Next week, as we work our way through the New Testament, a chapter per day, we will hit Hebrews 11. This lengthy chapter is the culmination of the author's essay on the importance of following Christ and the patience required in being a citizen of Heaven. Although some describe the chapter as a list of heroes of faith, the chapter has a secondary undercurrent which surfaces in verses 13-16 of that chapter. There the author makes it clear that these past heroes of faith saw themselves as citizens of God's country and recognized that they were "aliens and strangers" on this planet.
This theme occurs in other places throughout the New Testament. Jesus, throughout his ministry, announced the beginning of the kingdom of God (or kingdom of Heaven) and in various ways (see Matthew 22:15-22 and Matthew 4:8-10) made it clear that the kingdom of God was much more serious than mere political power.
Paul, in II Corinthians 5: 17-21 , describes his role as that of an "ambassador", reaching out to people in this world to encourage them to be reconciled to God. The ambassador metaphor is a strong one; the ambassador lives in one country but represents another. We, as Christ's ambassadors, currently live in a strange country, one "not our own"; we live as ambassadors for another country.
This image is true throughout all time, since the day of Jesus. Christians are citizens of "another country", whether they live in the Roman Empire or the Holy Roman Empire, whether living in the German kingdoms of Luther's day or the Scotland of John Knox.
From time to time, Christians forget this. Christians are occasionally seduced by political power into believing they can create a "Holy empire" or a "Christian nation." This seduction first occurred in the Roman Empire when Constantine converted and decided to make his empire "Christian." Later Charlemagne called his empire "Holy". The Catholic Spanish Empire mixed Christian missions with imperialism and oppression, especially in South America. Protestant England claimed to be a "Christian nation" and used that motive to build its global empire. In justification of this, there even arose the cult of British Israelism, in which many claimed that Britain was the new Israel. Some English Christians even claimed that the kings of England were descendants of King David.
A Christian does not have to read world history to see the problems with this "Christian Nation" philosophy. The New Testament says nothing about "Christian nations" or godly kingdoms. Indeed, the last book in the New Testament, the book of Revelation, assures Christians that the heavenly kingdom is waiting in the wings, for the final trumpet, after all the earthly kingdoms have undergone their violent tantrums against God.
The only references in the Bible to a "godly nation" are in the Old Testament. There the references are to the nation of Israel, set up as a theocracy, a nation ruled by God alone. As that nation repeatedly resisted this idea, it replaced God with kings and kingdoms and it alternated (for centuries!) between obedience and disobedience. There are many passages in the Old Testament (such as II Chronicles 7:14) in which God makes promises to the nation of Israel but one should be careful with that context and not presume that those same verses somehow apply to the Holy Roman Empire or the Spanish Empire or even countries or kingdoms in existence today.
Jesus told the Herodians and Pharisees "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." He also said, "No one can serve two masters." One cannot pledge allegiance to the future kingdom of God and to one's country at the same time, for they are in conflict; they both will seek to be the master.
Adolf Hitler, attempting to promote German nationalism among German Christians, created the Reich Church. The book Mein Kampf appeared on the altars of those churches (presumably next to the Bible) and the national symbol, the swastika, appeared in the front of the sanctuaries. We may laugh at this today -- it seems ludicrous to us -- but I have been in churches which had the American flag visible up front, near the cross.
The New Testament has a lot to say about Christians serving as good citizens within our communities and within our countries, wherever God places us. But it does not allow us to make our country an idol. If we follow the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, then we are citizens of another country and we are aliens and strangers here.
Update July 2, 2016: A similar post is here.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Sunday Morning, Singapore
This morning, while visiting in Singapore, I went with Jim & Monica Davis to the Living Praise Presbyterian Church on the northeast side of the country. We took the Red Line from the west side of the island north through Woodlands, not far from Malaysia, and then around to the northeast where we got off at the Bishan MRT. We walked Bishan Street 13 for half a mile, finding the church in among the buildings of the Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School.
