Twelve Ordinary Men, One Extraordinary God!
Mark 3:13-19
Introduction: The résumés of the twelve men Jesus called that day on the
mountain might fail to impress. They
were a diverse bunch to be sure, fishermen, a tax collector, a Zealot… we don’t
know much about the others. One of the things we’ll see as we continue through
this gospel, is that Mark does not “disguise” the weaknesses and failings of
the people God chooses. In fact, remember that every list of the original 12
begins with Peter, who deserted Jesus and three times denied that he knew Him
the night He was arrested; and the list ends with Judas, who betrayed Him! It
seems to me that one of the marks of authenticity that we see in the Bible is
that God is the protagonist in the story, He is building His
church, and He is able to overrule human weakness and sin to accomplish His
good purpose. That points to…
The BIG Idea: God uses ordinary people in His extraordinary mission to build
His church. He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!”
I. Jesus calls who He wills to follow Him (13-15).
13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired,
and they came to him. 14 And
he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with
him and he might send them out to preach
15 and have authority to cast out demons.
He is the
initiator (13-14a). After ministering to a huge multitude, Jesus withdraws
from the crowds and calls some apart to be with Him. He called to Him those whom
he desired, they came, and He appointed out of that larger group, twelve,
specifically, as apostles. He had already called these men as disciples,
that is, as followers and learners, but now He is appointing them to a unique
office. (That is true of each of us. We were saved not only to learn, but to
serve, to fulfill our part in His mission!). Here we see He called who He
desired, and He appointed 12 as apostles. He speaks later, in the upper room
discourse, of His initiative in the choosing of the 12. We read in John
15:16…
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should
go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide...
Luke gives us the
detail that He spent the night in prayer before choosing and appointing the twelve
to be “apostles.” That might be implied by Mark when he speaks of Jesus going
“Up on the mountain.” For a Jewish reader, it would be hard not to think of Moses
going up on the mountain into the presence of the Lord. Notice three aspects of
the ministry that they were being called to according to Mark: 1) They were to
be “with Him”; 2) He would “send them out to preach”; and 3) they
would “have authority to cast out demons.”
Later we’ll learn that they were also given authority to heal, but for now at
least, Mark has chosen to minimize that detail.
He emphasizes that they were being called to be trained and to be
sent as His representatives. We’ll touch on the three aspects of their
ministry but first let’s look at the word “apostle.”
The word itself literally means “one who is sent.” Mark mentions they
were called “apostles” and that Jesus “would send them.” The verb
“send” is from the same Greek root (the noun, apostolos, the verb, apostello). In terms of the usage of the
word, in the first century context it would have had the idea of one sent,
representing the sender, on a mission, as His representative and spokesman. In
the Hebrew context the word shaliach
had the same sense. Specifically, Jesus says here they would be sent to
preach. They had a message to share.
The idea is similar to what we see in God’s call of the prophets in the
Old Testament. For example, we read in Isaiah 6:7-9a…
7 And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your
lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for. 8 And I heard the voice of the
Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I
said, "Here am I! Send me." 9
And he said, “Go…”
The prophet was shaken by
a vision of the holiness of God and overwhelmed by his own inadequacy, his
sinfulness. Symbolically he was cleansed, and immediately he felt compelled to
be available to God: Here am I, send me!
Friends, you are probably not a prophet or an apostle (LBC is a “non-prophet” organization!). But you are
sent. The God of the universe has touched you and cleansed your sin. And He has
sovereignly and strategically placed you right where you are. He has placed you
in the lives of the people in your sphere of influence for a purpose: to bring
the light of the Gospel to those around you, to your oikos, your extended household. In light of what He has done for
you, will you be available for Him to use?
The apostles had a unique “office” to
which they were called. It was like the idea of an ambassador, like someone who
represents our government before a foreign government or agency. They have been
authorized to speak for the
government and the people. This is important: the apostles, after the death and
resurrection of Jesus, would be His authorized representatives and
spokesmen. These men would have
authority, in the foundational period of the church, to speak for Jesus, to
bring the word of Christ to the church. As surely as Moses came down from the
mountain with the Word of God, these men would bring His Word to the early
church (and to us!). For example, Paul alluded to the foundational ministry of
the apostles when he wrote to the Ephesians,
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure,
being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built
together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Eph 2:19-22).
