The Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles

The Lord left his apostles with instructions and with great gifts. The instructions are listed in several distinct places, but the the gifts are more scattered, both in the four gospels and in the book of Acts later, being given as the apostles needed them.

First, about the apostles... just to clarify, here I'm referring to "the disciples" as including anyone who has followed along to hear the Lord, and "the apostles" to mean the twelve men that the Lord recruited specifically, as listed in Matthew 10, Mark 3, and Luke 6.

Who were the apostles? From the lists in Matthew and Mark, which are the same, we have: Simon (Peter), James and John the sons of Zebedee, Andrew (Peter’s brother), Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew (the publican), Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, (as is Matthew, so they are brothers, too), Thaddeus, (also known as Libbeus), Simon the Canaanite (also called Simon the Zealot), and Judas Iscariot. Bartholomew is almost undoubtedly another name for Nathaniel, see John 1. The list in Luke includes another Judas, "Judas the brother of James" and doesn’t have Thaddeus.

The stories of how they were individually chosen differ, especially in the gospel of John, but that these twelve were appointed by the Lord is clear. A point of interest is that - other than Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot they are all from towns around the sea of Galilee - and perhaps those two are as well. These twelve have their names inscribed on the twelve foundations of the walls of the holy city New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21:14 in which there are also the twelve gates. These men were chosen to represent all the different states of the natural human being that can be receptive of the Lord. They are from Galilee because Galilee represents that natural state of the human mind. The number twelve in the Word represents all possible states of mankind.

What is indicated here is that all people, everywhere, can be saved or regenerated if they repent and turn to the Lord in their lives. No one is "outside" of His reach. We are born natural, everyone is, but we are so formed that our minds can be raised to what is higher, called spiritual for our conceptions of Divine truth, or Celestial for our perceptions of Divine good. But we all start in a natural state and can only move upward by listening to the Lord’s teachings in His Word, and following Him as those Apostles did.

Not all of our natural states are states of good; they can be selfish, domineering, and cruel. But the Lord said that He came "not to save the just but to call sinners to repentance". Perhaps this is why Simon the Canaanite and Judas were two that He called. Simon is little known, but in some places in the Word, "Canaan signifies an external worship without a true internal worship". (See Arcana Coelestia 1060). Can the Lord work with that - with external worship that's internally barren? Yes, as a starting point. And, even Judas, who betrayed the Lord so terribly, we are told, repented of his betrayal of the Lord. (Matthew 27:3-5)

The Lord's Instructions to the Apostles

The two most comprehensive sets of instructions are in Luke 10:1-17 where seventy Disciples are sent out two by two, apparently to a specified list of cities that Jesus intends to visit, and then in Matthew 20:1-19 where the chosen twelve Apostles are sent out to all Israel. Later, as recorded in different epistles, the Apostles go out further, through a wide region.

The basic instructions were to preach that the kingdom of heaven is near, that all should be led to repent of their sins, and that all who wish should be baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles should not take any money or extra clothing along, and they were to depend entirely on the Lord’s providence with no doubt that they shall be welcomed, fed, and sheltered. If they were welcomed, they should stay and preach the good news about the risen Lord and His teachings, and if they were not, they should shake from their feet the dust of that place and go on to a place where they were welcome. See Matthew 10, 28, Mark 13, 16, Luke 9, 10:24.

There are several assurances for the twelve. The Lord has told them to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit is sent to strengthen them, and in John 20 where the ten are gathered it is said that He breathed on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit". Also, in his long talk with them in John 14, 15, 16) He assures them that his crucifixion and death are necessary to his mission and they should even rejoice that it is coming. He shows them from scripture that it has all been prophesied from long ago, (see Mark 4:34) and that what seems to them a tragedy, is truly His glorification and the end of the work He came to do. They, His twelve, are in the same steam of providence and will be protected. "Don’t be anxious," He tells them, "I will put into your mouths what you are to say, I will bring into your memories the incidents to tell to the people".

Here is a listing of the chapters and verses in John where such things are said: John 14:1-3, 10, 16-18, 26-28, 15:11, 16, 26-27, 16:7, 13-15, 22, 26-27, 33. Or simply read the three chapters and pick out your favorites.

A marvelous gift is mentioned in Matthew 10:13, "But blessed are your eyes for they see and blessed are your ears, for they hear…".

In the book of Acts, the Lord vividly shows the apostles that when they speak in their Galileen dialect every listener will hear their words as his own language in his ears; not gibberish, but Arabic to the Arabs, Greek to the Greeks, and Latin to the Romans.

When Peter starts to preach to a gathering of sympathetic Jews he speaks clearly and unafraid, saying that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and that people should worship Him openly and repent of how they might have felt earlier. Peter’s talk in Acts 3 and 4 is a bold and powerful one. No more hiding behind locked doors.

The early history of the Christian church shows just how well all this worked out. You know what? The Apostles preached to the peoples in the Near East 2000 years ago, and their preaching is just as relevant today as it was then: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Being at hand has nothing to do with the date or the state of political history in the world, it has to do with the inside of your mind. The Lord is just as close to you now as He was then, and He never turns away, though we might turn away from him. Remember that He said "behold I stand at the door and knock and if anyone hears and opens the door He will come right in." This hasn’t changed nor will it ever change, but He leaves us in freedom to ignore His knocking, if that is what we want. We have to make the choice, but He is always ready if we choose to open the door.

