Written By
Kate Webber
The 12 apostles of Jesus are famous historical figures because of the sacrifices they made to follow Him. Learn more about who they were and the impact they had on the Christian faith.
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Approved by Spiritual Life on Aug. 15, 2025.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
Amidst a society that nailed a perfect man to the cross, 12 men sacrificed all they had because they believed He was who He claimed He was. While Jesus roamed the earth, He had 12 disciples whom He called to follow Him and fulfill the plan for His time on earth. Jesus faced mockery, rejection and persecution. His followers faced the same. And so questions arise: Why did they follow Him, knowing they would be guaranteed hardships? Why were they faithful enough to leave their lives behind?
The answer is simple: their reward was greater than their losses.
"So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'"
— John 20:25
"Then He said to Thomas, 'Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.' Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'"
— John 20:27-28
"When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.'"
—Matthew 9:11-12
Jesus's 12 apostles were Simon, Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Simon, Thaddeaus and Judas.
Simon, also called Peter, was one of the three main disciples and part of Jesus’ “inner circle.” When he found Jesus, he was a fisherman.
Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother, also a fisherman. Andrew is noted as the first disciple who actually led his brother Simon to Jesus.
"Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus."
— John 1:40-42 NIV
James, son of Zebedee, was a member of the inner circle and the brother of John and Peter. He was another fisherman.
John, a fisherman and the third member of the inner circle, is believed to have written five books of the New Testament.
Phillip is more mysterious than the other disciples. Less is known about him, and he is often confused with other Phillips in the New Testament. He was from the same town as Peter and Andrew.
Bartholomew is an apostle who is rarely mentioned but known to have a close relationship with Phillip.
Thomas, a rarely mentioned member of the disciples, is the disciple best known for his doubts about Jesus’ resurrection.
No one wanted to pay taxes to an oppressive government, and the tax collectors were known to cheat people of their money and take extra for themselves.
Jesus, a perfect man, chose a tax collector to be one of His 12 disciples. He called Matthew and followed him to his home and ate with him. Many other tax collectors and sinners were there eating too. Jesus was a friend to the sinners, offering them salvation and demonstrating His forgiveness of sins.
“The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector.'”
— Luke 18:10 NIV
Many unbelievers ask, Why did the disciples give up everything to follow Jesus? Well, the Bible doesn’t tell us explicitly, but the comparison is similar to why people follow Jesus today. Jesus doesn’t hate anyone — He hates sin. That is why He dined with sinners. They were still God’s people even though they were living in sin.
They saw Him do miracles. They saw Him cause a spiritual revolution in their society. He gave their lives purpose.
The disciples knew that the reward for following Jesus was way bigger than anything they could have on earth. They knew their faith was what would bring them to eternity with God, not how much money they made or what their peers thought of them. Because of this, they believed it was worth the trials and tribulations they would experience.
You may notice that some of the disciples are vastly different from one another. What did they all have in common? Jesus picked ordinary men from different walks of life. When you sit in church, you are surrounded by many different people. They all have a different story of where they came from and how they came to Christ. Jesus calls whom He calls; He doesn’t pick and choose who to show Himself to because of their social class or career.
Jesus calling Matthew, the tax collector, is important to understanding Jesus's character. In biblical times, tax collectors worked for the Roman Empire. They were corrupt, greedy and outsiders in their society, put into the same category as thieves and prostitutes.
Matthew was working as a tax collector when Jesus met him and told Matthew to follow Him. Matthew left everything he had and went with Jesus.
James, the son of Alphaeus, is another mysterious disciple.
Simon, distinguished as Simon the Zealot, is mentioned only in the list of disciples, but it is written that he preached with Judas.
Thaddeus, also known as Jude, is often confused with Jesus’ brother Jude, but he is not. He was a quiet disciple who went into ministry.
Judas is a very famous apostle, but not for a good reason. Judas betrayed Jesus, which led to his arrest and crucifixion.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33
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The future of each apostle after Jesus’s death and resurrection is not perfectly clear, but it is known that most of the apostles were martyred and lived a life of ministry. Eleven of the 12 were eventually crucified, hanged and ultimately put to death for their faith.
The apostles who were crucified requested to be crucified upside down, believing they didn’t deserve to die the same death as their perfect savior.
The role the 12 disciples played in Christianity was that they helped establish the early church, spread the gospel and ultimately paved the way for being followers of Jesus. Their overall demonstration of picking up their cross and following Jesus was seen in what they gave up for Jesus, and how they lived their life after encountering the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Are you living your faith like an apostle of Jesus, or like a lukewarm Christian? The people closest to Jesus gave up their lives for him. Are you willing to do the same? When weighing this question, consider this: He already gave His life up for you.
