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.
The Maine
Idea: “God uses ordinary people in
His extraordinary mission to change the world. 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, they came, and He appointed 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 of His initiative in
the choosing of the 12 in the upper room discourse. 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 felt compelled to be available to God: Here am I, send me! Friends, you are
probably not a prophet or an apostle (BBC is a “non-prophet” organization!). But you are sent. The God of
the universe has touched your lips 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, through the New Testament). 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!
The
miracles they did 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) or a brick in the 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 New Testament, they
would bring the authoritative Christ-centered interpretation of the Hebrew
Scriptures, 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 manuscripts 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! And
amazingly, God uses ordinary people in His extraordinary mission to change the
world. He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!
II. He
chooses ordinary people, like us, to carry out His world-changing 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
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.
There are
no perfect people on the list of apostles - or in the church for that matter!
Why not? The only perfect people are in heaven!
Think about the diversity of this group of men. Different backgrounds,
different skills, different strengths and weaknesses, and eventually different
ministries and roles in the church. Andrew’s greatest accomplishment: bringing
Peter to Christ! We don’t know a lot
about many of these men from scripture. Tradition tells us that each one had a
role in the early expansion of the church. God uses ordinary people 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).
…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 the ears of Mark’s readers (3:7),
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 reminded of the need for reconciliation. We
are reminded that the Cross is coming.
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
live! What does it mean to follow Him? To be with Him, and so to become
more like Him. Which means we need to be ready to take up our cross and follow
Him. It means we will be engaged in spiritual warfare. We don’t wrestle against
flesh and blood. There is an 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 change the world. He
doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!”
What would
God have me to do in response to this passage? None of us can go into all the world and
preach the gospel. We can go into one little part of it, and that must start
right where we are, in our “sphere of influence,” the people that God has
sovereignly and strategically put in our lives. You know who they are. Your
family members. The neighbor you see every time you pick up your mail or cut
your grass. The people in your office or workplace. Some of those people don’t
know the Lord. Others have drifted away from attending church and may be stagnating
in their faith. You are God’s ambassador.
You are
on assignment. Will you ask Him for the boldness to give an invitation card,
pass a tract or Gospel of John, or share your testimony with those in your oikos?
Think about that, and with God’s help, act on it! AMEN.
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