Talk 10 Mark 3:13-19 Jesus appoints the first apostles
Welcome to Talk 10 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be considering Mark 3:13-19 where Jesus appoints his first apostles. I say his first apostles because there were, of course, later apostles mentioned in the book of Acts – Matthias, who was appointed to replace Judas, and, of course, the apostle Paul. I have gone into some detail about this in my book Body Builders where I also mention Barnabas and James, the Lord’s brother, who are just two others named as apostles in the New Testament, and argue that there is no reason why we should not expect to see the ministry of apostles at work in the church today. However, today I will not be repeating those arguments, but rather consider what we can learn from these verses about this important ministry.
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.
This verse teaches us important principles about how men and women are called to God’s service:
First, he calls those he wants
Actually, the translation wanted is rather weak. Those he wanted is literally whom he willed. In Acts 1:2 Luke refers to the apostles Jesus had chosen, or more literally, chosen out (i.e from among the rest). The call of God is rooted in the will of God. No doubt that’s why Jesus spent a night in prayer to God before appointing his apostles:
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose (or picked out) twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles (Luke 6:12-13).
(Note, we’re not talking about salvation here. We’re talking about the call to apostleship. God is not willing that any should perish, and he calls everyone to be saved. But not everyone is called to be an apostle).
It’s not wrong to want to serve the Lord in a particular way (e.g. to desire to be a church leader – 1 Timothy 3:1), but no amount of wanting will make it happen if it’s not God’s plan for our lives. The gifts and ministries God distributes among his people are given as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:11) and it is God who places apostles in the church (1 Corinthians 12:28). And as Paul was to write later concerning his own apostleship, By the grace of God I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Secondly, he calls those who are already disciples
It’s noteworthy that those he chose to be apostles were already his disciples. Mark has already told us how Jesus had called five of those named in this passage – Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew – to follow him, and in the passage we’ve just quoted from Luke we’re told that Jesus picked out his apostles from among his disciples.
And indeed, we would hardly have expected anything else. A disciple is a committed follower, someone who is willing to learn, not just one of a curious crowd who has come to see the miracles. Jesus said that the test of a true disciple is if they hold to his teaching (John 8:31). It goes without saying, then, if anyone is to be an apostle, someone who is sent to spread the good news about Christ and speak with his authority, they must first be a disciple.
Thirdly, despite what we have just said, those he called to be apostles had not been his disciples very long
They were called at the outset of Jesus’ ministry. They had a lot to learn but Jesus called them when they were relatively young. The gifts and calling of God are not dependent on age. Paul told Timothy to let no one despise his youth (1 Timothy 4:12). There’s a danger that older Christians sometimes find it hard to accept the ministry of those who are younger, and, conversely, young Christians themselves can be tempted to feel that they’re too young to serve the Lord.
Speaking from personal experience, I accepted the claims of Christ when I was just fourteen years old and began preaching in the same year. Hopefully, my understanding of God’s word has increased considerably over the seventy years that have followed, but the gift enabling me to preach was there from the start. When I was still in my thirties God showed me that I would become the Principal of a Bible College, but I, along I suspect with many others, thought I might be too young. But it happened as God said it would. Don’t be surprised if the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that Christ is still giving to his church (Ephesians 4:11) arise from the ranks of young people.
And, fourthly, those he called were willing to come
How do we know? Because they came to him. Jesus didn’t compel them. He called them. The choice was theirs. Even Paul, who could say that God had set him apart from his mother’s womb (Galatians 1:15), had a choice about it. In saying this he almost certainly had in mind what God said to the prophet Ezekiel:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Ezekiel 1:5).
At first sight this seems as though Ezekiel had no choice about it, but as we read the rest of the chapter it’s clear from God’s warning not to disobey him that he did! Note that in this verse God knows Ezekiel before he creates him and appoints him. The key to understanding the mystery of God’s predetermined purpose for our lives is his foreknowledge. He chooses us in advance because he knows in advance that when he calls us, we will choose to follow him. God chooses us. Then he calls us. We respond. Then he appoints.
14 He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to heal diseases and drive out demons.
The main purpose of these verses is to reveal Jesus’ purpose in appointing apostles, and we’ll turn to that in a moment, but first it’s interesting to consider if there’s any significance in the number 12. And Matthew 19:28 may well indicate that there is:
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
So the number of the twelve apostles corresponds to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. Now is not the time to enter into lengthy discussion of all the possible implications of this verse, but it does seem that Jesus is here giving an early indication of what was later to become clearer in the rest of the New Testament that the true Israel is not comprised of the physical descendants of Abraham, but of his followers, whether Jew or Gentile, who would believe as Abraham believed. The church was to become the Israel of God (Galatians 6:15-16, cf. 1 Peter 2:9-10, Ephesians 2:11-16). And the apostles Jesus appointed were to have a special role in the coming kingdom of God – which, incidentally, seems to indicate that The Twelve were a unique group and should be distinguished from later apostles like Barnabas, Paul and James to whom I have already referred. (For more on this, please see Body Builders).
