The Gospel Of Mark Part 10
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Introduction:
What happens when friends become so close that they feel like family?
What happens when family becomes so distant that they feel like less than friends?
What about when those closest to us become our foes?
These are some of the questions that we will be talking about in this next series in Mark - A House Divided
The Gospel Of Mark Part 10
The Gospel Of Mark Part 10
So far in Mark, Jesus’s main opponents have been the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and other religious leaders.
In this passage, we will begin to see that it was not only the religious leadership that opposed Jesus’ ministry.
Sometimes the greatest opposition comes from within - from those that we are counting on to support us.
Sometimes the lines get blurred between family, friends, and enemies.
When we face these kinds of opposition, we need to look back at how Jesus handled it.
He knows exactly what that feels like and He left us an example to follow.
Today we will
I. Jesus’ Friends
I. Jesus’ Friends
I. Jesus’ Friends
A. The Calling
13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:
We talked about the four-fold calling of the disciples last week:
The Four-Fold Call:
To be with Him
To preach
To power over sickness
To power over Satan
These men would be His companions and friends....but also His ambassadors and representatives even after His ascension back to heaven.
Now we will take some time to know these 12 called ones:
I. Jesus’ Friends
A. The Calling
B. The Called
16 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, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.
The Twelve are then arranged in three groups of four. Group one always has Peter at the head of the list, and that group always includes Andrew, James, and John. Group two always features Philip first and includes Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas. Group three is always led by James the son of Alphaeus, and it includes Simon the Zealot; Judas son of James (called "Thaddeaus" in Mark and "Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeaus" in Matthew); and finally, Judas Iscariot. (Judas Iscariot is omitted from the list in Acts 1 because he was already dead by then. In the three lists where Judas's name is included, it always appears last, along with a remark identifying him as the traitor.) The three names at the head of each group seem to have been the group leaders. The three groups always appear in the same order: first Peter's group, then the group led by Philip, then the group headed by James.
MacArthur, John F.. Twelve Ordinary Men Workbook (pp. 29-30). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
[add chart to show the disciple’s names and arrangement]
B. The Called
Simon Peter
16 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter;
Peter, along with Andrew his brother, was a fisherman.
Peter was the natural leader and spokesman for the group. We know this from the accounts in the gospels and Acts, but also from the parallel passage in Matthew 10:2
Matthew 10:2 (NKJV)
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
The word, “first” is the Greek word “protos” which means chief or leader.
His name is always listed first in the biblical lists.
Peter was impulsive and headstrong, often speaking before thinking.
But Jesus continued to give him opportunities to lead despite his failures.
It was Peter that often spoke up to say the things that the others were likely thinking but didn’t want to say.
He spoke up at the Mount of Transfiguration even when he didn’t know what, he was prone to blurt something out.
It was Peter who walked on water - the only one to have faith that Jesus could make that happen.
It was Peter who made the messianic confession at Caesarea Philippi.
It was Peter who swung his sword to defend Jesus in the garden.
But then it was Peter who also denied the Lord and went away weeping in shame.
And then it was Peter who the Lord restored right on the shores of Galilee where he had been called some three years previous.
Peter would later pen two epistles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, from which we gain much truth for our Christian walk today.
Peter’s given name was Simon, but Jesus gave him another name - not to replace Simon - but to tell him what kind of a person he SHOULD be:
Mark 3:16 (NKJV)
16 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter;
The name Peter, “Petros”, means “stone”. (Cephas is the Aramaic equivalent)
Jesus needed Peter to stop living like an unstable, impulsive man and start living like a “stone” - resolute and dependable.
And we see that is exactly what happened. Jesus saw the potential in Simon and his experience with Jesus transformed him into a “petros” - a resilient leader in the early church, as we see in Acts.
B. The Called
Simon Peter
James
John
17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;
The brothers, James and John are listed next.
These men were fishermen, like Peter and Andrew.
Their father, Zebedee, was likely a man of some prestige in the community as his fishing business was large and successful enough to hire multiple servants.
James was the older of the two, and the one we know the least about.
We don’t really see him acting alone, but always named along with the others.
The exception to this is when he is martyred in Acts 12:1-2
1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
John, on the other hand, has much more material and is the apostle who penned not only the gospel of John, but also the epistles of 1,2, and 3 John, along with the epic apocalypse treatise, The book of Revelation.
John is named “the disciple whom Jesus loved” - John 21:7
John 21:7 (NKJV)
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
In fact, John never names himself in his gospel, but always references himself in relation to Jesus as a way to honor his Lord.
