Mark - Jesus' Impact Upon the Twelve: Calling

Introduction

Good morning and welcome to the Countryside

Before we get going last’s recap last week really quick.

Last week, Bill walked us through Mark 3:7–12, and the big picture was clear: Jesus’ impact was massive.

The crowds were overwhelming. People came from everywhere—Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, even outside Israel—because they heard what Jesus was doing.

They heard testimonies. They saw healing. They felt hope.

And Bill reminded us that when people hear what Jesus is doing, they come looking.

That’s why our witness matters.

That’s why prayer matters.

That’s why saying the name of Jesus still matters.

But here’s the question Mark forces us to ask next:

What does Jesus do when the crowds get bigger?

He doesn’t capitalize on the momentum. He doesn’t organize the masses. He doesn’t build a movement around popularity.

Instead, Mark tells us that Jesus withdraws… He goes up a mountain… And He calls people to Himself.

In other words, before Jesus expands the mission, He deepens the relationship.

That’s what today’s passage is about.

Mark 3:13–19 shows us how Jesus builds people—not just what He does through them, but who He calls them to be first.

As we keep moving through the Gospel of Mark, something important is happening.

The crowds are getting bigger. The pressure on Jesus is increasing. The opposition is sharpening.

And in the middle of all of that, Jesus does something that doesn’t look urgent—but actually changes everything.

He steps away from the crowds. He goes up a mountain. And He calls people to Himself.

This passage isn’t flashy. There’s no miracle here. No confrontation. No parable.

But what happens in Mark 3 shapes everything that comes next—not just for the twelve, but for how Jesus builds people in general

Because before Jesus sends anyone… before He empowers anyone… before He entrusts anyone with authority…

He calls them to be with Him.

Let’s pray

1 — Jesus Calls us to Him (13-15)

Mark 3:13-15 - 13And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14And 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.

Before we jump into this, I want to tell you about something I do every time I study a passage. The first thing I do is read it in several translations. When I do that, sometimes small differences jump out—and that’s not something to be afraid of.

In these verses, there are a few small textual differences across English Bibles. None of them change what this passage means. They’re the result of how the text was copied and preserved over time, and when all the evidence is weighed, the message is actually very clear and very stable.

Tools like YouVersion or Blue Letter Bible make this kind of careful reading available to almost everyone. And what you discover isn’t that the Bible is unreliable—but that it’s been handled carefully.

Mark 3:14 “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”

ESV - and have authority to cast out demons. NKJV - and have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons

ESV - He appointed the twelve: Simon… NKJV Simon…

Please, if you have questions email me or text me, and I will get you an answer. People on the interwebs really love to highlight stuff like this and much out of nothing.

If you come across it please let me help you sort through the noise. I actually could say I have a degree in this sort of thing. If I don’t know the answer I can find it.

Now let’s look at what Mark is actually telling us.

Jesus goes up on a mountain and calls to Himself those whom He desired—and they came.

That’s huge.

Mark’s first important detail is the mountain. And that matters, because in Scripture, mountains are where God initiates new things.

Think about it:

· Mount Sinai— where God forms a people and enters covenant

· The Transfiguration— where Jesus reveals His true glory

· The Sermon on the Mount — where Jesus defines life in His kingdom

When God goes up a mountain, He reveals Himself, calls people to Himself, and forms them for what comes next.

That’s exactly what’s happening here.

Then Mark tells us something else: Jesus called those whom He desired.

Jesus later says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” That matters.

We don’t stand before God proudly saying, “I chose Jesus.” No—we answered His call.

And if you’re hearing this message – this invitation, that means that Jesus is also calling you…

The question is simply: will you respond?

Then Mark tells us why Jesus called them—and the first reason matters more than all the others:

So that they might be with Him.

Now listen, this is for every Christian and every person who is not sure what exactly they are getting into if they say yes to Jesus.

So this is very important… Don’t miss this… this is the key to the Christian Life… and I wish I would have gotten a lot sooner than I did…

Before preaching. Before healing the sick. Before casting out demons.

Before paying tithe, before singing worship music, or working in the children’s ministry, or any other “do” you can think to do for Jesus...

Jesus wants you to be with Him…

Presence comes first.

Jesus calls people to abide—to know Him, trust Him, walk with Him. He defines eternal life as knowing God and knowing Him. John 17:3

Only then does ministry flow:

· We witness because we know Him

· We carry authority because it comes from Him

· We heal the sick because he empowers us.

· We serve in children’s ministry because he called us to that…

· If we do anything on our own we burn out of it. We fail, it doesn’t work.

So here’s the question this asks every one of us:

Jesus calls us up—but will we go be with Him?

Now let’s talk about those twelve he called.

