Matthew 10:3
“Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, who was also called Thaddaeus;”
What does Matthew 10:3 mean?
This is Matthew's listing of four of Jesus's twelve apostles, each one ordinary people with their own struggles and doubts. Philip came from the same town as Peter and Andrew, and we know from later Gospel accounts that he sometimes struggled to understand Jesus's teachings. Bartholomew (also called Nathanael) was skeptical at first but became a devoted follower. Thomas earned a reputation for doubt, yet he was also willing to die alongside Jesus. And Matthew, the one writing this Gospel, had abandoned his despised job collecting taxes for Rome to follow Jesus, making him an unlikely choice for such an important role. The repeated naming of these disciples reminds us that Jesus didn't call the powerful or famous, but people with real limitations, questions, and pasts, and he transformed them into his closest followers.