We had been invited by friends David and Deb Walker, staff with One Challenge Singapore. There are two churches which meet within the Presbyterian school, so I was not sure I was in the right place until I was greeted by David Lin, one of the church elders. Jan and I had met David before, and he greeted me warmly and quickly took our group to meet our hosts.
I was pleased to learn that this Sunday was a special joint Mandarin-English service. The church was accepting new members and installing a new elder and deacon and so the Mandarin and English halves had come together in a single service to worship together. I am aware of the importance of worshiping God in one's own tongue and I am grateful for a Mandarin-English church in The Woodlands in Texas that ministered to one of our university students back in Huntsville. It was fun to sing in English, while listening to other sing in Mandarin and I am sure one has to carefully pick hymns that will allow both tongues to sing together!
After the service, we had a wonderful lunch with the church body. Yes, ministry is facilitated by good food and conversation!
I attach (I hope) a short video of the church singing one of the hymns.
We had been invited by friends David and Deb Walker, staff with One Challenge Singapore. There are two churches which meet within the Presbyterian school, so I was not sure I was in the right place until I was greeted by David Lin, one of the church elders. Jan and I had met David before, and he greeted me warmly and quickly took our group to meet our hosts.
I was pleased to learn that this Sunday was a special joint Mandarin-English service. The church was accepting new members and installing a new elder and deacon and so the Mandarin and English halves had come together in a single service to worship together. I am aware of the importance of worshiping God in one's own tongue and I am grateful for a Mandarin-English church in The Woodlands in Texas that ministered to one of our university students back in Huntsville. It was fun to sing in English, while listening to other sing in Mandarin and I am sure one has to carefully pick hymns that will allow both tongues to sing together!
After the service, we had a wonderful lunch with the church body. Yes, ministry is facilitated by good food and conversation!
I attach (I hope) a short video of the church singing one of the hymns.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
The Afterlife
In a related blog, I've been working my way through the New Testament, chapter by chapter. There we are just finishing I Corinthians.
The end of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is a suitable place to explore Paul's description of the afterlife. Paul insists that he saw Jesus after his crucifixion and resurrection and claims some 500 others did also. Paul insists the belief in the resurrection is central to his faith in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus.
Paul then goes on to claim that there will be a final Resurrection of the dead and a "celestial body", a true physical body, but in many ways different from the current earthly one. How this occurs is unknown and probably unknowable. Christians have added layers to this interpretation since then.
Central to the theology of the afterlife, within Christianity, is a belief that there will be an afterlife and that one's part in the afterlife is linked to one's response to Jesus is this one. After this, the viewpoints begin to diverge. Do those who reject Jesus go on to a place of conscious torment, often called Hell? Is Hell/Hades a place of annihilation, of a continuance of death and the end of existence? Is there some type of "cleansing" place of Purgatory? (See here, here and here, as part of a book review on the Jesus Creed blog by Scot McKnight, of the book Four Views on Hell.)
Does one, after death, immediately move into a conscious state, with the soul separated but conscious and aware? Or does life require a body and so after death one "sleeps", unaware, until recreated in the final Resurrection? The Jesus Creed blog has a brief discussion on that also.
Of course, there is a wide-ranging article on the afterlife at Wikipedia.
I have my own opinions on this ... but the only one I will share here is this: like Paul, I believe (and hope) there will be a Resurrection. After that, it is OK to not be sure about any of the many views on how the afterlife will occur. One can have doubts. One should ask questions about the form it takes and whether our existence, as Scot McKnight asks, is "separation of soul and body (dualism)" or "physicality."
We will all find out soon enough....
Next week, on that blog, we will begin studying my favorite gospel, The Gospel of Mark.
The end of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is a suitable place to explore Paul's description of the afterlife. Paul insists that he saw Jesus after his crucifixion and resurrection and claims some 500 others did also. Paul insists the belief in the resurrection is central to his faith in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus.
Paul then goes on to claim that there will be a final Resurrection of the dead and a "celestial body", a true physical body, but in many ways different from the current earthly one. How this occurs is unknown and probably unknowable. Christians have added layers to this interpretation since then.
