Adapted from the Urantia Book original paper here
1. James and Judas, the sons of Alpheus, were twins living and fishing near Kheresa (kə’resə). They were twenty-six years old and married, with James having three children, and Judas two. They were the ninth and tenth apostles brought into the group, and they were chosen by James and John Zebedee.
2. There’s not much to be said about James and Judas. They were two commonplace fishermen. James and Judas were almost identical in appearance, mentality, and spiritual perception. What’s said of one can be recorded of the other. They loved Jesus and he loved them, but they almost never asked him questions.
3. Andrew assigned James and Judas to be in charge of all of the people that would come to hear Jesus speak. James and Judas were, in effect, the expediters or all-around errand runners for the twelve. For James Alpheus, it was Jesus’ simplicity that he admired the most. For Judas Alpheus it, was Jesus’ dignity and humility that he admired the most.
4. When the other apostles went out to continue their work, James and Judas returned home to their families, went back to fishing, and were honored and blessed for their four years of service with Jesus, a Son of God and the creator of our very universe.
5. Simon Zelotes (zē’lōtēz) was the eleventh apostle. He was twenty-eight years old when he chosen by Simon Peter. He was capable, came from good ancestry, and lived with his family at Capernaum (kə’pərnāəm).
6. Simon was a bit of a wild man when it came to stirring things up. He had a bad habit of speaking without thinking. He’d been a merchant in Capernaum before turning all of his attention to the Jewish patriotic organization, the Zealots. Simon was charge of organizing the fun and recreation for the group, and he did well at it.
7. Simon’s strength was his ability to inspire people. When the apostles found someone that was unsure about entering the kingdom, they’d send for Simon and it would usually only take him about fifteen minutes to help the person see their salvation through faith in God. He loved to argue, and when it came to dealing with the legalistic minds of the educated Jews or the intellectual quibbling of the Greeks, the apostles always sent Simon.
8. The one thing that Simon admired the most about Jesus was his composure: he was always calm, poised, and sure he was right. While Simon started out as a fearless revolutionary agitating people wherever he went, he eventually calmed down and became a powerful and effective preacher of peace on earth and good will among men.
9. When the apostles were scattered from Jerusalem because of the persecutions, Simon first went to Alexandria, and then after working his way up the Nile he went deep into the heart of Africa, preaching the gospel of Jesus and baptizing believers along the way until he died a frail old man.
10. Judas Iscariot (is’kerēət) was the twelfth apostle, and was chosen by Nathaniel. He was thirty years old and unmarried when he joined the apostles. Judas was trying to get a job drying fish on the lower end of the Sea of Galilee when Nathaniel met him at Tarichea (tə’rēkēə).
11. Judas’s parents were Sadducees (‘sajəsē(z)), and when he joined John’s disciples, they disowned him. Judas was a good thinker, but not always an honest thinker. Andrew made Judas the treasurer for the twelve. He was well trained for the job, and did his duties honestly, faithfully, and efficiently up until he betrayed Jesus.
12. For Judas, there wasn’t anything he thought that was really special about Jesus. While the other eleven apostles looked on Jesus as the perfect man, the self-satisfied Judas would criticize him, not out loud but in his heart, about many things. Judas actually thought that Jesus was timid and a little afraid to assert his power and authority.
13. To Jesus, Judas was an adventure in faith: he knew about Judas’ weakness and the dangers of letting him into the group. But the Sons of God in all universes give every created being a full and equal chance for salvation and survival. There are no restrictions or qualifications except for the faith of the one who comes.
14. Judas devised his plan to betray Jesus and the others, and quickly put it into action. The other eleven apostles were stunned and horrified at what Judas did, but Jesus just felt pity for his betrayer. The rest of the celestial host have found it hard to forgive Judas, and his name has become shunned across our entire universe.
Okay, folks, that’s it for the Highlights of Son of Man: Urantia, Chapter 18, part 4, “The Twelve Apostles.”
This week we continue with Chapter 19, part 1, “The Ordination of the Twelve.”
Have a fantastic week out there, everybody.
Bob