, and a few others if they would make it the business of their lives to tell others. And then the ones that they tell could tell others, and they in turn could tell still others, and finally it would reach the farthest corner of the earth.” Astounded, Gabriel says, “But suppose Peter fails? And suppose after a while John just doesn’t tell anyone? And what if James and Andrew are ashamed and afraid? Then what?” And S. D. Gordon envisions the Lord Jesus saying, “I have no other plans. I am counting entirely on them.”

That is a lot of pressure on a group of former fishermen, a reformed tax-collector, a converted political activist, and a handful of others. But by and large, they lived up to the task, and turned the world upside down for Jesus. We have studied them, name by name, person by person, and seen that they are a sort of snapshot of the church. For still today, we have many in the service of Christ who are like Peter, like Andrew, like Matthew, like Bartholomew, and the rest. We have seen that each one had certain traits that we want to see replicated in our own lives, and each of them also were subject to certain snares, and we learn from them hopefully to avoid their mistakes. We have examined them according to their groupings. In each list of the New Testament, Peter is always listed first, followed by James, Andrew and John, though their names are not always found in the same order. Philip is always listed fifth, and followed by Bartholomew (Nathanael), Matthew and Thomas, in varying orders. Ninth on every list is James the son of Alphaeus, also called James the Less. He is always followed by Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. This is the fourth group of three, and with the exception of Judas Iscariot, we know the least about these. But, as we examine them today, we will uncover what we do know and learn important lessons from each of them as well.

IX. James the Son of Alphaeus: The Silent Servant

In Mark 15:40 we will find this one referred to as James the Less. The Greek word there is mikros. We know that word – micro means something small. Here it could be a reference to his small stature or to his young age. It may also be a reference to his influence, for we know a great deal LESS about this James than either of the other two Jameses who are prominent in the New Testament. One was the brother of John, son of Zebedee, with whom we have already dealt; the other was the half-brother of Jesus, who wrote the New Testament Epistle of James. Don’t confuse those two with this one – James the Less, who is so called either because of his age, his stature, his influence or some combination of these factors.

Surprisingly, we know more about his family than we do about him. We know his father’s name: Alphaeus. We know his brothers’ names. You recall that in Mark 2:14, Levi (also known as Matthew) was called a son of Alphaeus. This means that these two could have been brothers. Also, it appears from Mark 15:40 that he had another brother named Joses. The same verse tells us that his mother’s name was Mary. It is interesting that John 19:25 names the women at the cross as the mother of Jesus, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. If this Mary the wife of Clopas is the same Mary as James’ mother, then Clopas may be an alternate name for Alphaeus, or else perhaps Alphaeus died and she remarried to Clopas. Another interesting thing about that verse (John 19:25) is the phrase, “His mother’s sister.” It could very well be that the phrase “His mother’s sister” applies attributively to “Mary the wife of Clopas,” and if this is true, then James the Less would be Jesus’ cousin. That is speculative, but remains a possibility.

Now here is a good time for me to chase a rabbit. Some of you may be aware of the recent so-called documentary produced for the Discovery Channel by James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici claiming that the family tomb of Jesus, including the tomb of Jesus Himself has been found in Jerusalem. And the remarkable thing of it all is that the supposed tomb of Jesus contains His bones. Well, what are we to make of it? We cannot simply ignore the claim. If the bones of Jesus are found, then Christianity is a hoax and we have been wasting a lot of time over 2000 years of Church history. If these claims are true, then we need to just shut down and move on with our lives. So what do we say to it all? Well, first we say that this is not a “new discovery.” This tomb was found in 1980, and was outrightly dismissed by the entire academic community. The only reason that the thing is remotely of interest today is because of the craze of interest in debunking Christianity that has been throttled in recent years by the popularity of The Da Vinci Code. Secondly, we say that it would make no sense for the family tomb of Jesus to be found in Jerusalem. They had lived their entire lives mostly in Nazareth, and that is where we would expect the family to be buried. Thirdly, the entire claim of this documentary rests on the occurrence of names. The names on the ossuaries in this tomb are Joseph, Mary, Jesus the son of Joseph, another Mary (who is claimed by the documentary to be Mary Magdalene), Judah the son of Jesus, and Matthew. And the makers of this film claim that by virtue of statistical analysis, this must be the family of Jesus the Christ. However, as we have seen in going through the names of the apostles, it was not uncommon for men to have more than one name; and as we see just in the simple study of the family ties of James the Less, many men and women in the first century Jewish world had the same names. There is a terrible lack of originality involved in the naming of sons and daughters. In fact, a more accurate statistical analysis would reveal that Joseph, Judah, Jesus, and Matthew are four of the top nine most popular names among Hebrew men in that day and time. Mary is far and away the most popular female name. In the family of Jesus and in the family of James the Less, we find many of the same names, standing in the same relationship to one another. So it should be no surprise to us that we would find others with the same names in the same relationships as well. If you are interested in reading more thorough debunkings of the tomb documentary, I can point you to those at another time. As for me, I remain convinced that Jesus rose from the dead and we will celebrate that as an authentic historical fact not too many days from now.