Central to the theology of the afterlife, within Christianity, is a belief that there will be an afterlife and that one's part in the afterlife is linked to one's response to Jesus is this one. After this, the viewpoints begin to diverge. Do those who reject Jesus go on to a place of conscious torment, often called Hell? Is Hell/Hades a place of annihilation, of a continuance of death and the end of existence? Is there some type of "cleansing" place of Purgatory? (See here, here and here, as part of a book review on the Jesus Creed blog by Scot McKnight, of the book Four Views on Hell.)
Does one, after death, immediately move into a conscious state, with the soul separated but conscious and aware? Or does life require a body and so after death one "sleeps", unaware, until recreated in the final Resurrection? The Jesus Creed blog has a brief discussion on that also.
Of course, there is a wide-ranging article on the afterlife at Wikipedia.
I have my own opinions on this ... but the only one I will share here is this: like Paul, I believe (and hope) there will be a Resurrection. After that, it is OK to not be sure about any of the many views on how the afterlife will occur. One can have doubts. One should ask questions about the form it takes and whether our existence, as Scot McKnight asks, is "separation of soul and body (dualism)" or "physicality."
We will all find out soon enough....
Next week, on that blog, we will begin studying my favorite gospel, The Gospel of Mark.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Disputing Baptism
In the blog A Year in the New Testament, I've been working my ways through Paul's "first" letter to the church in Corinth....
In the opening chapter of Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, we see a dispute in the Corinthian church about baptism. Although the details of the dispute have changed, disputing baptism continues to be a Christian "hobby" even today. This is regretful.
The dispute in Corinth was over which leaders to follow and this was marked by one's choice of baptism. One person says, "I was baptized by Apollos" and another says, "I was baptized by Peter!" Paul confronts this by emphasizing that each of these individuals, including himself, are working together, ministering in various ways. One apostle "plants the seeds", another "waters the crops". How then can any one individual claim full responsibility for the bountiful crops?
In recent centuries the dispute has not been over WHO did the baptism, but HOW it was done. The dispute has been over the mode of baptism. I was a member of one church where one MUST be baptized, by immersion, as a believing adult. If one had been baptized as a child (as I was) then one MUST be rebaptized.
I was also a member of another church where baptism of infants was the norm and the baptism was "sprinkling", that is, placing water on the infant's forehead. Adult believers who had been baptized as children could make a commit of renewal in a certain manner, but one was NEVER baptized a second time.
In the first church (a Baptist church), the pastor told a Sunday School class, "I have never met a sincere Bible scholar who believes in infant baptism." A year later I (while on a sabbatical visit) I was in another church (a Presbyterian church) in which the pastor said essentially the exact opposite, "Serious students of the Bible recognize that baptism is a sign of the covenant, like Jewish circumcision, and it has always been practiced with infants."
What would happen if we put those two pastors in the same room together and locked the door? Would it lead to some type of reconciliation? A friend, upon hearing this tale, said wisely, "Those statements say more about the social circles of the two pastors than it does about theology."
Although the dispute has changed, the application of I Corinthians is straightforward. Paul is almost dismissive of baptism. Yes, it is important, but he is happy that he did not baptize anyone! Then he pauses and says, "Well, except for Crispus and Gaius. Oh, wait, also the family of Stephanos. Hmm, after that, I don't recall if I baptized others." He downplays the rite, as it has become divisive. He certainly does not bother to give any instructions on how baptism should be done!
We should follow Paul's example. Baptism is an important public statement of membership in the Kingdom of God. Practice it in that manner. Let us be welcoming of all others who attest to this membership, regardless of the form of that initiation ceremony!
Wikipedia, of course, has a good article on baptism. If you read that, note the discussion on the mode of baptism in the early centuries of the young church.
The letter to the church in Corinth does describe the mode of another "sacrament", that of communion. (See I Corinthians 11: 23-26.) This too we need to practice regularly and in common with other Christians.
We will return to our study of I Corinthians tomorrow at that sister blog....
In the opening chapter of Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, we see a dispute in the Corinthian church about baptism. Although the details of the dispute have changed, disputing baptism continues to be a Christian "hobby" even today. This is regretful.