II. — Jesus Calls the Ordinary 16-19a

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 Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot

Mark gives us a list of names—but he’s not giving us a résumé.

We’re not going to do an exhaustive study of these twelve guys. That’s not Mark’s goal here. The most important thing to notice is this:

These men were ordinary.

Nowhere in the Gospels does it say Jesus saw something special in them. In fact, as the story goes on, we find they misunderstand Him, argue about status, panic under pressure, and fail when things get hard.

Luke tells us Jesus prayed all night before choosing them—but Mark wants us to see who He chose.

And that matters.

Jesus Himself says, “I can do nothing apart from the Father.” What He sees the Father doing, He does.

That means something for us.

If Jesus’ ministry flows out of relationship with the Father, then our lives must flow out of relationship with the Son. We can do nothing apart from the One who called us.

Now, someone might say, “But these are the Twelve. This is unique. We can’t apply this to ourselves.”

That’s true—and not true.

Their role is unique. But the pattern is not.

Mark isn’t just showing us who Jesus chose. He’s showing us how Jesus builds people.

The first and greatest thing we learn about calling in this passage is this:

Jesus calls people into relationship first—and everything else comes later.

That applies to every disciple in every generation. God does not change the way He forms people. There are no exceptions.

When we try to skip relationship and rush to results, things go sideways. And we’ll talk about that when we get to Judas.

Look at this list again.

Fishermen. A hated tax collector. A zealot. People we know almost nothing about.

No scholars. No religious elites. Just ordinary people.

They weren’t special—but they changed the world because they were with Jesus.

And listen—this is incredibly good news for us.

God did not choose you because of what you could do for Him. He didn’t choose you because of your drive, your personality, or your skill set.

Those things aren’t bad—but they aren’t qualifications.

The only qualifications are these. Ready… Write this down.

You have to be breathing

If you are hearing my voice - Jesus is calling.

Check this out.

If you share Jesus with someone.

If they hear your voice then Jesus is calling them.

So Jesus uses you and me to call people. Isn’t that so cool?

It’s also sobering because if they don’t hear it from you, they may not hear it at all.

Jesus calls people because they exist. And He turns away no one who comes to Him.

- John 6:37 whoever comes to me, I will in no way cast out.

- Matthew 11:28 Come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

There’s an old Christian saying—God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.

It might sound cheesy.

But that’s exactly what Mark is showing us here.

First Jesus calls us into intimate personal relationship.

That’s the yes, in fact I would go so far as to say that’s the only yes required.

We don’t say yes

to missions,

yes to serving,

yes to giving,

yes to anything other than being with him and obediently serving from that place.

III.  Jesus calls the Heart (19b)

The most chilling line in this passage is the last name on the list:

Verse 19 Judas Iscariot—the one who betrayed Him.

Judas was chosen by Jesus. Judas was with Jesus. Judas did ministry in Jesus’ name.

And yet Jesus says of him, “It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

We’re never told exactly where Judas went wrong. Scripture doesn’t give us a moment where everything clearly turns. But Judas stands as a warning—not because we know every detail of his heart, but because we know the outcome.

What Judas shows us is this: proximity is not the same as presence.

Somewhere along the way, relationship gave way to replacement. Jesus was no longer the center. Other things took His place.

The writer of Hebrews warns us about this when he says we must pay much closer attention, “lest we drift away.” Drift is subtle. It’s not rebellion overnight. It’s slow distance.

For reasons we don’t fully understand, God sometimes allows people who are not walking in intimacy with Him to continue operating in power—for a time. Judas is a sobering example of that. Judas raised people from the dead, cast out demons, healed multitudes, evangelized untold masses, yet he betrayed Him for money. 

John tells us Judas was stealing from the money bag. Eventually, he sells Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Whatever was happening internally, the direction is clear: Jesus was no longer his treasure.

And this didn’t end well.

Judas experienced remorse—but instead of returning to Jesus, he ran from Him. That’s the tragedy.

This is why Jesus warns that there will be people who say, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we do all these things in Your name?” And He will say, “Depart from me—I never knew you.”

That’s not about lack of activity. That’s about lack of relationship.

This passage is about being with Jesus.

And Judas is here to remind us that power without presence is dangerous. Ministry without intimacy is hollow. Proximity without surrender is deadly.

So the question isn’t, “Have I done things for Jesus?” The question is, “Am I still with Him?”

Conclusion — Jesus is still on the mountain

Jesus is still on the mountain. He’s calling you to Himself. Don’t worry about the what. Just say yes to being with Him.

No matter where you are—far, near, faithful, drifting—the invitation is the same. Jesus is calling you to Himself. Don’t worry about what comes next. Just come.