Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You

by John MacArthur

From the dust jacket: “What is most amazing about the disciples is that Jesus ever selected them at all… a handful of common fishermen, a hated tax collector, and an impulsive political zealot.

“And, under Jesus’ teaching and touch, they became a force that forever changed the world.”

In Twelve Ordinary Men, John MacArthur presents character studies of the apostles. Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Nathanael, and Judas Iscariot each receive a chapter. Matthew and Thomas receive a chapter together. The remaining chapter is made up of James—The Less; Simon—The Zealot; and Judas (not Iscariot)—The Apostle with Three names.

MacArthur looks at a majority—if not all—of the verses that talk about each of the apostles to examine their strengths and weaknesses as well as other hints at their character. While it does not cover the scope of A.B. Bruce’s The Training of the Twelve, this book is insightful and worth reading. For those who haven’t studied the Apostles, it will be full of new and interesting lessons. For the more studied reader, it will provide a refresher of the apostles’ character. Ultimately, the lesson emphasized in this book is that if God can use this band of misfits to change the world, He can certainly use us to fulfill His purpose on the world today.

As all of MacArthur’s books that I have read, this is an easy and fast-paced read. He does an excellent job of balancing the line between the complex and the simple—providing lessons for the lay person, while not ignoring the needs of the more studied. While Twelve Ordinary Men is probably not a book for the accomplished scholar, nearly everyone else can find something in it to make it worth their time.

The Editors do not advocate everything taught by the authors of the books we review. Like us, these authors are fallible humans and those who choose to read these books should measure them by the bible, the one true standard.