Twelve Apostles Minus Two For Children Quiz

Answer: Peter

Peter, who was also called Simon, is often depicted holding a set of keys in his hands. This is because when Jesus said that Peter was the rock upon which he would build his church, Peter took these words to heart. He is considered to be the founder of the early Christian church which was based in Rome, the capital city of Italy today.

Jesus also said that at his trial, before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny him three times. That is exactly what happened. Peter was afraid he would also be arrested and three times denied that he knew Jesus. Then the rooster crowed, and when Peter heard it, he remembered what Jesus had said. He went away and wept bitterly. It's sad, isn't it?

Answer: Andrew

Andrew was Peter's brother. Both men, before they followed Jesus, were fishermen. They did this for a living. One day Jesus saw them at their daily work along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He said to them "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men".

This doesn't mean that they were going to actually fish men out of the sea, but that they would lead many men and women and children to the faith and teachings of Jesus.

Answer: James

James and John, who were the sons of a man called Zebedee, were one day walking with their father along the seashore. This is where Jesus saw them and told them to come with him. They dropped everything they had and did as he asked. Both James and John were known as the Sons of Thunder. This doesn't mean that Zebedee was responsible for making thunder. Nobody is quite sure why they were given this nickname by Jesus, but both men had rather quick tempers when they were young, so this may have been the reason. Or they could simply have had very loud voices. Perhaps it was a gentle rebuke given by Jesus, or just a bit of loving teasing. We really don't know.

Sadly though, James was the first of the Apostles to be put to death for his faith and his works. Today he is considered to be the Patron Saint of Spain.

Answer: John

John is referred to as the disciple that Jesus loved several times in the Gospel of John, which is one of the first four books of the New Testament. Jesus loved all the Apostles, but perhaps he had a special fondness for John, who is often depicted as being little more than a boy.

He is believed to have been the youngest of those first twelve, and was the last of them to die. John is also believed to have been the Apostle who wrote that great, but mysterious, book, Revelations, which is the last book in the New Testament.

Answer: Philip

The Apostle Philip appears most often in the Gospel of John. He was the one who expressed doubt as to how they were to feed all the hungry people who had come to see Jesus. There were several thousand of them in all. Jesus had spent many hours that day healing their sick and walking among them. When asked by the Apostles whether the crowds should be sent home to feed themselves, Jesus answered that the Apostles should feed them instead.

Philip in particular expressed doubt how this could be done as they only had five loaves and a couple of fish between them. It was then that Jesus showed them one of his great miracles, and demonstrated to them the power of faith. He blessed that small handful of bread and fish, and behold, there was more than enough to feed everyone - with twelves baskets full of food left over.

Answer: Bartholomew

Bartholomew was introduced to Jesus by Philip. Jesus, however, already knew that Bartholomew was coming, for he had seen him, in a vision, sitting under a fig tree. The fig tree, incidentally, is the third tree to be mentioned by name in the Bible. The first is the Tree of Life. That is a symbol of creation. The second is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil found in the Garden of Eden. That is representative of sin and the difference between right or wrong. The fig tree itself is symbolic of wealth, prosperity and plenty.

Following the death, resurrection and ascension into heaven of Jesus, Bartholomew preached the word of the Lord far and wide in the areas of India and Armenia where he performed many miracles. Today he is considered the Patron Saint of the Armenian church.

Answer: Thomas

The Apostle Thomas is most known for doubting that the resurrected Jesus was real. He would not believe it was the Saviour until he had seen for himself the marks of the crucifixion on his body. When he did see those wounds, however, he immediately cried "My Lord and my God!" The saying "a doubting Thomas" is believed to have come from this event. It refers to anyone who refuses to believe anything unless proof of same has been placed in front of their eyes.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, Thomas spread his teachings far and wide as well. He worked from Mesopotamia (today's Iraq) right through to India. For this reason, he is often referred to today as the Patron Saint of India. Thomas, in one account, is said to be the only Apostle to have witnessed the ascent of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into heaven. He was in India when she died, and, though the other Apostles were at her side when she died, Thomas was miraculously transported to her tomb to witness her being taken up into heaven. It is said, rather comically, that the other Apostles then refused to believe Thomas!

(Do you like that photo of a tomcat? I think he looks very regal and religious.)

Answer: Matthew

The Apostle Matthew worked as a tax collector in his early years, taking money from the Jewish people to give to their Roman overlords. He would not have been very popular because of this. Because of his work, he was quite well educated and could speak several languages. After he decided to follow Jesus, however, none of that early life mattered. He was there to personally witness the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus into heaven. From that time, he spent the rest of his life spreading the Word of the Lord far and wide.

Did you know that the "Word", when mentioned in the Bible, has a dual meaning? It means not only the teachings of the Christian faith, but also represents Jesus himself. This is why, whenever we see that expression from time to time, we are reminded of Jesus. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". That basically means that Jesus was with God from the very beginning, and God sent Jesus to earth to spread his message of faith, love and repentance. Jesus became the Word.

Answer: Simon

Peter the Apostle was also called Simon, but this Simon is another Apostle. He is often referred to as Simon the Zealot. We don't learn too much about him in the Bible. What we do know however is that he is believed to have been a relative of Jesus and was by his side when Jesus turned water into wine at the famous wedding at Cana. Simon earned his nickname "the Zealot" from that time. This is because, when he saw that miracle, he immediately abandoned all that his previous life offered - and followed Jesus.

That even included his new bride, so she quite possibly wasn't too happy about that. Simon's later preaching life, after Jesus went back to heaven, was spent in Africa, and also in the areas we know today as the Middle East, Spain and Portugal. It is believed that he was eventually put to death by the enemies of Christ, but Biblical scholars are uncertain where this happened. It wasn't his death that mattered, not really, you see. It was his life and his work.

Answer: Judas

Oh Judas, Judas, what a terrible thing you did. Judas was the Apostle who betrayed Jesus into the hands of his enemies. He did this for thirty pieces of silver. The worst thing of all though is that Judas identified Jesus to those people by kissing him. That was the worst betrayal of all, for, in that, he betrayed love.

Jesus had to die - was willing to die - on that cross in such a terrible death, to save us all from sin. In a sense then that choice was made long before he came to earth. His death was pre-destined. Judas, however, had a choice of whether or not to take a part in that death. He chose to sacrifice the Lamb of God. With a kiss.