Ordinary Men with an Extraordinary Calling

Good Morning, turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of . Were continuing our series through the gospel of Mark, examining the authority and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have come to a place in the ministry of Jesus which is really seen as a turning point. Before the account we will study today, only Jesus had preached the gospel message, healed diseases, performed miracles, and confronted the hard-hearted unbelief of the religious establishment.

However things are about to change, as this morning we are going to see that Jesus wasn’t only sent to do this but He came with authority to send others to do this as well.

Let’s Read the passage:

Mark 6:

Mark 6:7–13 HCSB

He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a walking stick: no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts. They were to wear sandals, but not put on an extra shirt. Then He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. If any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they were driving out many demons, anointing many sick people with olive oil, and healing them.

Here we see a changing of the guard, here we watch the spectators become key players in the eternal plan of God. It is miraculous that God would send His Son into the world to save the world from their sin, it is seemingly even more unbelievable that He would authorize 12 ordinary men to do works just like He did. I mean think about it these men were common ordinary fishermen, sure they had some tax collectors thrown in who were outcasts of society, but who in the world was going to listen and believe a bunch of rednecks from nowhere and a group of tax collectors who would have been the equivalent of an ancient day mafia?

I mean this is scandalous, this man is proclaiming to be God but He doesnt hang with the religious crowd, He doesnt talk like them teach like them act like them, and now He does not even use them He uses the plain, ordinary, uneducated, redneck, and mob bosses. This seems insane I mean if you want people to hear the message you would think jesus would send out people who were clean cut, and well behaved, not James and John the sons of thunder who had tempers that boiled over like a volcano when its ready to erupt. Surely He wouldnt use fishermen who smelled of salt and seafood. I mean wouldn’t you send some men out there who weren’t in trouble with thier countrymen for being extortionists? Thats how they viewed the tax collectors.

While Jesus began as the only one preaching the gospel message all of this changed when He authorized the 12 apostles as official preachers. Jesus at this point knew that His time in Galilee was limited He strategically multiplied the extent of His ministry by sending the 12 as His mouthpieces throughout the region.

The dozen men selected by Jesus already spent countless hours accompanying and learning from Him. Though they were already called apostles they had not been separated from the larger group of Jesus’ followers for specific service. Now remember when the Lord found them earlier He promised them that He would make them “fishers of men” now the time had come for them to stop simply listening to what Jesus was saying but get out there and get about the business of repeating what they had already learned.

i mean can you imagine what these men must be thinking?

This is Jesus’ hometown and they have tried to kill him and they have flat out rejected Him, and now He is asking them to go out and spread the gospel!!! I am certain that they were not overjoyed with this idea! But we don’t see any hesitation on their part within the text. Nevertheless Jesus here calls the 12 to be different than everyone else He calls them to be heralds, and witnesses of the gospel message.

Even in the Face of Rejection or Death, our Mission is To Preach the Gospel and Advance God’s Kingdom!

I want you to know that we didn’t just come here to read an account about 12 ordinary men who were called by Jesus to preach the gospel. We came here with the understanding that we too are called by Jesus to advance the Kingdom. Those who follow Jesus have the honor and joy of advancing and extending HIs Kingdom, we actually get to share with Jesus in what He is doing. There are some specific aspects to our calling. First He calls us and we obey. Period. Second, He sedns us out with His authority in on the job training. Third we actually continue and keep the ministry of Jesus going, as we preach the gospel to the nations and minister to the hurting.

The sOn of God here sends out these ordinary men with an extraordinary purpose, to seek and save that which is lost.

In addition to reaching the lost the selection of these 12 apostles also was an act of judgment on Jesus’ part agasint Israels apostasy and unbelief. Not one of them was from the religious establishment. Jesus delegates were not preists, scribes, Pharisees, Sadduccees, or rabbis. They were plain jane ordinary men like you and me. As we stated earlier the group consisted of fishermen, common laborers, a taxcollecter, and even an anti-Roman Zealot. Jesus chose these 12 on purpose, and it was no accident that Jesus selected 12 men. Whereas the 12 tribes of Israel comprised the apostate nation, Jesus chose 12 ambassadors to preach the true message of salvation.

These men symbolized the New spiritual leadership of the nation, chosen by God Himself.