Now, back to James the Less. We have said all we know about him. There are no recorded words or deeds about him in the New Testament. But that is not to say that he never said or did anything of importance. It is just that whatever he said or did has gone unnoticed. He was one of many soldiers of Christ who has served in silence. He was a listener more than a talker; a follower more than a leader, just like some are in the church today.

In church life, things get done. We don’t always know who did them, but they get done by silent servants who prefer to go unnoticed, to remain behind the scenes, content that God knows what they have done for Him and for His church. To the eyes of onlookers, someone may appear to be nothing more than a pew-potato, but in fact, they may be doing more for the kindom than anyone else. Their deeds may go unrecorded by man, but they will not be unrewarded by God. When we get to heaven, we will see foundation stones on the walls of that city, and on them we will see the names of Peter, and John, and Matthew, and we will see one that says, “James the son of Alphaeus.”

So let this be of encouragement to you if you are one of the many silent servants. You are beautiful, and God is using you in His church, even if no one else knows about it.

X. Thaddaeus: The Inquisitive One

Thaddaeus goes by two other names: Lebbaeus and Judas. He was known among the church fathers as “Trinomius,” or “the one with three names.” Judas was likely the name given to him at birth. It is a good name. It means “Jehovah Leads.” Unfortunately, when we hear the name “Judas” we instantly think of Judas Iscariot, but John is careful to refer to this one as “Judas (not Iscariot).” The name Thaddaeus means “breast child,” perhaps indicating he was the youngest of his family, or maybe that he was what some might call a “mama’s boy.” Lebbaeus means “heart child,” indicating perhaps that he had a tender and compassionate heart.

Thaddaeus is unknown to us in Scripture apart from one question that he asked the Lord. In John 14:21, Jesus says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” And then Thaddaeus, this non-Iscariot Judas, says, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?” He wasn’t protesting or doubting; he was just asking a “Why” question. I love asking “why” questions. They are like fertilizer for our souls. As we wrestle with them, we find answers that strengthen our faith.

But Jesus did not give a direct answer. Rather, He said to Thaddaeus, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.” So the answer to Thaddaeus’s question was found in the love of God, the Word of God, and a relationship with God. In fact, all of our answers are found there also. When we ask “Why?”, we will find the answer in God’s love, in God’s word, and in our relationship to Him.

I am thankful for those in the church who ask the “why” questions. They keep us on our toes and in our Bibles. They keep our doctrine pure and our practices biblical. So if you are one to ask “Why?” keep asking. Keep seeking those answers and requiring others to do so as well. We will all benefit from being directed to God’s love, to God’s word, and to our relationship with Him.