The dispute in Corinth was over which leaders to follow and this was marked by one's choice of baptism. One person says, "I was baptized by Apollos" and another says, "I was baptized by Peter!" Paul confronts this by emphasizing that each of these individuals, including himself, are working together, ministering in various ways. One apostle "plants the seeds", another "waters the crops". How then can any one individual claim full responsibility for the bountiful crops?
In recent centuries the dispute has not been over WHO did the baptism, but HOW it was done. The dispute has been over the mode of baptism. I was a member of one church where one MUST be baptized, by immersion, as a believing adult. If one had been baptized as a child (as I was) then one MUST be rebaptized.
I was also a member of another church where baptism of infants was the norm and the baptism was "sprinkling", that is, placing water on the infant's forehead. Adult believers who had been baptized as children could make a commit of renewal in a certain manner, but one was NEVER baptized a second time.
In the first church (a Baptist church), the pastor told a Sunday School class, "I have never met a sincere Bible scholar who believes in infant baptism." A year later I (while on a sabbatical visit) I was in another church (a Presbyterian church) in which the pastor said essentially the exact opposite, "Serious students of the Bible recognize that baptism is a sign of the covenant, like Jewish circumcision, and it has always been practiced with infants."
What would happen if we put those two pastors in the same room together and locked the door? Would it lead to some type of reconciliation? A friend, upon hearing this tale, said wisely, "Those statements say more about the social circles of the two pastors than it does about theology."
Although the dispute has changed, the application of I Corinthians is straightforward. Paul is almost dismissive of baptism. Yes, it is important, but he is happy that he did not baptize anyone! Then he pauses and says, "Well, except for Crispus and Gaius. Oh, wait, also the family of Stephanos. Hmm, after that, I don't recall if I baptized others." He downplays the rite, as it has become divisive. He certainly does not bother to give any instructions on how baptism should be done!
We should follow Paul's example. Baptism is an important public statement of membership in the Kingdom of God. Practice it in that manner. Let us be welcoming of all others who attest to this membership, regardless of the form of that initiation ceremony!
Wikipedia, of course, has a good article on baptism. If you read that, note the discussion on the mode of baptism in the early centuries of the young church.
The letter to the church in Corinth does describe the mode of another "sacrament", that of communion. (See I Corinthians 11: 23-26.) This too we need to practice regularly and in common with other Christians.
We will return to our study of I Corinthians tomorrow at that sister blog....
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
A Perfect Church
Jan and I have been visiting a church in The Woodlands. They say, "There is no perfect church." A corollary to this is, "If you find one, don't join it, as you will ruin it!"
Still ... Jan suggested that I try out this church's Brew Night, a "guys night out" event in College Park, at the north end of The Woodlands. The event is at a restaurant only 35 miles from Huntsville and just off the interstate, so just a 30-minute drive. Maybe, Jan hopes, I can find some Christian guys who like beer, soccer and (maybe even) are interested in scientific/mathy things.
So last night I drove to Wings 'N More for a 6:30 pm Men's "Brew Night". I tried to keep my expectations low. I am often uncomfortable with the "pseudo-religiosity" I see in various church events. I got to the restaurant at 6:30 but there was already a table of about a dozen men, with big goblets of Shiner beer. I ordered a goblet (16-20 ounces) of Shiner and a plate of wings. I met Todd (Pastor of Community Life) and I chatted a little about small groups. Todd made me feel welcome, as did Jim, Damon, Matt, Kyle (Pastor of Children's Ministries) and the senior pastor (David.) All had big goblets of Shiner and were clearly enjoying this monthly get-together.
"So", Todd explains to me, "we do this on a monthly basis. But sometimes we do a brewery tour, visiting Southern Star or B-52 or... " (he names a third local brewery that I've since forgotten.) "Or we go to a soccer game."
Soccer! Brewery tours! This is too good to be true. (And the pastor got a bachelors degree in Computer Science!) I text Jan about the beer and soccer.