The New Testament “apostles and prophets” had a foundational role in establishing the
church. What was it? They were recipients of divine revelation, the Word of God
that would eventually become the New Testament (cf. Matt 16:16-18). By the way, the foundational role that the 12
had (including Matthias, who was chosen in Acts 1 to replace Judas) is shown in
Revelation 21:14 in the description of the Holy City coming down out of heaven
from God, “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the
twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” The names of the Apostles
will be written on the twelve foundations of the heavenly city (Rev 21:14)!
The miracles they did in His name revealed
the authority they had to speak for the Lord. For example, of the ministry of
Paul, who uniquely would be called as “apostle to the gentiles,” Luke wrote, “So they remained for a long time, speaking
boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting
signs and wonders to be done by their hands…” (Acts 14:3). They spoke for
the Lord, and He testified to the authority of their words through the signs
and wonders He granted to be done by their hands. The miracles done by the
apostles were signs confirming their call.
He
called those men, and He has called us, for a purpose: to “appoint” us to be
His “sent ones” (14). The apostles had a unique, foundational role to be sure.
But each of us is a part of the body (I Cor 12; Rom 12), a brick in God's building (Eph 2). We have a purpose in God’s plan. And like them, we are called
for a mission…
1. “to be with Him…” (To be changed, conformed
to His image [Jn 15:5; Acts 4:13]).
2. “that He might send them out to preach…”
(To bring the Word of Christ!).
Most of us would
acknowledge and accept the first part. “He walks with me and talks with me…”
Now THAT is one of our favorite songs! Yes, we realize discipleship implies
learning and growth. But what about “All
to Jesus I surrender…” or “I’ll go where I’ll go where you want me to go dear
Lord…”? Will we be available? Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. How will they hear? R.C. Sproul said,
Of course, Jesus had a
further purpose for the disciples—to send them out to preach and minister. Any
time Jesus says, “Come to Me,” as soon as we come, the “come” becomes “go.”
When we come to Him, He gives us a mission. We are to go into the world and
make disciples. As we carry out that mission, He is with us.
Without a doubt, the
apostles had a unique ministry of declaring the Word of Christ, since, in a
world without the NT, they would bring the authoritative Christ-centered
interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the direct, inspired revelation
of Jesus. As “apostles” in the technical sense, referring to the office, they
spoke as His authorized representatives. It is not only pastors and
evangelists, but all who are His, are called to proclaim (preach!) the Word of
Christ in the world today. We have the entire Bible, God’s inspired Word, and
we are told that “…faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ…” And so, with gentleness and
respect, we are to share the Word of Life!
3.
And to engage in spiritual warfare (15; cf. Eph 6:10-18). The apostles were given authority to cast out
demons. We read at least one account in the gospels (Matthew 17) where the
apostles are unable to cast out a demon, and Jesus does it. The context is
teaching about faith, but some versions add the phrase, “This kind only comes out by prayer and fasting.” We tend to go to
extremes about the devil and his minions, either being afraid of the power of
the evil one or questioning his very existence. I think a proper balance is to
be aware and on guard, knowing that our
adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking those he may devour.
We need to avail ourselves of the full
armor of God that we might extinguish the fiery darts of the Evil one. And
we can be assured that greater is He who
is in us, than He who is in the world. The end of the story is not in
doubt: Jesus wins! Amazingly, God uses ordinary people in His extraordinary
mission to build His church. He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the
called!
II. He chooses ordinary people, like us, to carry out His mission (16-19).
16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and
John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of
Thunder); 18 Andrew, and
Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of
Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who
betrayed him.
