Have you ever doubted whether you could be good enough to follow Jesus or live up to the standard of His disciples? Sometimes when we read the bible we can get the impression that Jesus’s disciples were so much better than us and that we can never be as good they were. But let’s consider the following regarding their characters.

Simon, also named Peter, was a fisherman. He was a man of extremes with strong emotions. At times he trusted Jesus, while other times he doubted. He confessed Jesus as the Christ, but when filled with great fear, denied Him. Yet he turned into a powerful leader and preacher. 

James and John were also fishermen. These two were men of fiery personality and nature. Therefore, Jesus called them “Sons of Thunder.” 

Philip, when faced with 5,000 hungry men, lacked trust in the Lord and informed Jesus that there was no way they could find enough money to buy enough bread to feed such a crowd. 

Bartholomew was a bold man who spoke his mind. When he first heard of Jesus, Bartholomew asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” 

Matthew was a tax collector, the type of person who was hated by most people. When Jesus called him, he immediately left his lucrative business to follow Him. 

Thomas will forever be known as “doubting Thomas” because he did not immediately believe in Jesus’ resurrection. He was a man of great devotion, but also deep despondency. 

Simon, who was called the Zealot, was a former member of a terrorist group that spread rebellion against the Roman government. 

Judas, the son of James, was also called Thaddeus. This Judas wanted Jesus to be more public, more in the limelight. He did not appreciate how content Jesus was to fly under the radar. 

Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. The false disciple who betrayed Jesus. He was a wicked, selfish, and self-serving man. Judas was a lover of money.

Every follower of Christ, then and now, has challenges to overcome in their character. But, it’s not how we start out but how we finish that counts!