“And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.” -Mk. 3.13-15
We would do well not to pass over the raw message of this text. There is a remarkableness to the phenomenon of the Lord’s callings, and we have so often heard the story of the twelve that it’s easy for us to miss it altogether. Here are a few things I’m drawing out of it:
1. Jesus “summoned those whom He Himself wanted….”
Has it ever occurred to you that the men “whom He Himself wanted” were basically a collection of immature and flawed souls? We don’t see any indication that even a few of them were religiously qualified or educated in the Law. We don’t see any exceptional qualities that would have attracted Him. What then drew Him? In Luke’s Gospel, we see that Jesus had come straight from an all night stretch of prayer when he appointed the twelve. Clearly, there is the element of Divine selection here. But was there something more than a mere robotic choosing of twelve men? Ben Witherington III offers these thoughts from his commentary on Mark:
Jesus appointed the twelve to be with Him. This is part and parcel of the portrait of the fully human Jesus in this Gospel- in this case He needed a support group. He longed for fellowship. He lived as a person in community, not as an isolated prophet.
Isn’t it remarkable to think that Jesus longed for fellowship? Isn’t it remarkable that He didn’t choose those who had it all together when He sought to fulfill that holy desire? Can you believe that He is longing for fellowship with you, even now?
2. “And He appointed the twelve, so that they would be with Him….”
The greatest tragedy in western ministry is that men are carrying out all kinds of duties and tasks, but they have not adequately been “with Him.” Mark lays out the proper pattern of discipleship in this way: “they came to Him,” they were“with Him,” He sent them out “to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.” Have you been “with Him,” dear saint, or are you living and talking and eating and ministering and playing and working in a way that is devoid of true fellowship with Him? He wants you to “be with Him.” Isn’t that remarkable?
3. He sent “them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons.”
Witherington’s further comments:
These were not merely to be Jesus’ pupils, but His friends and co-workers. They are appointed for fellowship as well as for witness, being sent to teach and cast out demons.
There is something to be said for the fact that Jesus did not foresee a 40-year season of preparation for the disciples before they would bear witness to Him, teach others, and cast out demons with noteworthy authority. They would function as foundational apostles only three years after this initial calling, and even before that, He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons.
Is there something different about their faith than ours? Do we have a vital proclamation of His Kingdom in the midst of our lives? Is the evidence of Divine authority present in our lives as it was through theirs? They were already casting demons out and healing the sick as immature disciples who had not even been immersed in the Spirit yet. All this goes to say that we ought to anticipate the breaking in of His rule in a much simpler manner than we have in times past.
We need to go back to the simplicity and rawness of coming to him, fellowshipping with Him, and from that place, preaching the Kingdom and casting out demons. If Jesus said the Kingdom was at hand 2,000 years ago, how much more is it upon us now?
“Truly I say unto you, he who believes in Me will do the works that I Myself am doing; and even greater works than these, for I go to the Father.” -Jn. 14.12
Zo Hornbill 