List and a little information about the 12 Apostles

To help understand who was being sent out to represent Jesus, here is a listing of the twelve disciples
Chapter 10 begins with a listing of the disciples that Jesus is sending out to represent him in this first ministry trip. 

 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 Thaddeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.    .


Matthew 10:2 include
Simon, who is called Peter:  Simon Peter was the most prominent of the core group of disciples, easily becoming the natural spokesman and leader for the group during and following Jesus' earthly ministry.  Peter's purely human character has intrigued and encouraged many people who read the Gospel accounts.  Peters later ministry took him to Rome, where he was martyred under the roman emperor Nero. 

Andrew brother of Peter:  Andrew was originally a disciple of John the Baptist.  After John pointed Jesus out, Andrew became a follower of Jesus and was ear to bring others along, immediately haring the news with his brother Simon Peter.  According to tradition Andrew was martyred in Achaia, crucified on an X-shaped cross ( now known as St. Andrew's Cross")

James the son of Zebedee: James and his brother, John, were tow of the first disciples Jesus called.  Known for their quick temper and impulsiveness, the brothers were given the nickname "Sons of Thunder"  Little is recorded about James' ministry after Jesus' ascension; James did, however, become the first of Jesus' disciples to suffer martyrdom, at the hand of Herod Agrippa in 44 A. D.

John brother of James and son of Zebedee:  Most scholars believe that the references throughout the Gospels to "the disciple whom Jesus loved" are referring to John, the brother of James and son of Zebedee.  John is credited with writing five New Testament books- the fourth Gospel, three epistles and Revelation.  Tradition records that John was the only member to da a natural death, through he did suffer at least one exile because of his beliefs to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation. 


Matthew 10:3 includes

Philip:  Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee, the hometown of Andrew and Peter and may have been an early disciple of John the Baptist.  this Philip is not to be confused with the Philip described in Acts as the evangelist or deacon.

Bartholomew:  Little is known about this apostle, but he is probably the Nathanael mentioned in John 1
Thomas:  Known as Didymus (twin) Thomas is known both as a pillar of strength among the early disciples and for his initial doubt in believing that Christ had indeed risen from the dead.

Matthew the tax collector: Perhaps the most unlikely choice for one of Jesus' disciples, Matthew maintained a unique status in Jewish society.  A Jew who contracted with the Roman government to collect its exorbitant taxes from his own people,  Mathew along with all his fellow tax collectors was among the most despised and hated individuals in the nation.  The Jewish contempt for these individuals is evident by the numerous associations made throughout Scripture to the "tax collectors and sinners" 

James son of Alphaeus : Very little is known about this apostle.  The possibility exists that he and Matthew were brothers since in Mark 2:`4 Matthew (Levi) is also referred to as the son of Alphaeus.

Lebbaeus who's surname was Thaddeus  This apostle is mentioned just twice in the Bible, in tow of the lists of the apostles; nothing else is known for certain about him.

Matthew 10:4 includes
Simon the Zealot (or Canaanite) A different person than Simon Peter, this Simon was a member of a later Jewish political party known as the Zealots.

Judas Iscariot Not to be confused with the other apostle named Judas (Judas son of James) mentioned in two of the gospel listings of apostles, Judas Iscariot was the treasurer of the twelve.  His greed, resentment, and desire for personal power motivated him to betray Jesus to the Jews for thirty pieces of silver.  He is always found LAST in any listing of the Twelve.