Appointed by Jesus

In the spirit of Mark’s Gospel, I want to immediately begin reading for us in Mark chapter 3 verse 7 through verse 19. In these verses, we are going to see that despite opposition from the Pharisees, Jesus’ popularity continued to increase. And with this increased popularity came the overwhelming demands of ministering to the masses. As a result, Jesus would appoint twelve men in particular whom He would delegate to further His Kingdom ministry on earth.

Let’s read Mark 3:7-19.

Mark 3:7–8 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.

Mark 3:9–10 ESV

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.

Mark 3:11–12 ESV

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.

Mark 3:13–15 ESV

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.

Mark 3:16–19 ESV

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.

At first glance, this passage doesn’t appear to have much going on. In comparison to chapter 2, this section in chapter 3 doesn’t have much drama, or any dialogue for that matter. It’s just Mark recapping what happens next in the ministry of Jesus. And yet, I would argue that verses 7 to 19 are some of the most crucial verses concerning the identity and activity of the Church.

The verses before us here in Mark are quite crucial because the Church, as Scripture tells us, is “built on the foundation of the apostles… Christ Himself [being] the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). And so what we have in Mark 3:7-19 is Christ pouring the foundation of His Church by appointing His apostles. Arguably, there is a lot going on in this passage! Jesus is officially commissioning these men for Kingdom ministry as His ambassadors on earth. These men are now set apart by Christ to be with Christ and to be sent out by Christ in order to preach Christ with the authority of Christ. In modern terms, this is the ordination of Christ’s unique ministers. All twelve have been called into ministry, to serve Christ, His Kingdom, and His people.

Now, while this passage explicitly deals with the specific calling and commission of the twelve apostles, because we have the entirety of the four Gospels, not to mention the whole New Testament, we are also able to make some correlations to our own calling and commission as believers. In particular, this passage has much to say about our identity and activity, not just as individual Christians, but also as a local church. Just as Jesus appointed these twelve to be His Kingdom agents and called them into ministry, so also:

Theme: Jesus appoints His Church to be His authorized agents for Kingdom ministry on earth.

Obviously, there are major differences and distinctions between the apostles calling and commission compared with our calling and commission. And yet, there are many commonalities and similarities. This morning I want to emphasize those commonalities.

With that said, let’s go ahead and dive into the text. If your Bible has paragraph divisions, then typically this passage in Mark is divided into two paragraphs. The first paragraph is set on the lakeside with the crowds. The second paragraph moves to the mountainside with the chosen. So, that is a helpful way for us to outline this section. First, we are going to briefly go lakeside in verses 7 to 12, where we will see The Masses Crowding. Then, we will spend most of our time on the mountainside in verses 13 to 19, where we see The Ministers Chosen.

1. The Masses Crowding (v. 7-12)

Going lakeside then on the Lake or Sea of Galilee, we see that Jesus had departed the synagogue, where He had gone head-to-head with the Pharisees over the Sabbath, and is now attempting to withdraw Himself for some much needed solitude. Except, as we clearly see in this paragraph, Jesus isn’t able to get alone.

I don’t want us to get too bogged down by the details in this portion of the text because we’ve seen this stuff before back in chapter one. At this point in the Lord’s ministry His popularity has resulted in many more people coming to Him to be cured of their diseases or disabilities and demons pop up to challenge Him. There are two aspects that are worth pointing out to you in this paragraph.

The Diversity

Mark 3:7–8 ESV

Firstly, I want you to note the diversity of the great crowd that flocked to Jesus that day. These people were from all over. Mark mentions Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. Each of these regions were principally Jewish territories. And then Mark mentions that people came from Idumea, which is 120 miles or so south of Capernaum, Jesus’ main hub for ministry right now. And also people came from trans-Jordan, which would be to the east. These two regions would have contained a mixed Jewish and Gentile population. And finally people also came from around Tyre and Sidon, 50 miles to the north, comprised mostly, if not entirely, of Gentiles.

We see the popularity of Jesus can no longer be contained to the borders of the region of Galilee, but has now reached regions to the north, south, and east. His fame has grown larger than that of John the Baptist’s at this point. John only drew crowds from Judea and Jerusalem; primarily Jews. But Jesus is gathering crowds not only from Jewish cultures familiar with the Messiah, but also crowds from non-Jewish cultures who were probably oblivious to anything regarding the Messiah.

