Meanings of Jesus' primary names and titles

● JESUS - greek means “savior”, derived from the Hebrew Yehoshua (from which we get the English name Joshua).
Matthew 1:21
"And she [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from
their sins."
● IMMANUEL - "God with us." He was and is the Son of God and therefore God. He was God in the flesh (Luke 1:35;
John 20:28).
Matthew 1:23
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," translated,
"God with us."
● MESSIAH - (from Hebrew Mashiach) means "anointed" or "anointed one." The Greek for Messiah is Christos, from
which we get Christ.
John 1:41
He [Andrew] first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is
translated, the Christ).
● LORD - means master
Luke 6:46
"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?"
● SON OF MAN - Jesus usually referred to Himself as "the Son of Man." Jesus wanted all to know that He was human,
but a very special human.
Matthew 16:13
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that
I, the Son of Man, am?"

Did Jesus exist before His human birth?

● John 1:1, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

How was Jesus conceived as a human child?

● Matthew 1:18
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she
was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

God the Father used the Holy Spirit to bring about the conception of Jesus in the womb of the Jewish virgin named Mary. For
further description, see Matthew 1:19-23 and Luke 1:26-35. And for a description of the Word voluntarily giving up His divine
power and glory to temporarily become a human being, see Philippians 2:6-8.

What were the circumstances of Jesus' birth?

● Luke 2:1, 4-7
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered [for a
census]…
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it
was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and
wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The events that followed Jesus' birth are described in the remainder of Luke 2 and in Matthew 2. The exact date of Jesus'
birth is unknown, for God does not want people to celebrate Jesus' birth.

What was Jesus' childhood like?

● Luke 2:39-40
So when they [Joseph and Mary] had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their
own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
● Matthew 13:55-56
"Is this [Jesus] not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?"

Jesus grew up with His mother, stepfather and several younger siblings, the natural children of Mary and Joseph. Jesus
certainly was precocious, being able at 12 years old to discuss Scripture with scholars at the temple (Luke 2:41-52). And
in order to later be the perfect sacrifice and Savior, He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15).

When, where and how did Jesus begin His ministry?

● Luke 3:23 - Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age.”
● Matthew 3:13 - Then Jesus came from Galilee to John [the Baptist] at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
● Matthew 4:1 - Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
● Matthew 4:12 - Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. (After His baptism
and His 40-day fast and temptation by Satan, Jesus returned to Galilee to begin His ministry)

What was the message that Jesus preached?

● Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

The word gospel means "good news." Jesus' message was about God's plan to offer the opportunity for salvation to all
humanity, which means eternal life in the Kingdom of God!

What else was remarkable and astonishing about Jesus' ministry? (miracles)
● Matthew 4:23
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of
sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Jesus healed people everywhere He went, which reveals several important things. His miracles proved that He was sent by
God (Acts 2:22). They showed that He cares for our physical needs as well as our spiritual needs. He loved and respected all
people, regardless of gender, race, age or status, demonstrating a degree of love the world had never seen and which serves
as a role model for all His future followers (John 13:34-35). He also used miracles to prove that He had the authority to forgive
sins and to heal us of our spiritual problems (Matthew 9:6).

Is Jesus the foundation and Head of the Church?

● Ephesians 2:19-20
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household
of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.
● Colossians 1:18
And He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may
have the preeminence.

Did Jesus die and rise from the dead exactly as He foretold?
Matthew 12:40
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth."

At the close of Jesus' 3½-year ministry, Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be arrested, tortured, crucified and killed. Jesus' last
and most important sign was His prophecy that He would rise from the dead in three days and would be in the tomb exactly
three days and three nights (Matthew 12:38-40). That was precisely fulfilled!

What was the main reason for the life and death of Jesus Christ?
● John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life."
● John 20:30-31
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Christ lived His earthly life to set us an example and to build His Church. He died for each and every one of us to pay the
penalty of our sins so we can be forgiven of those sins. And He lives again to serve as our Savior, High Priest and Master
(Hebrews 4:14-15).

So what shall we do?