She writes back, "I think you're making this up!" She adds, "They are probably just leading you on!" (She also reminds me that I have to drive home -- on I-45 -- and sends a smiley face.)
Shortly after that, the talk turns to dogs. Todd and his wife have two. Kyle has one, staying in St. Louis while he and his family live in an apartment. Four of us spend 45 minutes telling dog stories. Then, in the warmth of the beer, spicy food and warm conversation, I walk out to my car.
Sitting in my car, I notice a text message from Jan, about 45 minutes old. I had not seen it until then.
She adds, "That is the real question!"
I knew she wouldn't believe me when I told her....
Still ... Jan suggested that I try out this church's Brew Night, a "guys night out" event in College Park, at the north end of The Woodlands. The event is at a restaurant only 35 miles from Huntsville and just off the interstate, so just a 30-minute drive. Maybe, Jan hopes, I can find some Christian guys who like beer, soccer and (maybe even) are interested in scientific/mathy things.
So last night I drove to Wings 'N More for a 6:30 pm Men's "Brew Night". I tried to keep my expectations low. I am often uncomfortable with the "pseudo-religiosity" I see in various church events. I got to the restaurant at 6:30 but there was already a table of about a dozen men, with big goblets of Shiner beer. I ordered a goblet (16-20 ounces) of Shiner and a plate of wings. I met Todd (Pastor of Community Life) and I chatted a little about small groups. Todd made me feel welcome, as did Jim, Damon, Matt, Kyle (Pastor of Children's Ministries) and the senior pastor (David.) All had big goblets of Shiner and were clearly enjoying this monthly get-together.
"So", Todd explains to me, "we do this on a monthly basis. But sometimes we do a brewery tour, visiting Southern Star or B-52 or... " (he names a third local brewery that I've since forgotten.) "Or we go to a soccer game."
Soccer! Brewery tours! This is too good to be true. (And the pastor got a bachelors degree in Computer Science!) I text Jan about the beer and soccer.
She writes back, "I think you're making this up!" She adds, "They are probably just leading you on!" (She also reminds me that I have to drive home -- on I-45 -- and sends a smiley face.)
Shortly after that, the talk turns to dogs. Todd and his wife have two. Kyle has one, staying in St. Louis while he and his family live in an apartment. Four of us spend 45 minutes telling dog stories. Then, in the warmth of the beer, spicy food and warm conversation, I walk out to my car.
Sitting in my car, I notice a text message from Jan, about 45 minutes old. I had not seen it until then.
BUT, do they like dogs?!... ;-)
She adds, "That is the real question!"
I knew she wouldn't believe me when I told her....
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
(Pericopes of Peter) Mark 3: 20-35, Jesus's Family
Jesus has just appointed twelve men to be his followers, his disciples.
Mark 3: 20-30
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."
So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.
"I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."
So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.
"I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."
There are several forms of rejection here. What are they?
Couldn’t Satan fool people by pretending to be on the wrong side, by driving out demons? (I don’t completely understand Jesus’ answer.)
Mark 3: 31-35
Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
But Jesus responds. What are his priorities? Ours? How practical is this, how do we apply it?
Friday, January 29, 2016
(Pericopes of Peter) Mark 3:1-19, Disciples Chosen
Jesus has recently had a dispute with the Pharisees over the Sabbath. Here another dispute arises, based on another healing.
Mark 3: 1-6
Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.
Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Mark 3: 1-6
Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.
Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Why is Jesus' angry? He seems surprised.
What is the response of the Pharisees? (Who are the Herodians? What is the relevance of the collaboration between Pharisees and Herodians?)
Mark 3: 7-12
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.
Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.
Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.
Why are the crowds coming?
Where are they coming from? (Look at an atlas.)
What is the reason for the boat? (Explain. Note that Mark says very little in the way of explanation.)
Why does he give these strict orders? Why do those he heals disobey it?
Mark 3: 13-19
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve--designating them apostles --that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.
These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve--designating them apostles --that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.
These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
What is the point of this section? Why?
Why are there 12? (What is the significance of this number?)
NIV footnotes on verse 14: Some ancient manuscripts do not have "designating them apostles".
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