As we continue through this Gospel, we will
see the character (including the weaknesses!) of these men. The failings of the disciples may be one of
the most surprising themes we see in the gospels. There is no missing the
fact that they were 12 ordinary men. I came across this week the following
imaginative “letter” regarding the prospects of the disciples to carry out the
mission of Christ…
To: Jesus, Son of Joseph
Woodcrafter's Carpenter Shop
Nazareth 25922
From: Jordan Management Consultants
Dear Sir:
Thank you
for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for managerial
positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of
tests; and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also
arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and
vocational aptitude consultant.
The
profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to study each of them
carefully.
As part of
our service, we make some general comments for your guidance, much as an
auditor will include some general statements. This is given as a result of
staff consultation, and comes without any additional fee.
It is the
staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education
and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do
not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for
persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.
Simon
Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has
absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the
sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas
demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We
feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew had been blacklisted by the
Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau; James, the son of Alphaeus, and
Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high
score on the manic-depressive scale.
One of
the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and
resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind, and has contacts
in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We
recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the
other profiles are self-explanatory.
We wish you every success in your new venture.
Well now, that is
imaginary of course, but it does serve to contrast the “qualified” and the
“called”! Remember Samuel at the house of Jesse looking for the one who was to
be anointed King in Israel? The last of the sons of Jesse, seemingly the least
qualified from the perspective of their father, was the one God had chosen!
David. God doesn’t look on the outside, as men do, He looks on the heart. He
sees not only what we are, but what we can become. He had a plan for David, he had a plan for the apostles, and He has a plan for each of us...
There are no perfect people on the list of
apostles - or in the church! Why not? The only perfect people are in heaven! Consider the diversity of Jesus’ motley crew,
their backgrounds, their different skills, different strengths and weaknesses,
and eventually different ministries and roles in the church. Was Andrew’s
greatest accomplishment bringing Peter to Christ? We don’t know a lot about many of these men
from the Bible. Tradition tells us that each one had a role in the early
expansion of the church. The Big Idea is: God uses ordinary people, like the
disciples… and like us… in His extraordinary mission to build His church. He
doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!
III. Jesus’ plan included His betrayal, suffering, and the
Cross (19). Focus
again on 3:19,
“…and Judas Iscariot,
who betrayed him…”
Remember the summary description of the
Gospel of Mark: “A narrative of the passion, with an extended
introduction”! The antipathy of the
leaders is still echoing in our ears from Mark 3:6, and now we are told that
one of these twelve that He called to His side, to be with Him and eventually
to go out and continue his mission of preaching and casting out demons, would
be a traitor. What a reminder that the world is in rebellion against the King! We
are also reminded of the need for reconciliation. We are reminded that the
Cross is coming. Jesus came to save, as
the Suffering Servant!
Who is Jesus? We know more
clearly than the disciples at this point: He is the Messiah, yes, in the
fullest sense: God the Son, God incarnate. Why did He come? He came to
be our substitute, to lay down His life so that we could have life! What
does it mean to follow Him? To be with Him, and so to become more
like Him… If the world hated Him, it will hate us. Which means we need to be
ready to take up our cross and follow Him. So, we need to expect to be
engaged in spiritual warfare. We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, our
adversary, the Devil. But be encouraged, God is in control!
We, His followers, are also entrusted
with a message: The Gospel, God in Christ is reconciling the world to Himself. And we know there will be opposition. We live
in a fallen world, a world in rebellion against the rule of God. We have an
enemy who will do everything possible to oppose the work of the Lord. But the
battle is the Lord’s. And we can do all things through Christ who strengthens
us.
What is God saying to me in this passage? We have a message to share: Jesus
is the Son of God; and He came to die for our sins, so that we, by grace
through faith, could be reconciled to God. Sharing that message is our
mission. God uses ordinary people in
His extraordinary mission to reach the world, and to build His church. And
remember, He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!
What would God have me to do in response to this
passage?
1) One of the twelve
looked like the others, but he was not one of them. It is a reminder to us to
make sure of our salvation. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian. Trust
Him, entrust yourself to Him as your Savior and Lord.
2) It is likely that in some way most
of you have heard His call. Don’t shy away, lean hard into Jesus, He is with
you, listen and learn. The more we know Him, the more we’ll love Him, and
the readier we’ll be to step out in faith when the call comes.
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