The Paradox Par Excellence
“Follow me”. This is Our Lord’s big command. By this invitation He introduces the idea that man must have concern for others. It is His supreme concern for the fallen humanity that prompted the Paschal mystery. He who is God would teach redeem and sanctify through the human nature which He had taken from His most beloved Mother Mary. But He will work through other human natures starting with His “first dear Twelve”. He will place His Father’s rule not in the hands of angels but of ordinary human beings. Such is the design of His apostolic call to the Twelve.
Gigantic is the goal He set to His followers- the moral conquest of the whole world. They were to be the “light of the world,” the “salt of the earth” and the “city that cannot be hid”. He asked those rather insignificant men (and millions after them) to have a cosmic vision of their mission. For, it is upon them that He would build His Kingdom. These chosen lights were to cast their light over the rest of humanity at large.
The immortal G.K Chesterton has an essay “The Twelve Men”. Here he deals with the British Jury System. He writes: “Whenever our civilization wants a liberty to be catalogued, or a solar system discovered, or any other trifle of this kind, it uses up its specialists. But when it wishes anything done which is really serious, it collects twelve of the ordinary men standing around. The same thing was done, if I remember right, by the Founder of Christianity.”
From the very beginning Our Lord’s intention was crystal clear- to prolong His teaching and His sovereign reign “unto the consummation of the world”. For this He had to have some “prophets” to whom He would hand over some divine powers He had brought with Him to earth. It would be spiritual. Its cement would be charity, love and the possession of His Spirit.
Now, to continue this “Mystical Body” in tact it would need a head and members. We have the background and the calling of the Twelve in “One day, soon afterwards Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names: Simon (whom he named Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the zealot), Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him)”(Luk. 6: 12-16).
Before choice Our Lord spent a whole night in prayer. He must identify those who were in His Father’s heart. Of course they were also in His heart. As day breaks, he comes down to where His disciples were gathered. He “calls them, one by one”. Of Peter, the most is known. He is mentioned 95 times in the NT. The rest of the Apostles altogether only 130 times. Certainly, the one mentioned next in frequency is John. Our Lord was quick to change Peter’s original name Simon into Cephas. When he was brought to Our Lord looks at him and says: “your name is Simon, son of John- but you will be called Cephas”(Jn. 1:42).
The word Cephas means “rock”. It is really difficult to get its full flavour in English. Peter, the proper name, is not the same as “rock” in English. Nevertheless, the words are identical in Aramaic which Our Lord spoke when God changes any person’s name, it is to raise him to a higher dignity and role in the community. Peter had, by nature, great qualities of leadership.
Andrew, Peter’s brother is mentioned eight times in the NT. He is always spoken of as Simon Peter’s brother. Nathanael is characterized as a true Israelite. Our Lord’s prophecy to Bartholomew shows that the Incarnation is the basis of all communion between man and God. The great and imperishable glory of Matthew or Levi is his Gospel. “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple.” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him”(Mt. 9:9). Philip would like to see the Father. Thomas, the great believer, invites the others: “Let us also go too- and die with Jesus”(Jn. 11:16).
James and John are Our Lord’s cousins. James the Less is another apostle. Of Simon the Zealot, we know next to nothing except his whole-hearted enthusiasm for a cause. Judas is pictured as the “son of perdition”. James is the son of Alphaeus. Matthias, through the lot, stepped into the traitor’s shoes.