XI. Simon the Zealot: The Activist

Some of the translations refer to him as Simon the Canaanite, but this is a mistake. The Greek word Kananaios refers not to the area of Canaan or the city of Cana, but to the Hebew word qanni, meaning zealous. It was a proper label for a patriotic group of radical Jews in the first century known as the Zealots. They were fed up with the Roman occupation of Israel, and they wanted a revolt and they wanted it yesterday. They worked aggressively to overthrow the Romans by whatever means necessary, including acts of terror and violence. They assassinated Roman soldiers, political leaders, and anyone else who stood in their way. Josephus describes them as the sicarii, “the people who carry daggers,” because they had devised an expert way of sneaking up behind someone and stabbing them through the back into the heart.

This is the group that Simon was involved with before he met Jesus. But meeting Jesus, he was transformed. How do I know that? After all Scripture doesn’t say anything else about him. Well, we know that one of the arch-enemies of the Zealots would have been the Roman tax-collectors. But in the family of Christ, Simon the Zealot was a brother to Matthew, who had been a tax-collector. But now they coexisted, and co-labored, held together by the bond of Christ’s love. Yet it is interesting that he still bore the name Zealot. Certainly, he parted ways with political activism for nationalistic liberation, but he did not lose that sharp edge of zeal. He became part of a different revolution – one that struck deeper than government or society. It was a revolution of the heart. Simon learned that apart from the change of the heart, which is only possible through Christ, there could be no change in the nation.

And so he reminds us of those who are activists in the church today. They inform us about the causes. The speak out for God with the plumbline of social justice and call us to action. But they are not like those in our day who are seeking to bomb abortion clinics or press for congressional legislation. Rather they are those who have become convinced that our only hope is the gospel, and as souls are converted under the gospel, lives are changed. And as lives are changed, societies are changed. And as societies are changed, the world is changed. And the change is slow, gradual, and certain, as it takes place through individuals coming under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Zealots of the church today are not those who are calling for us to save America, but those who are leading the evangelistic charge to save Americans, one by one. They have come to realize that the Kingdom of God will not arrive on Air Force One, but in human hearts as individuals come to know Christ as Savior and Lord. That is zealous, its radical, and the folks who are doing this work in our day will keep us informed of the issues, and they will keep focused on the only solution – the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

XII. Judas Iscariot: The Apostate

In every list of the twelve, Judas Iscariot occurs last. Forty verses of the New Testament speak of his betrayal of the Lord. It may surprise you, but I am not going to say much about Judas today. I am going to say A LOT about him next week. I will just say this. He is a reminder to us that a person can be involved in the church, hold a position in the church (he was the treasurer!), be concerned about the affairs of the church, and still be lost. This is an apostate. An apostate is a pretender – one who pretends to be a Christian, and looks the part by all outward appearances, but in reality is not. I believe that many churches have been ripped apart because of the actions and attitudes of the apostates in their midst.

Some people want to look at Judas Iscariot and find some redeeming thing to say. They took their mama’s advice: if you can’t say anything nice about someone, don’t say anything at all. I got that advice too. I apply it selectively, and this is not one of those cases. If the Scriptures were silent about the fate of Judas Iscariot, then I would be too. But the Scriptures speak. Jesus Himself said in John 17:12, “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” It is as plain as it could be: Judas is a son of perdition – Luther said that it means “lost child.” And he perished. Jesus said so Himself. What does it mean to perish? What does John 3:16 say: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Perishing is the opposite of having eternal life. And Judas perished because in spite of his proximity to the things of Christ, and in spite of his activity in the service of Christ, he did not believe upon Christ for salvation. Jesus said in Luke 21:22, “Woe to that man,” and in John 6 referred to him as a devil.

Judas will forever stand as a reminder that there will be those in our midst who, in spite of all external appearances and activities, are lost. He reminds us that attendance and involvement will not save us. Only a personal relationship with Christ by faith will. The best I can tell, Judas never called Jesus “Lord.” He refers to him always as “Rabbi.” As long as Jesus is merely a good teacher to you, you stand outside of His salvation. Eternal life comes to those who surrender to Him as Lord, and Judas never did. If you don’t confess Him as Savior and Lord, you will not have eternal life, but will perish. Just like Judas Iscariot. So, if you look at Judas and say, “I am pretending,” then there is still hope – there is still opportunity for you to come to Christ and confess Him as Lord and Savior and be saved.