The point of Mark mentioning the diversity of the crowds further emphasizes the identity of Jesus. Recall that Mark, in the first half of this Gospel, is showing that Jesus is the Servant of the Lord prophesied in Isaiah. Mark seems to be echoing the prophecies in Isaiah concerning the Servant of the Lord who would be “a light for the nations, that [the LORD’s] salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isa. 49:6). Jesus’ popularity to this diverse group of people was the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy.

The Intensity

Secondly, note the intensity of the crowd. Although the diversity of the crowd coming to Jesus may be somewhat positive, the intentions and size of the crowd give off a different tone.

Mark 3:9–10 ESV

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.

Here the crowd is portrayed as a mob. The verbs “crush” and “pressed” in these two verses give off a menacing aura. We may tend to think of Jesus as having this nice cushion of space around Him as He was surrounded by a polite, organized group of peaceful people all the time. But Mark pictures them more as a disorganized group of passionate people pushing in upon the Lord. No social distancing! Think of the celebrities and paparazzi of our day and that’s pretty much Jesus and the crowds. No space, boundaries, or privacy.

This crowd is less like the single file line in the Walmart check-out lane and more like the impatient shoppers on Black Friday rushing into the store to grab the five big-screen TVs that were advertised in the paper.

It appears this crowd was drawn to Jesus because of His miracles, not because of His message concerning the Kingdom of God. They’d heard of His power and had come all the way to Him to have their physical problems solved. They believed that if they could just touch Jesus, then all their troubles would be resolved.

On top of the people closing in on Jesus, we also see demons rising up to challenge Him again. The authority of Jesus has made Him popular, not only in the physical realm, but also in the spiritual realm. Presumably, these demons know Jesus’ mission and have popped up again to see if they can’t trip Him up; knock Him off course.

But, once again, Jesus exercised His authority and would not allow anyone else, the people or the demons, to determine the outcome of His mission or direction of His ministry. He silenced the demons and withdrew further from the masses.

This would be a good moment to pause for some reflection. As we examine this diverse and intense crowd pressing in on Jesus, we should think carefully about our intentions for drawing near to Christ. We need to ask ourselves, “Am I seeking Jesus because of what He can give me or because of who He is? Am I merely a fan of Jesus or am I a follower of Jesus?” A fan seeks to be entertained and are able to determine the depth and length of their involvement. But a follower is committed and their involvement is determined by the One they follow.

Don’t be a fair-weather-fan of Jesus. You are going to encounter seasons when Jesus doesn’t give you what you think you need. When the sun is covered by clouds of doubt, classes or work become difficult, old or new relationships become strained, and other overwhelming problems of life pop up one after another, in those times when you don’t feel as if you’re experiencing Christ’s blessings, will you still seek Him? Will you still draw near to Jesus? Is Jesus Himself enough for you? Will you faithfully follow Him, not because of what He can give you, but because of who He is?

2. The Ministers Chosen (v. 13-19)

Moving into the second paragraph, we see that the demands on Jesus’ ministry result in Him delegating ministry responsibilities to a select few. Jesus took His disciples away from the seaside and up a nearby mountain. It is here on the mountainside that we see the ministers chosen.

There are two details that I want to hone in on concerning these men. Beginning with verse 13 and also the first half of verse 14.

Mark 3:13–14 ESV

A. Their Calling

The first detail we run into regarding these men is their calling. We are to understand that there were many of Jesus’ disciples or followers on that mountainside. But, out of the many, Jesus appointed, called out, only twelve.

Mark 3:13–14 ESV

The language is very emphatic. These twelve were called because Jesus desired to call them to Himself. It is not as if Jesus left it open for His followers to choose who would be among the 12. The disciples don’t get to decide that. Jesus made the decision.

This was quite uncommon in that culture. Rabbis were not the ones who went out calling disciples to themself. Customarily, it was the disciples decision who they wanted to follow and learn from. It would be similar to students choosing a college to attend and figuring out what electives to take based on what courses sound interesting and what professors were less intimidating. Traditionally, disciples chose their Rabbi in hopes of one day surpassing their master’s abilities and teachings. Rabbis were more of a stepping stone to greatness and success. It was more about what the disciple was able to make of themselves.

But here we see that Jesus’ program is much different. He appoints His inner circle of disciples, rather than them enlisting. He sets the terms for what this calling will mean, not them. And this appointment is all about what Jesus will make of these men, not what these men can make of themselves or do on their own. In fact, the word used for “appointed” in verse 14, despite being a very common verb in the New Testament, signifies that these twelve disciples are being made into a new creation. Many pastors and commentators have proposed that it was Mark’s intention to point his readers to the opening line of Genesis in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, where the very same verb is used to say, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Whether or not that is true, the point remains that this appointment by Christ is not centered on what His disciples can do for Him, but is all about what Jesus will make of them.