Acts 2:36-38
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and
Christ."
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what
shall we do?"
Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
[forgiveness] of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

After Christ's disciples received the Holy Spirit, the apostle Peter preached a sermon about Jesus being the prophesied Christ
and how He had been raised from the dead and "exalted to the right hand of God" (Acts 2:33). He told the assembled people,
"You crucified" Jesus (verse 36). Of course, most of that crowd had no direct part in getting Jesus condemned to death. But
we all are guilty indirectly because "all have sinned" and "Christ died for our sins" (Romans 3:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3).
When the people were convinced that Jesus was "both Lord and Christ" (verse 36) and that the guilt for His death lay on
everyone, many of them asked, "What shall we do?" They knew they needed to take action. Peter then told them what each
person must do to be forgiven of his or her sins and to receive the awesome gift of God's Holy Spirit (verse 38).
Peter's instruction to repent and be baptized is just as true today as it was at that time.

MIRACLES OF JESUS
1. He gave sight to the blind. (Matthew 9:27-31)
2. He cleansed the lepers (leprosy). (Luke 17:12-19)
3. He healed the sick. (Luke 13:11-17)
4. He raised the dead. (Luke 7:12-15, John 11:38-44)
5. He turned water to wine (John 2:1-11)
6. He walked on water. (Mattew 14:25)
7. He fed thousands with little food. (Mark 6:34-44)
PARABLES OF JESUS
1. The laborers in the Vineyard. (Matthew 20:1-16)
2. The unforgiving servant. (Matthew 18:33)
3. The good Samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37)
4. The lost sheep. (Luke 15:3-7)
5. The prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32)

● The word Bible came from the Greek word Biblos meaning “The Book”.
● The Old Testament consists of 39 books with 929 chapters and with 23, 214 verses.
● The New Testament consists of 27 books with 260 chapters and with 7,959 verses.
● Overall, the Bible has 66 books.
● Pentateuch means "five books" known as the Torah or the Book of the Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy.

The Old Testament is divided into 5 category:

a) History - (17 books) from Genesis to Esther
b) Poetry - (5 books) from Job to Song of Songs
c) Major Prophets - (5 books) from Isaiah to Daniel
d) Minor Prophets - (12 books) from Hosea to Malachi

The New Testament is divided into 4 category:

a) History - (5 books) from Matthew to Acts
b) Paul’s Epistles (letter) - (13 books) from Romans to Philemon
c) General Epistles - (8 books) from Hebrew to Jude
d) Revelation (Apocalypse) - (1 book)
● Kings - David and Solomon
● Priests - Jeremiah and Ezekiel
● Physician - Lucas
● Fisherman - Peter and John
● Shepherd - Moses and Amos
● Theologian - Paul and Pharisees
● Statesman - Daniel
● Tax collector - Matthew
● Soldier - Joshua
● Scribe - Ezra
● Butler - Nehemiah

OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE CHARACTERS

Abraham and Sarah start off their story in the book of Genesis, chapter 11. They were called Abram and Sarai, but God later
changed their names.
● God promised them a child and said their descendants would bless the world. The problem was that Abraham was a
hundred years old and Sarah was ninety. However, miraculously, Sarah conceived and gave birth to baby Isaac and
from there the Jewish line was born.
● Abraham is known as a man of great faith. He is also referred to as the father of the Jews. His grandson, Jacob, was
later renamed Israel and his descendants were known as the Israelites.

Moses
Found: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy
● Moses's story begins with the Israelites in slavery in Egypt. The Pharaoh decided that they were getting too large in
number so decreed to kill all baby boys. Moses was a baby at the time, and his mother decided to hide him in a
basket and float him in the river. The Pharaoh's daughter found it and adopted him.
● He grew up in the palace but was aware of his Israelite ethnicity. One day he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, so
he killed the Egyptian and then fled.
● He became a shepherd, got married and had a family. One day he saw a bush that was on fire but not burning up.
God spoke from the bush and told him to go back to Egypt and free the Israelites.
● Moses went back and demanded that Pharaoh let his people go. Pharaoh refused, and God sent plagues upon the
land. The last plague was the death of all firstborn sons. The Israelites put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts and
the angel of death passed over their houses. (The lamb died in their place and this is the first Passover festival. Jesus
fulfills this in the New Testament at Passover festival by dying in our place).
● Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go and they headed to the Red Sea, pursued by an army of Pharaoh’s chariots. God
instructed Moses to hold up his staff and God split the Red Sea so they could escape on dry land.
● They followed Moses to Mount Sinai where God gave them the Ten Commandments and other instructions on how to
live in their newfound freedom from slavery. Moses led the people to the land that God had promised to them through
● Abraham. However, they were not yet ready to conquer the land so the entire Israelite population ended up wandering
in the desert for 40 years (until that generation died off). Moses handed the role of leadership onto Joshua to lead the
people into the promised land.