But now let’s turn to Jesus’ purpose in appointing these men. We saw in chapter 1 how Jesus came proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God (vv.14-15) and how he called the four fishermen to follow him, saying, Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men v.17). They were to follow Jesus and learn from him how to proclaim the good news, and in so doing win other disciples for him. This same purpose is now made clear as he chooses and appoints the twelve apostles. They are to proclaim the good news and demonstrate its truth by healing diseases and driving out demons. And as we look at these two verses in a little more detail we see four key principles. He appointed them:
· that they might be with him
· that he might send them out
· to preach (proclaim the good news)
· to have authority to heal diseases and drive out demons.
that they might be with him
Before he could ever send them out to preach it was vital that they should be with him. They had so much to learn. If they were to proclaim God’s truth, they must first learn what it is. However great a person’s communication skills, if what they’re communicating is not the truth, they’ll do more harm than good. These men were to spend three years learning from Jesus and would continue to learn after Jesus had left them as they were taught by the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-13).
We can apply this to ourselves in three main ways.
First, there is no substitute for spending time with Jesus if we want to be effective in his service. Secondly, if we’re called to full time service, a period of intensive training is highly desirable. And thirdly, we need continually and increasingly to be learning what the Holy Spirit is teaching us.
that he might send them out
The word that’s used for send here is apostello. The word that’s used for apostle is apostolos. An apostle is essentially someone who is sent. However, it’s important not to assume that every time the verb apostello is used in the New Testament it’s a reference to apostles. The word is used in a much more general sense to refer to anyone who is sent, as, for example, when Pilate’s wife sent a message to Pilate in Matthew 27:19. For more on this, please see Body Builders.
But with regard to the twelve that Jesus designated as apostles it’s clear that in the context apostolos is used in a much more specific sense. The word is sometimes used to refer to someone who is sent with a special commission and authority to represent someone else, rather like an ambassador who represents their country in another land, and that’s pretty much how it’s being used here. Paul certainly understood his apostleship in these terms for he saw himself as an ambassador for Christ imploring people on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).
But of course, we mustn’t limit the responsibility to be Christ’s ambassadors to those who are called to be apostles. We all have a responsibility to share the good news with others. He sends us out as ambassadors to tell others about the heavenly country to which we now belong and to represent our King as we live in a land which is not our real home, for our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Why not ask God, Lord, who are you sending me to today?
to preach (proclaim)
The word translated preach here is the same as in Mark 1:14 referring to Jesus proclaiming the good news. I must confess that some of the ‘preaching’ I have heard falls very short of proclaiming. The word means to herald or to announce. That’s what Jesus did and the disciples were to do the same because he had given them authority to do so.
And it’s clear from the last chapter of Mark’s Gospel that the disciples got the message. Jesus told them to go into all the world and preach (proclaim) the good news to all… (v.15). He promised them that miraculous signs would accompany their message, and in verse 20 we’re told that they went out and preached (proclaimed) everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
to have authority to (heal diseases and) drive out demons.
The reference to healing diseases is not found in all manuscripts but is completely in harmony with both Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts. In Matthew 8:1 Jesus gives them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and illness…
and in Luke 9:1-2 he gives them power and authority to drive out all demons and sends them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal those who were ill.
Taking these accounts together the message is clear. The good news of the kingdom of God is to be proclaimed and demonstrated with miraculous signs. This is to be done by those to whom Jesus has given the authority to do so. But does this apply to all Christians or only to those who are apostles? The answer is neither! It doesn’t apply to all Christians and it is not only for the apostles.
Why do I say this? First, it doesn’t apply only to apostles because it’s clear from Luke 10 that Jesus later appointed 72 others, who are not designated as apostles, and told them to heal those who are ill and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you (Luke 9:9). What’s more, it’s clear from Acts 8 that Philip, who was not an apostle, but an evangelist exercised a similar ministry.
And secondly, we mustn’t assume that it applies to all Christians because Jesus gave this authority to a limited number of people, whose names are given in verses 16-19, and he gave it at a particular time during his ministry. For example, in Matthew 10:8 Jesus gave the twelve people named in verses 2-4 authority to raise the dead, but that doesn’t mean that I can claim it as a promise, because the promise wasn’t made to me. If I am to raise the dead I must have Jesus’ authority to do so. And since Jesus is no longer with us in bodily form that authority can only come through the leading of the Holy Spirit. That’s why, after Jesus left them, even the apostles, who had already worked miracles while Jesus was with them, had to wait for the coming of the Spirit to empower them and lead them.
So the passages we’ve been looking at don’t give us a set of promises that we can appropriate for ourselves, but they do give us a clear indication of the kind of things we can expect to happen as we are led by the Spirit. We should expect miracles to confirm the proclamation of the gospel, but they will only happen as we follow the principles we have seen in these verses. We must spend time with Jesus, we must go where he sends us, we must speak what he tells us, and, as he through the Spirit gives us the authority, we will see miraculous things happen to confirm the good news we proclaim.
For more on this important subject, please see Just a Taste of Heaven – a biblical and balanced approach to God’s healing power.