Faces in the Crowd: Characters in the Story of Jesus (James, John, Thomas, Philip, and the Rest)

Although the life and work of Jesus Christ is the focus of the gospels, other characters play a role in his story. During fifteen sessions, we’re looking at the following individuals and groups who encountered Jesus as he moved from birth to the cross. During the series, we'll look at the following persons:

• Session 1 - Mary, the Mother of Jesus
• Session 2 - John the Baptist
• Session 3 - Nicodemus
• Session 4 - Mary Magdalene
• Session 5 - Simon Peter (Part 1)
• Session 6 - Simon Peter (Part 2)
• Session 7 - Simon Peter (Part 3)
• Session 8 - Matthew and the Tax Collectors
• Session 9 - James, John, Thomas, Philip, and the Rest
• Session 10 - Judas
• Session 11 - The Scribes, Pharisees and Teachers of the Law
• Session 12 - The Herods
• Session 13 - Pilate and the Other Romans
• Session 14 - The Crowds
• Session 15 - The Rich Young Ruler and His Friends

In our ninth session, we looked at James, John, Thomas, Philip, and the rest of the Apostles. A recording of our discussion and some of the passages we discussed are below.

The Apostles are listed in Mark, Matthew and Luke. 

Mark 3:16-18: So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder), nd Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who handed him over.

Matthew 10:2-4: These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

Luke 6:14-16: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot,  and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

John & James are mentioned in all four gospels. 

Mark 1:19-20: As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Mark 3:17: James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder),

Mark 5:37: He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.. 

Mark 9:2-8: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling bright, such as no one on earth could brighten them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

Mark 10:35-37: James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.. 

Mark 13:3: When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,. 

Mark 14:32-34: They went to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” 

Matthew 4:18-22: As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Matthew 10:2-4: These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. 

Matthew 17:1-8: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

Matthew 26:36-37:  Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and agitated.

Luke 5:10: ...and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”

Luke 6:14: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,

Luke 8:51: When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James and the child’s father and mother.

Luke 9:28-36: Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Luke 9:53-56: but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

John 13:23: One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

John 19:26: When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son." 

John 20:2: So, he got up and went to the tomb. Simon Peter followed him.

John 21:7, 20, 24: That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had taken it off, and jumped into the sea. ...Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” ...This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

The Apostle Thomas appears only in the list in Mark, Matthew and Luke but a larger role in the Gospel of John. 

John 11:16: Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 

John 14:5: Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

John 20:24-29: But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

The Apostle Philip appears only in the list in Mark, Matthew and Luke but a larger role in the Gospel of John. 

John 1:43-46: The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

John 6:5-6: When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.

John 12:20-22: Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.