Lessons

The Twelve Apostles .The lesson on June 28, 2009 studied the twelve apostles that Jesus choose to his disciples during his earthly ministry to the Jews. We find in Matthew 10:2-7 “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas , and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The fact that Jesus was Jewish is clear because Matthew 1:1 says “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” The first verse in the New Testament ties Jesus back to Abraham. Further, when Jesus chose his apostles, he gave them specific instructions to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and do not go to the Gentiles. He even said to preach to the Jews that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. This shows us the Kingdom of Heaven is Jewish and it was offered but not received. We also learn that the Apostle Paul calls himself the Apostle to the Gentiles in Romans 11:13. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The twelve apostles were Jewish and charged to preach to the lost sheep in Israel. We need to keep the promises and doctrine for the Jews seperate from the promises and instruction directed towards the Gentiles. Paul was chosen to address the Gentiles and after Acts 28:28, he revealed a body of truth called the Mystery, which was hidden in God, before the foundation of the world. The Mystery is the calling for today and it is not part of what was promised to Israel. The lesson had a handout (Right Division – The Twelve Apostles) which may be downloaded to follow along while you listen.