The Martyrdom of the Apostles: The Great Apologetic

There are martyrs in all walks of life and faith. Soldiers, mothers and preachers, just to name a few. Many people have died over the years defending what they believe in. Some people would like for you to think that they died in vain, supporting what they often describe as a myth or fairytale. Personally, I believe these people are wrong.

I would like to share with you the life and death of some who were willing to give up everything to defend their faith. For this particular group of martyrs, their death dealt a staggering blow to the claims that Christianity is a myth.

This is a brief account of what happened to some of the apostles after Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Keep in mind that these accounts are mostly derived from church history and the Bible, and have been scrutinized by some critics.

The Martyrdom of The Apostles

Matthew was killed with a sword in Ethiopia for proclaiming his faith in Jesus.

Mark was dragged by horses through the streets of Alexandria, Egypt until he was dead.

Luke was hanged for preaching to the lost.

Peter was crucified upside down because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.

Bartholomew was flogged to death with a whip for preaching in Armenia.

Andrew continued to preach to those who were crucifying him for two days until he died.

Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India for preaching the gospel.

James (the son of Zebedee) was put to death with a sword by Herod. (Acts 12:2)

Jude was killed with arrows after refusing to deny Christ.

Matthias was stoned and then beheaded.

James (the half brother of Jesus) was thrown down from the top of the temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. He somehow managed to survive the fall, so they beat him to death with a club.

Barnabas was stoned to death at Salonica.

Paul was tortured and then beheaded.

Although not martyred, John was boiled alive in oil, but somehow managed to survive. He was then banished to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation. He eventually was freed and was the only apostle to die peacefully.

The Great Apologetic

Some folks have suggested that the disciples simply invented their accounts of Jesus. These critics say that the disciples spread the fact that Jesus claimed to be God and was resurrected simply to make their story of Him more legitimate.

Let's just assume for a moment that they were all lying. Let's say that they got together after Jesus was crucified, and made a pact not to tell anyone the truth; that the resurrection of Jesus was a hoax.

So a few years pass and they are all keeping to their story. Then one day they hear that one of their partners in crime has been killed. At that point I would imagine that they would begin to think about whether it was worth the trouble to keep telling the lie. It could even cost them their lives.

After a few other fellow liars were killed I would imagine that at least one of them would decide to break down, tell the truth, and save his neck. Amazingly, that did not happen. The fact that not one of them denied their account of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is proof enough that their story had to be true.

We can debate all day long about when and how these men died, but historical accounts confirm that they all died in a bad way defending something that they believed in; and that something was the divinity of Jesus.

Do you believe in anything enough to die for it?