How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You

This collection of mini-biographies for Jesus’ twelve disciples by John MacArthur is the fifth book in my Siblings’ 2018 Book Club. It’s one of only two Christian non-fiction books on our list, and it comes at a perfect juncture for us.

Following such books as Go Set a Watchman, The Idiot, and Mosquito Coast, this book finally gives us a refreshing look at how God’s redemption can change horrible men for the better. In each of the earlier books, we saw men who were flawed, bigoted, violent, or downright insane—and that’s where we left them! They remained hopeless (or dead) in their sins, and we readers felt a bit grungy because of it. But here in this true story, MacArthur shares another story line, another possibility where God takes flawed, bigoted, violent men and changes them into the most godly and effective leaders of all time. This review will share one simple critique of the book before providing a rough summary of the entire book, chapter by chapter.

My main critique is this: like virtually every MacArthur book or sermon I’ve tasted, this book is incredibly informative and a necessary asset for anyone studying the Word, but it lacks application. Certainly it has some, but not as much as most readers need. I say that as a Bible teacher myself, not merely as a critic. I’ve been teaching and preaching long enough to know that in a group of 20 students, only 5-10 are deeply engaged, only 3-4 are taking notes, and only 1-2 are motivated enough to recall what they’ve learned and committed enough to apply it to their own lives. For this reason, I’ve found it necessary—no matter my setting—to spell-out applications before, during, and after my lessons. It’s not enough to tell people “What?” the Bible teaches, but to repeat the “So what?” and “Now what?” points as well. I’d like to give people credit, but we’re in an age where attention spans are close to nil, and recall is even less. We teachers have a responsibility to handle the Word rightly, and that includes training people in how to apply its principles to their lives.

Summary and Review

In his Introduction, MacArthur explains to his readers both the ordinariness of these twelve men whom Jesus had chosen and why he doesn’t include the Apostle Paul in this particular list. He also sheds light on the amount of time these men had actually spent with Jesus, for while the Gospels lead us to believe that He chose them immediately at the outset of His three-year ministry, it far more likely that their call to apostleship came nearer the half-way mark. MacArthur quotes a lengthy passage from F.F. Bruce to describe why he believes that their training lasted only the final eighteen months of Jesus’ public ministry, (XIV) which is perhaps the single most important insight I got from the entire book.

In Chapter 1, “Common Men, Uncommon Calling,” MacArthur begins by sharing the four stages to the apostles’ calling: a calling to conversion, to ministry, to apostleship, and finally to martyrdom. He then covers “The Timing” of their call, “when the hostility against Christ had escalated to a murderous fever pitch.” (6) He introduces the qualities of “The Twelve”, completely ordinary men dependent on a powerful God to use them. He describes “The Teacher”, specifically His divinity in human form and His desire to appoint delegates who would speak with His authority. Then he describes “The Task” before introducing “The Training”, the blueprint for all discipleship that would come after. Jesus “graciously encouraged [the apostles], lovingly corrected them, and patiently instructed them. That is how the best learning always occurs. It isn’t just information passed on; it’s one life invested in another.” (25)

In Chapter 2, “Peter–The Apostle with the Foot-Shaped Mouth,” MacArthur first breaks down the disciples into three distinct groups of four, from the most well-known to the least. He then delves more deeply into “Simon…also Named Peter,” whose two names were a tool Jesus used to reference Peter’s old and new natures. He describes Peter’s secular work in “Follow Me, and I Will Make You Fishers of Men”, and then shares “The Raw Material That Makes a True Leader”, showing how both natural and spiritual abilities coalesce into the leader God uses. Following this, he describes “The Life Experiences that Shape a True Leader” and “The Character Qualities that Define a True Leader.” This chapter is the longest in the book, because there is so much written about Peter, the ultimate leader of the Early Church.

In Chapter 3, “Andrew–The Apostle of the Small Things,” MacArthur describes Peter’s brother who “Saw the Value of the Individual” by always bringing others to Jesus. “Most people do no come to Christ as an immediate response to a sermon they hear in a crowded setting,” he writes. “They come to Christ because of the influence of an individual.” (68) He continues by showing how Andrew “Saw the Value of Insignificant Gifts” like the boy’s loaves and fishes, and how “He Saw the Value of Inconspicuous Service.”