We can take a look at the list of names in verses 16 to 19 and we are surprised at just how average and common they were at this point in their lives. It’s a list of names ranging from fishermen to tax collectors. Middle class Jewish citizens and social outcasts. They were uneducated, unimpressive, unknown, and undesirable. If we were assembling a ministry team today we wouldn’t have chosen these guys. And yet, these are the men Jesus would use to turn the world upside down by appointing them to be His apostles.

Apostles. There’s an important word. It means “one who is sent out” in the generic sense. But, Mark is not using it in the generic sense. When we read of these twelve throughout the New Testament, and those who would later replace or be added to the number of this group, the authors use this term “apostle” in a unique, specific way. In this sense, apostle refers to a designated office. They are men appointed and sent out into the world by the Lord to fulfill a special mission as the authorized representatives of Jesus Christ.

In the official usage of this word “apostle”, we understand it to be an exclusive office. Meaning, not just anyone can hold the office of apostle. It is true that all apostles are disciples of Jesus. But not all disciples of Jesus are apostles. The terms are not interchangeable. We see that clear distinction in Matthew.

Matthew 10:1–4 ESV

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 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; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Notice the change in terminology from twelve disciples to twelve apostles.

If you are still curious about what the qualifications and marks of the apostolic office are, then I direct you to the list on the bottom right on the inside of your bulletins. Out of those seven, let me just highlight two that best argue that the office of apostle was 1) an exclusive group and 2) an office that no longer exists or is necessary here on earth at this point in history.

Firstly, you’ll note that in order to hold the office of apostle, one had to be a witness of the Lord’s resurrected body. The apostle Peter instructed after Christ’s ascension that another man had to be appointed to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle, saying:

Acts 1:21–22 ESV

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

Paul defends his apostleship to the Corinthians by arguing that he had seen the risen Lord. Which he had on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 8.

Then secondly, you’ll notice that the last point on that list states that the apostles and their teachings are the foundation of the Church. There are some who today believe that the office of apostle is still an open position in the Church. You can go home later and turn on your TVs and you’ll see someone standing on a stage speaking to a massive audience and on the bottom of the screen the person’s name will appear as “Apostle So-and-So”. And what’s worse, you can actually go online, pay a certain fee, and you will receive in the mail a certificate that states you are now an apostle of the Church.

However, Ephesians 2:20 states the apostles and the prophets are the foundation upon which the Church is being built up together. In other words, the foundation cannot continue to be laid down if the building is being built up. Do you get what I mean? The foundation of the Church has been established. No need for a bigger foundation. The apostles, prophets, and Christ Himself with their teachings as they are revealed in Scripture are already sufficient to support the weight of the growing Church.

All this to say, the apostolic office is a unique calling from the Lord. They were ordinary men whom Christ empowered to do extraordinary things.

B. Their Commission

Which brings me to the next important detail regarding the Lord’s chosen ministers. With their calling comes their commission. While we may not be able to relate to their calling as apostles in the official sense, we should be able to relate to their commission in general. Here was Christ’s purpose in calling these twelve:

Mark 3:14–15 ESV

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.

For the sake of time, I want to boil Jesus’ commission for His apostles down into two overarching purposes. And I think you will find these to be highly relatable and relevant to your Christian life and to our mission as a local church.

i.) Abide

Number one, Jesus purposes that these twelve would abide. “He appointed twelve, so that they might be with Him”. From this moment on, these men were to leave everything behind in order to be with the Lord. For the rest of Christ’s earthly ministry, these twelve would learn from Him and would go everywhere and do everything with Him. Jesus would teach them how to pray, He would teach them the things concerning Himself from the Old Testament, and He would teach them many lessons about humility and service. Again and again, Jesus would tell them why He came. And even though they didn’t understand everything He taught them at first, eventually these men were shaped into the instruments Jesus would use to build His Church. All because Jesus appointed them to abide in Him.

The Church’s commission isn’t any different. We too have been appointed by Him for Kingdom ministry. And that will require us to abide in Him. Jesus would later reinforce this truth to these twelve by teaching:

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

And again Jesus promises:

John 15:7 ESV

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Abiding in Jesus was how these apostles became prepared to accomplish the ministry that was given to them. They depended upon Him and drew upon His power to do amazing things for His Kingdom and glory. The same must be true of us as individuals and as a church.

