Do You Know Them? Does It Matter?
Matthew 10:1-4 NKJV
10 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
Quick, without looking, how many of the original twelve apostles can you name? I know that some of you who did Bible drills as a kid may be able to list more than eight. I got eight right at first try. But these are the original twelve who were the closest to Jesus. They walked with Him. Ate with Him. Listened to Him and watched Him do amazing things. When the crowds would leave, these were the twelve who stayed. These were the twelve with the greatest proximity to Jesus of anyone on earth. And we can’t name them all. Why?
Were they not important? No, these were the original twelve apostles of the Lamb. The church had these men as foundations. But the four gospels do not tell us much about most of them. We know about Peter, James, John, and Andrew. We also know about Matthew; he wrote one of the gospels. We know about Thomas because of his doubt and Judas because of his betrayal of Jesus. But why don’t we know about the others? Evidently because the Lord did not think it was vital that we knew about their lives. Were they not effective? Did they just drop off the face of the earth? From what I know of history, Thomas was impactful in India. Personally, I have never studied the other lesser-known apostles.
All were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. All were empowered by the Holy Spirit for service. But we don’t hear from them again. But even more than trying to determine why we don’t hear of these men, we need to ask: why does it matter? Is being well-known the only indicator of a life well-lived for the Lord? Or are there multitudes just like these unknown apostles who are effective but not famous?
We tend to make too much of “famous” people. As if the famous ones are the only ones doing a good job. But what about those who no one knows about, who are living exemplary lives for Jesus? And when all is said and done, is being well-known going to be enough? I believe Heaven has a different measuring stick for excellence. Jesus saw a widow put in a couple of pennies and declared she put in more than all the rich people because she gave everything she had. When Jesus told the parable of the talents, well done was offered to the ones who were faithful with what they had been given. The results were different, but Jesus acknowledged their faithfulness. When rewards are given in heaven, do you think famous and well-known will be the criteria that we are judged by?
So no one knows you. What does that matter? If you are doing what God has called and equipped you to do, and you are doing it for Him, you are on the right path. Peter, quoting the prophet Isaiah, said: “all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass, the grass withers and its flowers fall away.” Being well-known and famous is the glory of man. No one stays famous forever. But those who obey God and do His will obtain a glory that does not fade.
So if you are feeling unseen and unknown by man, don’t worry about it. Keep doing what God called you to and keep seeking Him. A hundred years from now, that is what will have mattered the most!