Joshua
Found: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy & Joshua
 ● When the Israelites first saw the promised land, Moses sent ten spies into the land. Of the ten, only two thought that
they should trust God and take the land. These two would be the only two who would enter the promised land - which
would be forty years later, after the rest of their generation died off wandering in the wilderness. One of these two men
of faith was Joshua.
● Joshua became Moses' second in command. He led the army when they were attacked in the desert. He followed
Moses up the mountain to see God. And Moses ended up handing the role of leadership over to Joshua at the end of
his life.
● Joshua split the Jordan river, emulating Moses and the Red Sea miracle.
● One of Joshua’s most well-known stories is when they came to the first city to conquer - Jericho. God gave Joshua
His takeover strategy: March around the city in silence every day for six days, and on the seventh day march around
and give out a big shout. It worked. The walls of Jericho came crashing down and the Israelites took over.
● Joshua led the Israelites to many victories. At the end of his life he handed over the reins to tribal leadership.
● He was known as courageous and his last words as a leader were encouraging them all to follow God: "As for me and
my house, we will serve the Lord".

Gideon
Found: Judges
● Before the Israelites had kings, they had judges. These were people who would arise when there was a need to unite
the tribes of Israel together for battle or to make decisions.
● Israel had started to worship other gods, so God had allowed them to be overrun by their enemies. The people turned
back to God, so God sent an angel to appoint Gideon to lead the Israelites back to victory.
● Gideon was from an unimportant family in one of the smaller tribes, so didn't think he was worthy. God, however, saw
him as a valiant warrior.
● Gideon asked for a sign. He put out a fleece (piece of wool) overnight. He said if the fleece was wet with dew the next
morning but the ground was dry, then that's the sign that God was with him. It happened. The next day he put out the
fleece and asked for the opposite to happen, and it did.
● Thousands of people turned up to join Gideon in battle, but God whittled the number down to 300, sending the
majority of the men home. God wanted it to be impossible for them to say they did it in their own strength. It was only
possible because of God.

Ruth & Boaz

Found: Ruth
● Ruth is one of the few non-Israelites (apart from pre-Israelites) that are major Bible characters, and the only one with
a book named after her.
● The story starts with Naomi, an Israelite woman. She had moved to Moab with her husband and two sons. One of the
sons married Ruth, a Moabite. Soon, however, Naomi's husband and two boys died, leaving three widows.
● Naomi decided to move back to Israel. One daughter-in-law stayed in Moab, but Ruth said, “Wherever you go, I will
go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God."
● They moved back and Ruth worked in the fields. The landowner, Boaz started to look after her and take an interest in
her.
● Because Naomi had no grandchildren through her son, an unmarried next of kin was supposed to marry Ruth (a
"kinsman redeemer") to continue the family name. It turned out that Boaz could be that man.
● Boaz and Ruth married and became the great-grandparents of King David.

King David
Found: 1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles & Psalms
● David started his life as a shepherd boy, the youngest of 8 brothers. The prophet, Samuel, came to David's father's
house to anoint one of his sons as the new king of Israel. David wasn't even considered because of his age. However,
God said that He wasn't looking at the outward appearance, but the heart - and David was chosen.
● Later, David's brothers were fighting in the army for King Saul and David was sent to bring them food. The Philistine
enemies were on the other side of the valley and their hero, Goliath, was taunting them. No one would fight Goliath.
David went out with a slingshot and defeated him. Because of this, he was brought in to serve in the king's court and
his fame spread.
● He became the people's favourite, causing King Saul to become jealous and exile him. Though Saul chased him,
David never fought back.
● David was also best friends with the king's son, Jonathan.
● Saul died in battle and David became King.
● David had many wives and children.
● One day he spotted a beautiful woman from his rooftop and invited her to visit him. He got her pregnant and then
realized she was the wife of one of his officers. He had the officer sent into the front line of battle to be killed. He later
repented of this.
● David married Bathsheba and their son, Solomon, became the next King.
● Despite David's obvious failings, he was known as a man after God's heart. He was also a prolific songwriter and
most of the book of Psalms are his songs.

