On the Eleventh Day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, eleven pipers piping….

The Eleventh Day of Christmas the eleven pipers piping celebrates the Eleven Faithful Apostles.
We find the story about the choosing of these in the Gospel of Luke 6:12-16 “One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names: Simon (whom he named Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the zealot), Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).”

Other places in the Gospels we find stories about the initial call of some of these men, and there were many more that were following Jesus who were called the disciples of Jesus. At some point in Jesus ministry he specifically set apart twelve men. Why?

Although today is the 11th Day of Christmas we really need to explore the number Twelve. In other places throughout the Bible the number 12 is called upon. We most prominently find it featured in the account of Jacob (Israel) and his twelve sons, which became the twelve tribes of Israel, but we find the number mentioned even before this in God’s promise to Hagar.
Genesis 17:20 “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.”
God had promised Abraham a son, but Sarah was old and barren. At this point in time God told Abraham that his descendants would live in a land not their own, in slavery for four generations and then return. Abraham believed God but Sarah was old and barren. Sarah had an idea that Abraham could have a son through her maid, Hagar. Hagar fell pregnant and gave birth to a son, Ishmael. It was still a number of years before God would fulfil His promise in the way that God intended – not through the efforts of man, but through the free and miraculous gift of God.

The first son, the son of Hagar, which God did not recognise, was called Ishmael and even before Jacob (Israel) was born, God declares that Ishmael will be the father of twelve rulers. And in this promise we see a hint of what God means when he speaks of the number twelve.

The website: http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/12.html gives lots of information about the use and symbolisms of the number twelve worth noting, but simply put; “The meaning of 12, which is considered a perfect number, is that it symbolizes God's power and authority, as well as serving as a perfect governmental foundation. It can also symbolize completeness or the nation of Israel as a whole”

Interestingly, the tribes of Israel were sometimes technically thirteen, as Joseph’s sons became two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. But then later at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, God called the tribe of Levi to be joined to him and not counted separately, but to be his priests and representatives in each of the other tribes, so the count became twelve again. Then there was a major split at the time of King Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon, the son of King David. The only tribes that remained loyal to the king were the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The other ten tribes set up their own king and so there was a King of Judah and a King of Israel.

When Jesus called twelve apostles and set them apart, he was making it clear that he was setting up a ‘body’ that was complete and with authority to govern. This makes perfect sense when we recall what Jesus said to these faithful eleven after he rose from the dead. Matthew 28:18-21 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” He spoke this to the eleven, but he himself made the complete number twelve.

Jesus used the number to ‘tell the story’ and make it understood to his people. The number now is not literally to be adhered. We know that Saint Paul became an Apostle because he refers to himself as such. The word ‘Apostle’ comes from a word that means, ‘sent’.

Many of the Apostles were martyred in the sense that we understand the term, as being killed because of their adherence to their testimony about Jesus. The word martyr was originally from the Greek martur ‘witness’. So, originally martyr was not about dying for your faith, but essentially about being a rock solid witness.
My question is; who are the Apostles today?

It seems that in God’s blueprint for his church there was a need for a governing system in which authority was vested and sent out as a witness. We have already discussed the article of the creed in which we believe in one holy and apostolic Church, so I’m thinking it is obvious that the church is today’s apostle.

Belonging to this church, which is one, holy and apostolic, means that I’m not a ‘lone-shark ‘,spruiking my own brand of something crazy. But that I belong to a body that has a governing authority, and a mission. Within this body, is the body of Christ – us and each of us has our own place within this call of the church, to take that part that God has given us.

The early Corinthian church came up against some difficulties in this area, and there were, not just in the Corinthian church, many who were spruiking their own thing. One such issue was over the resurrection because many were proclaiming Christianity, and yet denying the resurrection.

Our 11th Article from the creed declares that we look for the resurrection for the dead.
Saint Paul addresses the error of those who were promoting an incorrect view in the Corinthian church, in 1 Corinthians 15: 18,19 “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

The Gospel that we proclaim is not just about how to cope with living in this life. So much of this life is hard and makes so little sense. Our gift of free will has often become a curse as the consequence is the mess of our society. Life on planet Earth can sometimes really and truly suck! Truly, if we only have eyes that see the here and now and there is nothing else, life can seem utterly meaningless when faced with tragedies.
But there is a resurrection and there will be a resurrection for us too and Saint Paul writes quite a bit on the matter;
1 Corinthians 15:54-56 “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.””

On this 11th day of Christmas, let’s endeavour to be faithful witnesses to the truth and Good News that we are sent into the world to proclaim.