Why were they all willing to die?

As far as we know, only the Apostle John died a natural death. All the other Apostles of Jesus died for their faith. They were killed because of their fidelity to the message of Jesus. That fact begs the question: Why were they all willing to die?

 

Why the Disciples Were Willing to Die

Why were they all willing to die? I think this question can be answered in three primary ways.

First, they realized that Jesus was everything that He said He was – the Son of God in the flesh. In the Bible, the Apostle John makes this case for us in 1 John 1.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3)

Jesus was 100% a person who lived and walked with the Apostles for three years. He also was 100% God. That fact was manifested to them over and over throughout the Gospels. This Jesus the Apostle John wanted us to know.

Second, they received the power to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). Before Jesus left the earth, He promised that the Holy Spirit would be given to all of His followers to be witnesses. This gift of the Spirit was given to them in Acts 2, and the Holy Spirit has been given to all followers of Jesus Christ ever since (cf., Eph 1:19-23). In Acts, the Bible records Jesus’ words:

“…But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

They each one lived consistent with this power received from God.

Third, they remained faithful while they waited for Jesus’ return. Jesus taught them in the week before He died to wait patiently for His return (cf., Matthew 24-25). They wanted to know many things – especially the future. Jesus reminded them that the exact nature of the time of His return was not theirs to know; however, they were to remain faithful (cf., Acts 1:7).

As Jesus ascended, the angel made this promise to the Apostles and others who were there watching the ascent into heaven:

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)

They took that promise literally. Under the pressure of persecution, they began to spread out over all the world. As they went everywhere, they shared the Gospel.

How did the disciples die?

Here is an excerpt of an article I read among many that describes how it is believed the Apostles died. The only ones we know of for sure are Judas, who betrayed Jesus and hung himself, and James, the son of Zebedee, who was executed by Herod about 44 AD (Acts 12:2).

The twelve disciples were:

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. (Matthew 10:2-4)

Here is their story.

Peter and Paul
Both were martyred in Rome about 66 AD, during the persecution under Emperor Nero. Paul was beheaded. Peter was crucified upside down at his request since he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.

Andrew
He went to the “land of the man-eaters” in what is now the Soviet Union. Christians there claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and Greece, where he is said to have been crucified.

Thomas
He was probably most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers.

Philip
He possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation, the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.

Matthew
He was the tax collector, and writer of a Gospel ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.

Bartholomew
He had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas and back to Armenia, Ethiopia, and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel.

James
He was the son of Alpheus and is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion as to which is which, but this James is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.

Simon, the Zealot
As the story goes, he ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.

Matthias
He was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning.

John
The only one of the apostles generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the church leader in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian’s persecution in the middle ’90s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. There he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament–the Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil in Rome.

Be encouraged and challenged

As followers of Jesus, we can be encouraged by what we read here. These men responded from hearts that were full of faith. Their response as a result of their relationship with Jesus demonstrates the integrity of what we read in the Bible. Why would these men be willing to die in such horrific ways if they did not in fact believe deeply in the Jesus they knew and loved? There was no money or fame in first century Christianity. They simply believed, obeyed, and loved.

Also as followers of Jesus, we can be challenged by what we read here. What is our response to the message of the Gospel? Do we love Jesus enough to remain faithful to Him in our lives as well? Let’s pray together that we would be faithful to our wonderful Savior, Jesus.

 

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