Graduates, as you step into a new arena of life you will need to abide in Jesus. As one who has been in your shoes not so long ago, let me encourage you to spend more time than you think you need with Jesus. Be diligent to:

Pray constantly

Study His Word earnestly

Listen to His voice obediently

Fellowship with His people in a local church regularly

Worship Him reverently

Trust Him daily

From personal experience, these things will help you to abide in Him faithfully.

And that goes for all of us together as a church. We cannot hope to accomplish the Lord’s mission for this church if we fail to abide in Him. Without Him, we can do nothing. We must be a praying people. We must be people of the Book. We must be obedient to the Spirit’s leading. We need to be fellowshipping with one another. We must be a worshipful people. We must be a people whose trust is in the trustworthy Lord.

If we would see the ministry of this church bear fruit for Christ, then we must realize that a key ingredient is to abide in Christ.

ii.) Advance

Now number two, the second purpose Jesus had in appointing these twelve men was that they would advance. That “He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons” (Mk. 3:14-15). Christ appointed His apostles to be preachers. This should be no surprise to us, really. After all, so far in Mark we have learned that “John [the Baptist] appeared… preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mk. 1:4) and “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God” (Mk. 1:14). The forerunner to the Messiah and the Messiah Himself were preachers, therefore it is appropriate that those who are to follow the Messiah must also be preachers!

The apostles were to be the emissaries of Christ, messengers for the King of kings. And like any good messenger, they were to relay to others the message of the King, and only the message of the King. They were not to add to it, subtract from it, or change it in any way. As authorized agents, these apostles represented the King and so when they spoke they spoke on His behalf.

We can get a pretty good idea of the message they were commissioned to preach as they went out first to the Jews and eventually to the nations. This word “preach” in the New Testament, which simply means to herald important news publicly and loudly, almost always pertains to the message of the Kingdom of God or it pertains to the King Himself, Jesus Christ. The word is used 64 times throughout the New Testament and scarcely does it ever refer to anything other than gospel preaching.

And from the evidence we have in Acts and the other letters of the apostles, we know that is exactly what they understood their commission to be from Christ. The source of their message was the gospel as it is revealed in the Word of God. And the subject of their message was Jesus Christ, His cross, and His eternal Kingdom. These apostles preached Christ and His substitutionary-sacrificial death on the cross; through whom and by which God graciously saves any who would repent of their sins and look to Jesus Christ by faith as the sole soul saving Savior from sin, death, and judgment.

This gospel message has power. It is the message of how Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8). And thus, it is the message we much still boldly proclaim today. The preaching of the gospel is the primary method God uses to save sinners. It is the only message in the world that has power to prevail over the spiritual forces of darkness. It is our belt of truth which readies us for battle and our sword of the Spirit which we use to slay the enemy as we are empowered by the strength of the Lord.

Jesus promises:

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

That’s the power of this message we are to proclaim. It has the authority of Christ behind it, in it, above it, and under it to build and to battle.

As Christ’s Church, we have been authorized as His Kingdom agents who must not only abide in Him but who also must advance with Him in His power as we proclaim the gospel in our homes, in our community. The Lord has placed us right where He would have us and He has given to us an important ministry; an urgent ministry; a ministry with eternal implications. Consequently, we must preach the gospel accurately and fearlessly; not compromising or corrupting the message, but presenting it clearly and carefully for it is the only message the King has commanded us to speak.

And so we must be a people who recognize we are all in this ministry together; called and commissioned by Christ to go to a world that is dying and proclaim to them the Words of Life.

Conclusion

As we look at this list of apostles, we might be tempted to think, “Well, I certainly don’t measure up! These men were super-soldiers for Jesus. How could I possibly do what they did?” That’s when we need to remember that this list is full of ordinary men who had an extraordinary Lord. Half of these men we know almost nothing about. Their ministries were fruitful, but their works remain mostly anonymous. Then the other half, although they would go on to do great things, they weren’t perfect either. Peter faltered. Thomas doubted. And don’t forget Judas Iscariot. He fell away and betrayed Jesus.

So where’s our encouragement to press on and be faithful Kingdom agents of Christ on earth? Well, I think it comes at the very end of Matthew and Mark’s Gospels. At the end of Matthew we read:

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And similarly we read at the end of Mark:

Mark 16:19–20 ESV

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

Our encouragement is that the Lord is with us. Wherever we go, whoever we encounter, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves, we are not alone. The work before us as a church may seem difficult or at times perplexing, but we have Jesus who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. If we would abide in Him and advance with Him as His authorized Kingdom agents there shall be fruit that grows on the vine and a harvest in the field for us to reap.

May the Lord find us faithful.

May He bless us with His grace.

May He give to us His favor.

And help us run His race.

AMEN

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