821. And he causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast. That this signifies whence those in the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom, acknowledge in heart the agreement, is evident from the signification of the earth and of them which dwell therein, as denoting those in the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom. For by the earth is signified the church which is in truths or in falsities, here, that which is in falsities. And by them which dwell therein, are signified the goods or evils of the church, here, the evils. Thus as applied to persons there, by the earth and by them who dwell therein, are signified those in the church who are in falsities, and in evils therefrom. That the earth signifies the church as to truths and as to falsities, may be seen above (n. 304, 413, 417, 697, 741, 752); and that those dwelling therein signify those in the church who are good, and also those who are evil; and, in the abstract sense, goods or evils (see above, n. 479); and from the signification of worshipping, as denoting to acknowledge for certain, to acknowledge in heart, and to believe (see above, n. 790, 805); and from the signification of the first beast, as denoting reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life, as may be seen above (n. 774), in this case the agreement of such reasonings with the sense of the letter of the Word, because by this beast are signified confirmations therefrom, as may also be seen above (n. 815). From these things it is evident, that by the beast which ascended out of the earth, causing the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, is signified, that those in the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom, acknowledge in heart that agreement.

[2] In the preceding article it was shown that Peter signified truth and faith in both senses, namely, truth from good, and truth without good; also faith from charity, and faith without charity.

Something shall now be said concerning the Apostle John, as signifying the works of charity. That the twelve apostles, like the twelve tribes of Israel, represented the church in its whole extent, or all things of truth and good, or all things of faith and charity, was said above. Also, that Peter, James, and John, signified faith, charity, and the works of charity, in their order. It follows, therefore, that when they were together they represented these as one. It is said, as one, because the faith that is a faith without charity has no existence; and the charity that is a charity without works has no existence.

Because those three apostles signified those things therefore they followed the Lord more than the rest, as is evident from Mark, where it is said,

Jesus "suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, James, and John the brother of James" (5:37).

Therefore the Lord first called Peter through Andrew, by whom is signified the obedience of faith; and afterwards called James and John, and gave to these two also a new name. He also took Peter, James, and John up to the mountain, when He was transfigured, and also spoke with these three concerning the Consummation of the Age, and concerning His Advent. They were with the Lord in Gethsemane.

[3] That the Lord called James and John after He had called Peter, appears in the Evangelists:

Jesus "going on from thence, saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother [in a ship], with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him" (Matthew 4:21, 22; Mark 1:19, 20).

That the Lord gave a new name to James and John is evident in Mark:

Jesus "called James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, and named them Boanerges, which is, the sons of thunder" (3:17).

[4] By sons of thunder are signified truths from celestial good. The reason of this signification is, that in the spiritual world also there are heard thunders, which exist from the truths that are from celestial good, when they descend from the higher heavens into the lower. The very light of truth from good then appears as lightning, the good itself as thunder, and the truths themselves therefrom as variations of sound. This is why throughout the Word lightnings, thunders, and voices, are mentioned, by which these things are signified. The reason why good is there heard as thunder is, that good, which pertains to man's affection or love and also to his will, does not speak but only sounds; but truth, which pertains to man's understanding and thence to his thought, articulates that sound into expressions. Celestial good is the same as the good of love in will and in act. Previously to this it is not celestial good; and this is what produces truths by the thought and speech therefrom. From these things it is evident why it was that James and John were called sons of thunder. What lightnings, thunders, and voices, signify in the Word, may also be seen above (n. 273, 702, 704).

[5] That the Lord took Peter, James, and John up to the mountain when He was transfigured, is clear in Mark (9:2), and in Luke (9:28). They alone were taken, because none but those who are in truths from celestial good can see the Lord in His glory; nor can any others be enlightened, and perceive the Word in enlightenment. For the Lord, when He was transfigured before them, represented Divine truth, which is the Word; therefore also Moses and Elias were seen speaking with Him; and by Moses and Elias are signified the Word. But concerning this circumstance see above, n. 594. That the Lord spoke with Peter, James, and John, concerning the Consummation of the Age, and concerning His Advent, is evident in Mark 13:3, and that these three were with the Lord in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:33).

[6] Because John represented the church as to good works, and as good works contain everything of love to the Lord, and charity towards the neighbour, therefore he was loved by the Lord more than the rest, as is evident from this fact,

That he leaned upon the bosom of the Lord, and lay upon his breast, when he spake with him (John 13:23, 25).

By the bosom and the breast is signified in the Word spiritual love, which is love in act; and by the bosom and the breast of the Lord, Divine Love itself; therefore in heaven those who are in spiritual love are in the province of the breast.

[7] Hence also John took the Lord's mother to his own house, and abode with her; concerning which it is thus written in John:

Jesus "from the cross saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by; he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then he saith to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home" (19:26, 27).

This signifies, that the church is where charity exists in act or where good works exist. For by the Lord's mother and by a woman is signified the church, and by John charity in act, which is good works. That by mother is signified the church may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897). That the same is signified by woman (see above, n. 555, 707, 721, 730).

[8] That the Lord's church is among those who are in charity in act, or in good works, and not among those who are in faith separate from them, is also signified by those things mentioned concerning Peter and John, as follows,

"Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom the Lord loved following; which also leaned upon his breast at supper. Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me" (John 21:20-22).

That by Peter is there signified truth without good, or faith separated from good works, such as shall be the case at the end of the church, may be seen above (n. 820); where also the foregoing words are explained. And because by John are signified the goods of charity, which are called good works, and these pertain to those who constitute the Lord's church, therefore, it was not Peter but John who followed the Lord; and, therefore, to Peter, who had asked, "What shall this man do?" the Lord said, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me"; by which is meant that the good of charity will still remain with those who are the Lord's even to the end of the church, and when there is a new church; but not with those who are in faith separate from that good; and this is signified by these words to Peter, "What is that to thee?"