In Chapter 4, “James–The Apostle of Passion,” we meet one of the Sons of Thunder. We get great insights into this man who selfishly inquired about “Thrones in the Kingdom” but who also drank from “A Cup of Suffering” by becoming the first Apostle to be martyred for his commitment to Christ.

In Chapter 5, we meet “John–The Apostle of Love” and the most prolific author among the initial Twelve. In this chapter we get an excellent insight into all his letters by understanding a bit of his own character:

John’s zeal for the truth shaped the way he wrote. Of all the writers of the New Testament, he is the most black and white in his thinking. He thinks and writes in absolutes. He deals with certainties. Everything is cut-and-dried with him. There aren’t many gray areas in his teaching, because he tends to state things in unqualified, antithetical language. (97)

John “Learned the Balance of Love and Truth,” for “zeal for the truth must be balanced by love for people. Truth without love has no decency; it’s just brutality. On the other hand, love without truth has no character; it’s just hypocrisy.” (106) John also “Learned the Balance of Ambition and Humility” and “of Suffering and Glory.”

In Chapter 6, we meet “Philip–The Bean Counter” and the first in the next group of four. As we get into the more minor character, MacArthur dissects every recorded reference to or words from each apostle, so in this chapter on Philip we read more about “His Call,” “The Feeding of the Five Thousand”, “The Visit of the Greeks”, and “The Upper Room.” We find Philip to be an administrative type, a “process person” and “facts-and figures guy.” (121) He is another character in this long string of ordinary and yet different men whom Jesus used to spread His Good News to the world.

In Chapter 7, we meet “Nathanael–The Guileless One.” We discover “His Love of Scripture” and yet “His Prejudice”, but also “His Sincerity of Heart” and “His Eager Faith.” This was a tender, believing, and loving man who—despite his near absence from the limelight in the Gospels—stands as a strong example for us to follow.

Chapter 8, “Matthew–The Tax Collector; and Thomas–The Twin” closes out this second group of four with these other lesser-known men. We meet Matthew, perhaps the most hated sinner before his conversion and “Thomas, the Pessimist.” The insights into Thomas’ desperate love for Jesus help us understand that his pessimism was a courageous pessimism, and his moniker, “Doubting Thomas”, is actually quite a bit unfair.

Chapter 9 tackles three of the final four, “James–The Less; Simon–The Zealot; and Judas (Not Iscariot)–The Apostle with Three Names.” Though we almost never see them in action, each man is unique in his own way. James is called “The Less” likely for his humility and desire to remain in the background. Simon is remembered for the great change that came to his life, from a violent desire to overthrow the Roman government to a compassionate resolve to follow his Lord in evangelizing the world. Finally this Judas was a pious, tender-hearted disciple who understood his own ordinariness and wondered that Jesus should choose him.

Finally Chapter 10 concludes with “Judas–The Traitor.” This chapter is also quite long, describing “His Name,” His Call,” and “His Disillusionment”, which eventually transformed into “His Avarice”. MacArthur explains well “His Hypocrisy” and eventually “His Betrayal” and “His Death.” He then shares seven morals from his life, things that we can all learn from this tragedy.

Conclusion

While it’s never fun to end a good book on such a sour note, this is precisely the order in which the Gospel-writers all name the apostles—the traitor last of all and kept mostly separate from the group. As I mentioned above, this book is highly informative and well worth reading and keeping for future reference. There is so much we can learn from these men, for each carries his own unique personality traits that nearly covers the full spectrum of human characteristics. Jesus chose these men for their ordinariness, so that through the working of His Spirit, His strength could be make perfect in their weaknesses, and He alone would be glorified.

©2018 E.T.

Read More from John MacArthur:

• Successful Christian Parenting (1998)
• Battle for the Beginning (2001)
• God in the Manger (2001)
• Twelve Ordinary Men (2002)
• Hard to Believe (2003)
• Safe in the Arms of God (2003)
• Pastoral Ministry (2005)
• The Jesus You Can’t Ignore (2009)
• Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong (2009)
• One Perfect Life (2012)
• Being a Dad Who Leads (2014)