The 12

Introduction

Last week we ended a series of five controversies surrounding Jesus. In each of the controversies we saw how Jesus was right and how the people had the wrong outlook on it all. The controversies that we specifically looked at last week were regarding the Sabbath day. In it we looked at the importance of the Sabbath day and saw how we are not under the law in it but we should observe a day where we worship with other believers and have rest.

This week we are in a transitional point in the book of Mark where we will see the appointing of the twelve apostles. This is important as we see the narrowing of Jesus’s circle. These men have been called from the disciples to this distinguished position that they do not know the full extent of. These are the men that it says in the book of Acts are “turning the world upside down”. This doesn’t happen till later in their lives though, but it all starts right here as they get the high status of apostle.

As we start I want to distinguish between a disciple and an apostle. They are different and I didn’t know that they were until I was older than most of you. The term disciple is the most broad one and it simply means a follow of Jesus. In the great commission found in Matthew 28 Jesus says to go and make disciples. I am a disciple, some of you are disciples. This is because we follow Jesus and grow in our relationship with him. You will sometimes hear the term discipleship, this is where someone who is older or further along in their faith walks alongside you and helps you continue to grow and walk with the Lord. Jesus had many disciples but he had a few that he poured into even more and this is comparable to the disciplining relationships we have today. So, in summary, a disciple is a follower of Jesus and we can all be a disciple. An apostle on the other hand is a closed group of people. To be an apostle you must be specifically called by Jesus to be an apostle, there are no apostles currently alive because Jesus is no longer with us but he is in heaven. The last apostle appointed was Paul which happens after the death of Jesus. This is a closed group that was specifically chosen by Jesus for that task. They started the church and spread the gospel and fulfilled the job that they were needed for. There are no apostles today, only disciples.

After making this distinction lets look at our text and then begin to break it down.

Mark 3:7–21 ESV

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

We see these events taking place at a few places around Galilee. It starts alongside the sea, then it moves up to the mountain top, and it finishes back at the house in Capernaum. In the beginning while they are out by the sea we see that there are the disciples and a great crowd. When they go up on the mountain and called only the 12. In the end back in town the large crowd gathers once more.

Through this passage I want to look at these three groups; the crowd, the disciples, and the 12. Lets pray then we can begin to unpack this text.

pray

The Many

Wherever Jesus goes there seems to be a large hoard of people that follow. They all want to see this miracle worker and they want to get something for themselves out of him. That is the thing with most of the world, they only want Jesus, they only want the church if there is something in it for them. The crowds followed Jesus just like the disciples do but there is a fundamental difference between them, that is their heart. The many were a selfish group that was missing the message of Jesus, we have been talking about them a lot throughout the book of Mark because they have been around every corner.

Let me ask you this, why are you here? Are you like the many and are just here for some personal gain like social time or are you like the few that are here because of the message, because of what God is doing. This is similar to the words of Jesus in Matthew 7.13-14 ““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Many people just come to Jesus for personal gain just like many are on the path to destruction. Few people want Jesus for the right reasons just like few are on the path that leads to life.

Where are you at in life? Don’t find yourself in the wrong group but rather seek be be in the next group.

The Disciples

The disciples were a group that are smaller than the crowd. They understand and actually get it, though at this point not fully. These are followers of Christ, not followers of miracles and self. The disciples were the first followers of Jesus and there are still some being added to their ranks today. Christians are disciples of Jesus. We are all called to be disciples.

This is one thing that a lot of churches get wrong and we are currently working on implementing this on a larger basis here but they think that you can just get people to say they put their faith in Jesus and they are good. That is simply not the case, upon putting your faith in Jesus you then need to begin the process of growing in your faith. These people were following Jesus and clinging to his every word, they were learning and growing from him.

Are you a disciple? do you follow Jesus? Are you growing in your faith? Have you even put your faith in Jesus? To become a disciple you have to put your faith in Jesus and turn away from your sins, it says in Romans 10.9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Upon salvation you are a disciple, a follower of Jesus. This is the first step in following Jesus and being saved. You may be asking; saved from what? Because of our sin we are deemed enemies of God, and without forgiveness you have to face the punishment for being an enemy. This punishment is the wrath of God and it is what you need saved from. God’s perfection makes his wrath perfect and just. What we are talking about is being saved from this wrath, we do this through putting our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, relying on him alone for salvation.

Upon putting your faith in Jesus you are a disciple. You must now follow Jesus and begin growing in your faith. Being a disciple shows your faith because a disciple is someone that reads their Bible, desires to come to church, truly worships God, shares their faith, and obeys the Bibles commands. Paul in Romans 1 mentions obedience in the faith. This is something that is often missed but something that is of vital importance, a disciple continues on in obedience. This is how we identify a true Christian, this is how we identify a disciple.

The 12

The final group that I want to look at is the twelve apostles. These twelve men were specifically chosen by Jesus from the group of disciples to hold this position. They are the men that would begin taking the gospel to all nations after the death of Jesus. These men responded to the radical call of Jesus in a radical way and now they are apostles. The 12 closest to Jesus. They will learn directly at the feet of Jesus and go on to write the entire new testament. This group does change some as Judas eventually betrays Jesus and gets replaced by Matthias and Paul gets added to their ranks.

In a quote Kent Hues said this about these men “wavering, inconsistent Simon became Peter, the rock. John and James became Boanerges, the “Sons of Thunder”- dynamic apostles! Anonymous, average Andrew became the patron saint of three nations. Thomas the skeptic became a tenacious man of faith. Simon, the radical, subversive zealot, became a man truly zealous for God.” These men undergo a radical transformation into true men of God. They are still disciples too and a great example of what a disciple should look like (except Judas of course). They were imperfect men that came to Jesus and though were not perfect in their lives on earth as we can see throughout the Bible they strived to live for Jesus and to continue to grow in their faith the whole way. They grew throughout their entire lives and never settled for anything less. They became the men that God wanted them to be.

Learn from these men and their lives. We may not be able to be apostles ourselves but we can all be disciples that are on fire for Jesus.

Conclusion

Three groups of people that all have a different position. We can’t be apostles but we can learn from them. What we can be though is either like the people in the crowd or a true disciple of Jesus. Which group do you fall into? Do you just come to Jesus for personal gain or do you come to him because he is the savior of the world? Do you even come to him at all? If you have come to him and accepted the salvation that he offers are you still following him the way that you should? Jesus isn’t just fire insurance, you can’t fake it till you make it into heaven. It has to be real, it has to be genuine. It is through true faith and true repentance that you accept salvation and this is proved by continually following him.

Lots of people come to Jesus just like in this passage but not many actually know him. Just like the difference between the crowds and the disciples and apostles. They also show that God uses ordinary sinners to accomplish his extraordinary task. Think about this, Jesus is the most widely recognized name on the planet and we have all heard it because of 12 ordinary men. What could he do with us if we let him? Through twelve men Jesus changed the world, let’s continue on in this movement that he has started and be faithful disciples. This all starts with faith so if you have not put your faith in Jesus do so tonight, don’t wait any longer.