Something Totally Different.

 There is a door by which some people really don't want to venture through.  Going through the door means something different from what you have perceived or have just taken it for granted.

This week once more I have come to a different understanding of the age of the disciples that were called into the "inner circle" of Jesus's ministry.  We often do not consider this, nor do we even think about it.  We assume that the disciples were men in their 30s to 40s.  But they were not.

The youngest of the disciples was only 13 and that was John who of all the disciples dies in exile on the Island of Patmos.  Peter, who counted himself as the "old man" in this group was around 26 to 27 years of age, being married at about age 21 to 23.

Jewish boys started their theological training, which included reading and writing at about age 5.  At age 13, the time of their Bar Mitzvah, (meaning Son of the Commandments) the brightest of the boys would seek a Rabbi to continue their studies (which they often referred to as Master) and by the time they were 30 they were considered a Rabbi and could teach others, calling them into an inner circle known as Disciples.

The other boys who didn't further their studies, continued in their father's line of work.  The interesting fact here is that all Jewish boys knew how to read and write.  They were highly sought after by conquering nations, as many of these males were taken into slavery and were well treated as they kept their slave masters books, were able to write letters etc.

Getting back to the Disciples of Jesus -- these young men were teenagers to young adults, so when Jesus called them into his teaching circle, it was not considered unusual as that was a common practice in Jewish society at that time.  To be called into a discipleship was also seen as a development in leadership skills, as many of these disciples would continue to be Rabbis and held office in the Synagogue system which also included judges and lawyers and performing the duties of a "scribe".

The Jesus movement was a movement that set the world on fire and they were mostly teenagers who did the leading of this movement.  It is also suggested that the Apostle Paul was only 18 when I possibly came to Jesus in the passage of the Good Samaritan.  At age 22 to 23, Paul had his "road to Damascus experience" and changed his direction to follow the teachings of Jesus.

For many years I like so many considered the Apostles to be old men with beards, never thinking that teens with peach fuzz were out to change the world.  This takes on a whole new perspective for me, as I see a more youthful and dynamic energy coming through in the Gospels.

Jesus was 30 years old when he called his Disciples.  Timothy was somewhere between 16 to 18 when Paul had brought him into his small circle of disciples and taught Timothy.  The Apostle James, the brother of Jesus was in his early 20s when he was killed for his faith in his brother Jesus.  All the Disciples were executed for their faith by the time they were aged 50, with only John dying of a natural death at possibly age 60, though some say 90.

"And the youth shall lead them"  means much more.