King Solomon
Found: 2 Samuel, 1 Kings & 2 Chronicles
● King Solomon was the son of King David, and was a man who followed God. One day God appeared to him in a
dream and offered him anything he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom. God was so pleased with this answer that he
granted him many other things as well, such as peace and prosperity in the land.
 ● King Solomon built the first temple to God. Three books of the Bible are attributed to him: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and
Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon).
● Solomon began well but soon began to marry many wives and seek worldly pleasures. Though he built the temple to
God, he additionally built altars to the gods of his foreign wives too. Because of his straying from God's ways, Israel
split into two nations: Israel to the North and Judah to the South.

Elijah & Elisha

Found: 1 Kings & 2 Kings
● I have put Elijah and Elisha together because the similarities in their names means they are often confused - by the
hearer and sometimes the speaker.
● Elijah came first. He was a prophet during the reign of King Ahab. The king and his wife, Jezebel, did not follow God;
they worshiped Baal.
● God sent Elijah to them with a message: Turn back to God or there will be no rain. Subsequently, it did not rain for
three years. After three years, Elijah returned to the King and laid down a challenge: Have the priests of Baal make an
offering on Mount Carmel to their god, and Elijah would do the same to his God. Whoever's god sends fire from
heaven is real.
● In a dramatic showdown, Elijah proved God's power - but was consequently forced to flee for his life.
● Alone and consumed by depression, Elijah cried out to God that he was alone. God sent him to take on an apprentice
called Elisha.
● One day Elijah told Elisha that his time on earth was near its end, and asked if Elisha had any requests. Elisha
responded that he wanted a double portion of the spirit that was on Elijah.
● Elijah then hit a river with his coat and the waters parted. They crossed to the other side where a chariot and horses
of fire came and took Elijah to heaven.
● Elisha picked up Elijah's coat, walked back to the river and hit the water. The river parted and Elisha knew that his
request had been granted.
● Elisha went on to do many miracles, some of them mirroring Elijah's. For example, they both blessed a widow so that
her oil would not run out. Elijah did this so the widow and her son would not starve; Elisha did it so the woman could
sell the extra oil to get out of debt and prosper. Double the blessing.

Daniel
Found: Daniel
● Though it is a book of only twelve chapters, Daniel is a big character to cover.
● Daniel was born in Israel at a time when the Israelites had (again) turned away from God. As a consequence, God let
them be conquered by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel and his friends, who had remained
faithful to God, were taken to be put into the King's court as advisors.
● While there, they chose not to eat the lavish diet they were given, but only had vegetables and water instead. They
ended up being noticeably healthier than the other advisors. This diet is sometimes called the “Daniel Fast”.
● Daniel survived Nebuchadnezzar’s reign and that of the next few kings of Babylon. When Babylon was conquered by
the Persians, Daniel served their kings too.
● Daniel quickly rose in the Persian court and thus made some enemies. Not being able to find fault in him, the other
advisors decided to focus on Daniel’s faith as a target. They asked King Darius to make a law that people should only
pray to the king for a month. The king agreed. Daniel prayed to God, and then was thrown into a lion's den as
punishment. The king regretted making the law and realized he was tricked into getting rid of Daniel. However, God
sent an angel to be with Daniel and shut the lions’ mouths. Daniel survived, and the king praised Daniel's God for
saving him.

Esther
Found: Esther
● This book is set when the Israelites were in exile and were ruled over by the Persians. King Xerxes needed a new
queen and so surveyed all the women in the land. Esther, a Jewish girl, was chosen to become queen.
● Esther's uncle, Mordecai, instructed her not to tell anyone that she was Jewish and so it was kept a secret.
● The king’s chief official, Haman, expected everyone to bow when he passed by. Mordecai refused to bow to Haman,
which made him so angry he wanted to wipe out the entire Jewish population. He convinced the king to sign a decree
that would exterminate all Jews on a certain date.
● Mordecai sent word to Esther of this and said, "If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews
will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for
just such a time as this?”
● Esther presented herself before the king and told him that someone was trying to kill her. She revealed she was
Jewish and that Haman was trying to kill her.
● Consequently, Esther saved the Jewish people and Mordecai took Haman’s place in the king’s court.

NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE CHARACTERS

Mary & Joseph
● Mary and Joseph are the earthly parents of Jesus, as you probably know from Christmas stories.
● Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married. An angel came to Mary and told her that she was favoured by God
and would conceive a baby, despite not having been with a man. This baby would grow to be the Messiah. The Holy
Spirit miraculously filled her and she became pregnant. The angel later visited Joseph to explain what had happened
and they married.
● Caesar called a census and everyone had to go to their hometown. A very pregnant Mary and Joseph went to the
town of Bethlehem and due to the amount of people going to their hometowns, the only room for them was with the
animals. Jesus was born and laid in a manger.
 ● We don’t know how long they were there, but later they were visited by Magi (wise men) from the East looking for the
King who had been born. King Herod (different Herod than at Jesus’ death. Herod was a family name) heard that a
King was born and ordered every boy under three to be killed. An angel alerted Joseph and they fled to Egypt. The
angel told them when Herod had died and they could return to Nazareth.
● The next mention of them is when Jesus was twelve and they went to Jerusalem for a feast. On the way home they
realised that Jesus was not with them. After three days, they found Him in the Temple. And this is the last mention of
Joseph in the bible. It is assumed that he died sometime before Jesus began his ministry as Mary is mentioned a lot
but Joseph is not
● Mary continues to be around and is mentioned at the crucifixion and after Jesus’ resurrection.

Peter
● Probably the most well known of the disciples, Peter began the story as a fisherman with his brother, Andrew. Jesus
uses Peter’s boat to preach to the crowd. After a miracle, He called Peter, his brother and two other fishermen
brothers, James and John, to follow Him as His disciples.
● Peter was one of the closest people to Jesus during the three years of His earthly mission. Jesus had around seventy
followers, of whom twelve were disciples, and of that twelve there seem to be three close ones: James, John and
Peter.
● Peter is often seen as being bold but then also making decisions that he later regretted during these years. He asked
to step out and walk on water but then panicked and began to sink. He struck out with a sword at someone coming to
take Jesus away, but then Jesus healed the man. He said he would never betray Jesus, but as Jesus predicted, he
denied Jesus three times in one night.
● Despite these shortcomings, Jesus saw the gold in him. Peter was the one who would lead the believers and the
disciples forward after Jesus ascended to Heaven.
● At Pentecost, it was Peter who preached to the crowd and led the people to salvation. It was also Peter who took the
faith to the Gentile (non-Jews) for the first time and made faith accessible to them.
● Peter continued to spread the word throughout the world. Christ foretold that he would die a martyr’s death, and
tradition holds that he was condemned to death by Emperor Nero and crucified.

Saul/Paul
● Saul started off as a man devoted to being holy and continued to be that through his conversion in grace. He begins
his story hating followers of Jesus to the point of persecuting them. However, on his way to the city of Damascus one
day, he and his crew were struck down by a bright light. Jesus spoke to Saul and told him to stop persecuting Him.
Saul was struck blind and was led to Damascus where a follower of Christ healed and converted him.
● Saul changed his name to Paul and became arguably the biggest missionary ever.
● Paul traveled through Asia Minor, Greece, and eventually through to Rome. He underwent massive persecution,
beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks and snakebites - but through it all he stayed faithful and changed the world
around him, fulfilling the Great Commission.
● Paul wrote most of the books of the New Testament. These books are actually letters he wrote to people or churches,
giving them guidance on how to live Christian lives.
● In the book of Acts, we are told about how Paul was imprisoned and appealed to Caesar, as he was a Roman citizen
and had rights that were not being upheld. (Citizenship meant they were a class above everyone else and should not
have been imprisoned/treated as he was without a trial). Paul’s appeal, it is assumed, was mainly so that he could
present Christ to the Emperor and others on the way to Rome. Through doing this, Paul brought the gospel to many
on his journey.
● In Rome, he remained on house arrest and many of the Epistles (letters to churches and people) were written from
there.
● It is believed that Paul was also executed by Nero. Because he was a citizen he would not have been crucified but
was allowed a swift death, probably beheading.