Like Peter, James and John were given a nickname:
Mark 3:17 (NKJV)
17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;
This could be in reference to their tendency to be loud-voiced or hot-tempered:
38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
But, based on the rich content we see in John’s letters and the fact that James was willing to die for his faith in Christ, these men had matured in their faith.
B. The Called
Simon Peter
James
John
These first three had the closest relationship to Jesus.
They were the “inner circle”, set apart from the other nine men.
It was these three that were present when Jarius’ daughter would be raised from the dead
37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
And it was these three that would witness Jesus’ glory on the mountain:
2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.
The inner three would also accompany Jesus into the heart of Gethsemane at His darkest hour:
33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.
B. The Called
Simon Peter
James
John
Andrew
Mark 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
As we already stated, Andrew was the brother and business partner of Peter.
Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, and would be the one to introduce Peter to Jesus:
41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
No one knew Simon like Andrew did. He knew full well that if Peter was part of a group, he would find a way to lead - it was his nature…yet Andrew brings him anyway. This is an indication of Andrew’s humbleness. Willing to step aside and allow another to lead.
But unlike Peter, when Andrew speaks in the Bible, he always seems to say the right thing. There is never any dishonor given to Andrew’s words in Scripture.
He certainly made errors and misspoke, he was just a man, but his recorded words are consistently honorable.
It was Andrew that would bring the boy’s lunch to Jesus when the 5,000 were fed:
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
Andrew often worked in the background, and was one that was often bringing people to Jesus. Peter, the boy with the lunch, and the Greeks:
20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
B. The Called
Simon Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Mark 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
Philip is always given the fifth place on the disciple’s roster.
He is the leader of the second group of four.
Like Andrew, Philip was a former disciple of JtB.
He was likely a fisherman, and was from Bethsaida, the same town as the two sets of brothers.
Philip is a Greek name, which is likely why the Greeks came to him first, but although he had a Jewish name, it is never given in Scripture.
Philip is often seen in the company of Nathanael, so they were likely close friends even before meeting Jesus.
And it was Philip that brought Nathanael to meet Jesus:
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
When Nathanael protested, Philip was undaunted:
John 1:46b (NKJV)
46 ...Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Philip was an analyst of the group - often wondering how things could get done logically.
Jesus sees the thousands of people coming and asks Philip:
John 6:5–6 (NKJV)
5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
So Philip would need to grow in his faith.
In the Upper Room, at the last supper, Philip once again showed his struggling faith.
Immediately after explaining to the disciples that Jesus Himself represented the Father perfectly - since they had seen Him, they had seen the Father, Philip responds with this question:
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
Jesus answer is heavy with rebuke:
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Like Philip, we all need to grow in our faith and learn to take Jesus at His word.
B. The Called
Simon Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew (aka. Nathanael)
Mark 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew (Nathanael), Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
Bar-Tolmai means “son of Tolmai” (Bar-Tholomew in english)
Nathanael means “God has given”.
Bartholomew was from the town of Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle of turning water into wine.
Bartholomew was one that studied the Scriptures and had a zeal for biblical accuracy:
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Here, Bartholomew’s question exposes a root of bigotry and prejudice in his heart. Cana was not far from Nazareth, and Bartholomew apparently harbored feelings of disgust for that town.
And, like the other men, he had some maturing to do. But Jesus called him anyway - just like He calls us out of our immaturity and helps us grow spiritually.
Jesus’ commendation of Bartholomew is unique among the disciples:
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
Bartholomew never hid his thoughts - he was an open book - always let you know what he thought.
And when Jesus reveals His omnipresence, Bartholomew immediately believes:
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Bartholomew had been studying the Scriptures…he was watching for His Messiah…and, unlike the religious leaders of his day, Bartholomew knew what he was looking for.
B. The Called
Simon Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew (aka. Nathanael)
Matthew (aka. Levi)
Thomas
Mark 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
We covered Matthew previously when Jesus called him to “follow Me”, so we know that he was a customs tax collector, despised by his fellow Jews (probably even his fellow disciples at first), but his willingness to follow immediately lends evidence that he, like Bartholomew, was watching for the Messiah to come.
Matthew’s choice to follow Jesus was irreversible - his tax franchise would have been quickly snatched up by the next money-hungry “piranha”, but Matthew didn’t looked back…he was ready to follow.
Thomas is well-known , even outside the church as “Doubting Thomas”, because he would’t believe the other eyewitnesses that saw Jesus after His resurrection, but he was really more of a pessimist.
When Jesus tells the group that they are going back to Bethany, an area that was likely dangerous for Jesus to go, the men fear for Jesus’ life.
Thomas’s pessimism was also a fierce loyalty:
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
Thomas is saying, “Guys, it’s better to die with Jesus than to live without Him.” - negative?…Yes…but also devoted?....Yes!
