Peter, James, and John

Jesus came to make salvation possible for all people everywhere, not just the Jews or even everyone who lived in Palestine during the time He conducted His earthly ministry. Just before ascending to God the Father, He told His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It is significant that Jesus’ strategy for reaching the world depended on the faithfulness of these eleven men, plus the apostle Paul, who soon would be converted to Christ. During His ministry, Jesus spent a good deal of time with the twelve He chose “to be with Him.” Jesus also would “send them out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons” (Mark 3:14-15). One of the original twelve, Judas Iscariot, would betray Jesus and would commit suicide soon after Jesus’ death (see Matt. 26:47-49; 27:3-10; Acts 1:17-19). This is why Jesus gave His Great Commission (see Acts 1:8) to eleven rather than to twelve.

The twelve disciples or apostles that Jesus selected are listed in Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:13-16. In each of these lists, Peter, James, John, and Andrew are mentioned first. Matthew and Luke name Peter first, then Peter’s brother Andrew, then James, then James’s brother John. Mark’s order is Peter, James, John, and Andrew.

Three of these four—Peter, James, and John, were members of what we might call Jesus’ inner circle; they were His closest followers. They were privileged to be present for some of the most powerful and important events of Jesus’ ministry

• When Jairus’s daughter was restored to life, Peter, James, and John were in the very room where she revived (see Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51).
• Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ transfiguration (see Matt. 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36).
• These three, along with Andrew, heard firsthand the discourse Jesus gave regarding the end of the age (see Mark 13:3-4).
• After He instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover meal He had shared with His disciples, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. His disciples went with Him, but only so far. Peter, James, and John accompanied Him farther into the garden. Even though they slept, in terms of their physical location they were closer to Jesus than were the other disciples when the Lord poured His heart out to His Father in prayer (see Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42).

Why were these men given the privilege of seeing and hearing Jesus in such an “up close and personal” manner? We cannot know all the reasons with certainty, but in His wisdom, Jesus apparently was entrusting them with information He knew they would be in a position to declare later, when the time was right, after His resurrection (see Matt. 17:9). Their number would mean their testimony would be upheld in a court of law, if it came to that (compare to Deut. 17:6), but certainly it would have credibility. John’s inspired statements in 1 John are brimming with “eyewitness language” (see 1:1-4). Without question, God used Peter, James, and John and their faithfulness to ignite a worldwide movement that has profoundly influenced the whole world. This influence reaches even to us, centuries later. For this we can be grateful.