Matthew
● The first book of the New Testament was written by a man called Matthew. He was a tax collector, which meant he
worked for the Romans and thus, his fellow Jews would not have liked him. We find many cases of tax collectors
throughout the Gospels and the descriptions show how much they were despised.
● Well, Jesus came and called him to be one of the twelve disciples. This just goes to show that He truly came to save
the lost.
● Matthew's Gospel is very Jewish-focused in its delivery. It starts with genealogies and continues in a very Jewish
structure. This gives a good balance when read alongside the other Gospels.

Mark
● Mark is believed to be John Mark, who is often mentioned by Paul as having accompanied him on many of his travels.
It is also believed that it is this Mark who Peter refers to in 1 Peter 5:13 as, “my son, Mark”. While he was not Peter’s
actual son, this shows how close their relationship was.
● Mark wrote the second Gospel in the New Testament. It is believed by some he wrote it based on Peter’s experience
with Jesus, as it features a lot of stories that have Peter present. It is one of the shorter Gospels and is focused
towards Gentiles (non-Jews).
● Later in life it is believed that Mark founded a church in Alexandria and stayed there until his death.
Luke
● Luke was a doctor and a historian. He was asked to make a detailed account of Jesus' life and ministry (the book of
Luke) and the beginning of the early church (the book of Acts) by a man named Theophilus.
● While Luke was not around Jesus when He was on earth, Luke interviewed and talked with many people who were.
He even travelled with Paul a lot and Paul referred to him as his “blessed physician”.
 ● We are not sure who Theophilus was, but it is assumed that he was a wealthy Roman citizen in an area where people
had heard of Jesus but had not been taught exactly who Jesus was and how the church came to be.
● Luke was with Paul in his last days in Rome, and then continued to spread the gospel in other areas after that.

John
● John, as mentioned earlier, was a fisherman whom Jesus called along with Peter. John was also one of the three
closest to Jesus and described as “the disciple Jesus loved” (John 13:23).
● John and his brother James are referred to as the “Sons of Thunder”. It is uncertain whether this was to do with their
father or, as is more commonly accepted, to do with their personalities: They were turned away from a village where
they tried to preach the Gospel, and they asked Jesus if they should call down fire from Heaven upon it.
● It is interesting to note that their mother also travelled with the group at times.
● John was at the foot of the cross with Jesus’ mother, Mary. Before His death, Jesus entrusted Mary into John’s care.
● John did much in the early church, and at some point later was imprisoned on the island of Patmos. It was here on
this island that Jesus showed John a revelation of future events. These writings became the book of Revelation.
● John is believed to be the only disciple to not have been martyred.

Timothy
● Timothy is the subject of the books of 1 &2 Timothy. He is a young church leader and a disciple of Paul. His father
was not a believer but his mother and grandmother were.
● Paul encourages him to not look down on himself or let others do so because he is young but to set the example of
what it looks like to be one of the faithful.
● Throughout Acts, we see that Timothy also accompanied Paul on many of his trips preaching the gospel. Paul
mentioned him often in other epistles. He was left to govern and lead the church at Ephesus for a time. Paul also
asked for him to visit when he was imprisoned.
● Timothy was imprisoned at least once, as his release is mentioned in the book of Hebrews.
According to tradition it is believed he died in Lystra around the age of 80. He was preaching the gospel to followers
of Diana, when he was seized and beaten to death.

Thomas
● Thomas was one of the twelve disciples. We do not know how he was called as a disciple or what he did. His name
means twin, and he was potentially Judas Thomas.
● Thomas is probably best known as “doubting Thomas”. This name came about after Jesus’ resurrection. Several
people, including Mary Magdalene and some of the disciples, had seen Jesus in person but Thomas had not yet. He
said that he would not believe unless he could touch the holes in Jesus’ hands and feet (the ones created by
crucifixion). Then Jesus appeared in the room and allowed Thomas to touch him, and he believed. Jesus said, “You
believe because you have seen, but blessed are those who have not seen but believe.”
● Thomas continued to preach the gospel and it is believed that he took the gospel all the way to India where he was
martyred.