Weakly Apostles…tsk, tsk, tsk

The greatest gift the apostles had to convert the Roman Empire was their weakness!

—

I remember, a few months ago, I was giving a Bible study and we got onto the topic of the apostles.

Being a Bible study, it was easy for us to find stories from scripture about some of the apostles’ lives.

We know the story of how Ss. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were called while they were fishing. At first St. Peter didn’t believe that Christ knew where to catch any fish…but after almost sinking the boat from having caught so many fish, St. Peter and others willingly followed Jesus to become fishermen of people.

We know the story of how Christ called St. Matthew away from his work as a tax collector. He too left his work to follow Jesus.

And we know how Christ called Philip, who then recruited Nathanael by using Jesus’ words, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

But an important question came up during the Bible study, “So, what happened to all these Apostles?”

That’s an excellent question. Other than Judas – who hung himself – scripture falls silent on the fate of the apostles.

When you examine their lives one thing becomes very apparent. By living their lives for their neighbors and through their death, they were truly born and became human.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE APOSTLES?

Several church historians, such as Eusebius and Hippolytus, recount the apostles’ stories. In brief, here’s what happened to them.

St. Peter – was crucified in Rome under the emperor, Nero. Legend has it that he was crucified upside-down because he felt unworthy to be crucified right-side-up as our Lord had been.

St. Andrew – the founder of our Patriarchate in Constantinople was crucified on an X-shaped cross after having spread the gospel in modern day Turkey and Greece.

St. Thomas – was pierced by spears after having taken the good news of Jesus’ resurrection to India, where the Orthodox Churches are still known as St. Thomas Churches.

St. Philip – was a witness of Christ in Northern Africa and Carthage. Eventually, he was arrested and cruelly put to death.

St. Matthew – traveled to Syria and then to Ethiopia where he was stabbed to death.

St. Bartholomew  – also died a martyr’s death after traveling with St. Thomas and around the Middle-East.

St. James – preached the gospel in Syria and he was eventually stoned to death.

St. Simon the Zealot – was martyred in Persia for refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.

St. John the Theologian – he is the only apostle not to have died a martyr’s death. He took care of the Virgin Mary, and during one of the Christian persecutions, was exiled to Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation. However, he too suffered tortures and even survived being boiled in a tub of oil.

THE APOSTLE’S SUFFERED GREATLY FOR THE GOSPEL

If we weren’t Christians, and if we didn’t know how the rest of the story turns out, this scenario of the apostles would be very distressing!

What other movement do you know of where almost all the founders were gruesomely put to death?

We think of the apostles as pillars of our faith – strong men who perpetuated the mission of the Church and the good news of Jesus rising from the dead.

What’s shocking is to find out that these men – these pillars – died deaths that, in all appearances, made them seem weak. We imagine them conquering the Roman Empire, and, in reality, it was the empire that conquered them!

How are we to understand this?

CHRIST’S STRENGTH IS SHOWN IN WEAKNESS

I suggest we understand it using the words of St. Paul,

… but [the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 RSV)

God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Just look at Christ!

For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. (2 Corinthians 13:4a RSV)

Through the cross, everything gets turned upside down, weakness becomes strength. The apostle’s sacrifice becomes their (re)birth to new life.

What we learn from the apostles is not textbook learning. After all, of all the apostles that followed Jesus, very few have left us with anything written.

It’s the stories of them going out into the world, leaving their family, friends, and jobs behind that inspire us to do the same.

It’s the stories of them converting the world to Christianity that inspires us to convert Dubuque, Galena, or wherever we may be, to Christ.

It’s the stories of their deaths that show us that death in Christ is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, the apostles’ death shows us that martyrdom is a birth into eternal life – a baptism in blood.

LEARNING TO TRULY LIVE

What we learn from the apostles is how to live by dying to ourselves. All the apostles set their needs aside to love their neighbors by sharing Christ with them.

By walking in the apostles’ footsteps, we die to ourselves, we live for our neighbors, love them, and our lives now become the birth pangs that make our deaths a birth to life.

In fact, the word “apostle” means, “one who is sent,” and Christ too sends us out to continue to show his power through our weakness.

P.S. Don’t let your neighbor spiritually starve – feed them Christ!

I now invite you to enter deeper into the mystery of Christ with the Orthodox Church!

St. Elias Services

Saturdays, 5 pm (at St. John’s Parish House, 1458 Locust St, Dubuque, IA)

Sundays, 9:30 am (at Hillcrest Chapel, 2001 Asbury Rd, Dubuque, IA)

Or find your nearest Orthodox Church by clicking here