HOW OLD WERE THE DISCIPLES?
In my post yesterday, WHEN SHOULD YOUNG PEOPLE MARRY? I mentioned that in all probability most of the disciples were teens. Some folks in the thread asked for more information of why I would make this statement. Here are a few things to think about.1. Jesus referred to His disciples as “little children.” E.g.
John 13:33: “Little children, yet a little while I am with you . . . “
John 21:5 (ESV): “Children, do you have any fish?”
Read also Matthew 11:25 and Luke 10:21. Would older men like to be called “little children”?
Often Jesus said to His disciples: “How is it that ye do not understand?” (Mark 8:21). In Mark 4:13 we notice He is patient with His young students. I am sure He would not talk like this to older men.
Do you remember the story in Matthew 20:20-28 of the mother of James and John who came to Jesus and asked: “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.”? Can you imagine grown men allowing their mother to ask such a question of Jesus? And even more embarrassing, to let their mother be their spokeswoman? Impossible. Her sons were obviously young boys.
Many references to the disciples in the gospels reveal their immaturity. Remember how they were so afraid of the storm on Lake Galilee? Seasoned sailors would be used to these storms and not end up in such panic (Mark 4:35-41).
James, son of Alphaeus, was also called James the Less in the Bible. He was obviously shorter than the other disciples and most probably because he was the youngest and may not have yet had his growth spurt which often happens in the mid-teens.
2. In Bible days, most young men finished their early education by 13 - 15 years. If the young man was intelligent and interested in pursuing a religious training, he would seek a rabbi to disciple him. A rabbi began his ministry at 30 years of age and gathered young men around him to teach and disciple. That was the culture at that time.
If a young man did not want to pursue religious studies, he would apprentice with his father in the family business and help toward the economic success of the family. All young men would follow either of these courses by 15 years of age. They married at about 17 or 18 years.
A rabbi did not become a rabbi until 30 years of age and would then begin to gather students to him. A rabbi simply means master or teacher and his disciples were his students or learners. The Jewish Encyclopedia says that some rabbis continued in their former trades (such as a laundryman, shoe maker, water carrier, or sandal maker) while they continued to teach. Students joined themselves to a rabbi usually between the ages of 13 and 15.
Even today a young Jewish boy celebrates his Bar Mitzvah at 13 years of age where he is expected to leave his childhood behind and begin the journey into adulthood. It is a time of purpose and mission, not a time to waste on entertainment, self-serving, laziness, and teenage mentality as they wait for adulthood. No, they press into manhood and adulthood.
3. Do you remember the story in Matthew 17:24-27? Jesus told Peter to go fishing. He told him that the first fish he caught would have a coin in its mouth, the exact amount to pay the temple tax for Jesus and Peter. In Exodus 30:14, 15 it states that every person 20 years and over must pay the temple tax which was half a shekel.
Jesus miraculously provided a shekel to pay the tax for Peter and Him. Peter was the only disciple who was married (Matthew 18:14, 15) and at the time of this story must have been at least 20 years of age. Jesus didn’t need to find money for any of His other students because they must have all been under the age of 20.
4. The Bible does not tell us, but I don’t think Peter had not yet been blessed with children. He must have been newly married. This is another reason Jesus would not have chosen grown men to be His disciples. Older men already had the responsibility of their families to provide, protect, and care for. They would not be so free to leave their families and livelihood to travel around the country as Jesus did with His young disciples.
Jesus often sent forth His disciples around the country to preach and heal the sick (Matthew 10:1-25; Mark 3:13-15; 6:7-13; and Luke 9:1-6).
Why should we be concerned at the age of the disciples? To me it is very challenging. I must admit that I always imagined them around the same age as Jesus (mostly because of pictures and movies). It shows how we are conditioned by pictures we see and how we can believe something without really checking it out. I have changed my understanding after looking into history and the above Scriptures.
Now I realize that the disciples were young, it inspires me to inspire our young people. It grieves me to see young people becoming the victims of a teenage mentality. I believe young people are capable of doing great things and mighty things for God. And yet so many waste these years in a self-centered lifestyle when they could be changing the world. Instead of growing into men, they prolong their adolescence. Instead of being passionate for God, they are more interested in the entertainment of this world.
But these young disciples of Jesus changed the world. As young people, Luke 9:9 tells us that they “Went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.”
That must have been exciting, but it would not have been a picnic. They would have suffered great hardships. Most likely dangers from bandits on the solitary mountain tracks and valleys. They preached this new radical message in a region controlled by Roman authorities who were always ready to snuff out political rebellions and messianic movements. They left the comfort of their families to hit the road, sleeping rough and relying on the hospitality of locals for food and shelter.
Are your teenage sons ready for this? Or are we still treating them as little boys?
Psalm 144:12 (Youngs): “Because our sons are as plants, BECOMING GREAT IN THEIR YOUTH.”
Be blessed today,
Nancy Campbell
Photo: An old picture of our son, Rocklyn, when he was 13 years. Preaching in the streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia. He was a powerful young preacher. He is now 55 years!
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