We see that devotion in the Upper Room, when Thomas is broken over hearing that he will be separated from Jesus:
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
Thomas cannot imagine living apart from Jesus, and he is asking this as if to say, “We will never get where You are going…we don’t even know how to get there!”
But we can rejoice that Thomas asked this question, even though it was from a heavy heart, because Jesus’s response has been a verse of hope for generations:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
B. The Called
Simon Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew (aka. Nathanael)
Matthew (aka. Levi)
Thomas
James (the Less)
Thaddaeus (aka. Lebbaeus, Judas)
Simon the Cananite (aka the Zealot)
Mark 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
This james is distinguished from James the brother of John by the title “James the Less”:
Mark 15:40 (NKJV)
40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome,
The word “less” is “mikros” in Greek, which literally means “little”. This could have referred to his physical stature or even that he was much younger than the other James.
Mark 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
Thaddeus was the man with three names: Thaddeus, Lebbaeus, and Judas
Matthew 10:3 (NKJV)
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Both of these names mean essentially the same thing: tender-hearted, or a “heart-child”. This could also mean a “momma’s boy” in our modern venacular - which was not an insult as much as meaning that he might have been the youngest in his family…but more importantly that he had a tender heart…a gentle personality.
His other name, which was probably his given name, was Judas, which means, “Jehovah leads” - not any dishonor there, except that due to Judas Iscariot’s betrayal, that name always reeks of villainy and treachery.
In his gospel, the apostle John is careful to distinguish the two men:
John 14:22 (NKJV)
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
This verse also reveals some if his tenderheartedness.
He wants everyone to know His Jesus…He wants the world to know, and so without any pretense or arrogance, he asks the Lord this important question.
Mark 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
Simon the Cananite was a zealot.
Zealots were a Jewish extremist group dedicated to overthrowing the Roman empire.
The Zealots were assassins and terrorists.
The Zealots hated the Romans, and their goal was to overthrow the Roman occupation. They advanced their agenda primarily through terrorism and surreptitious acts of violence.
MacArthur, John F.. Twelve Ordinary Men Workbook (p. 175). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Luke 6:15 (NKJV)
15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
The word Cananite and Zealot have similar definitions - to be completely committed to a cause or to a side.
This title also distinguished him from Simon Peter.
Jesus seems to have a way of joining people together that would otherwise have been enemies.
At one time in his life, Simon the Zealot would have gladly killed Matthew the tax collector, but because of their bond in Christ, they were now brothers - serving the Lord together!
B. The Called
Simon Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew (aka. Nathanael)
Matthew (aka. Levi)
Thomas
James (the Less)
Thaddaeus (aka. Lebbaeus, Judas)
Simon the Cananite (aka the Zealot)
Judas Iscariot
19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.
Now we come to the one who is always listed last in any list of the disciples.
The word “Iscariot” is a compound word that describes where Judas was from (not a last name).
“Is” (“Ish”)= Man
“cariot” (“Kerioth”) = a town in southern Judea
“Ish” comes from the Hebrew word for “man”, and “Kerioth” was a small town in southern Judea, making Judas the only disciple not from the Galilee region.
Judas was called to follow Jesus, just like the others.
Judas was given the call to preach, heal, and cast out demons, just like the others.
Judas was an eyewitness to the miracles and both the public and private teachings of Jesus, just like the others.
But, unlike all the others, Judas never believed in Jesus.
John 6:64 (NKJV)
64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
Despite knowing that Judas would betray Him, Jesus called Judas to follow Him.
Ironically, Judas’s name means, “Jehovah leads”, yet no one was more led by Satan than this man.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,
Yet just a few verses after this, we read that Jesus washed Judas’s feet:
5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
Judas went on to be the one to lead the soldiers to Jesus in Gethsemane:
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.
45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Judas had a worldly sorrow for his sin that produced death.
Peter had a godly sorrow that produced repentance.
Conclusion:
The choosing of these twelve men was a statement of judgement on the apostacy of the Jewish leaders of the day.
None of these 12 came out of the establishment in the Jewish hierarchy. As far as the Pharisees were concerned, they were nobodies.
Not one of these men could produce a resume or had any social, religious, or educational qualifications for the job.
Jesus disciples were not men of power or prestige, yet He called them to be His apostles. His chosen ones. His sent out ones.
God has a record of using the small and the weak things to overcome the strong:
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Don’t listen to the lie that God cannot use you.
The only limits to serving the Lord are the ones that we place on ourselves.
I. Jesus’ Friends
I. Jesus’ Friends
Next week, Lord willing, we will pick up right here where we left off, and we will see that Jesus’ family comes on the scene.
II. Jesus’ Family
II. Jesus’ Family