Can you think of time spent with someone who has had a profound influence on your life? Was it an elementary school teacher whose enthusiasm for science was contagious? A high school instructor who instilled a respect for the written (and spoken) word? A parent from whom you learned to love the Lord? A friend who motivated and encouraged you when you felt you were alone? Mark 3:13–19 tells you that Jesus called the twelve to be with him—and that is the heart of it. They were with him.
Jesus appointed twelve apostles. The calling of the twelve looks back– and forward. Calling the twelve looks back to the twelve sons of Israel, to the tribes which descended from them. It reminds you of the covenant people of God in the Old Testament. These are the people with which God made his covenant. To them he had displayed repeatedly his saving power. But the history of the twelve is a history of rebellion and problems. They turned to idols, experienced judgment, repented, were restored, and again turned to idolatry. The time of the kings was a brief period of glory followed by decline. Ten tribes disappeared into captivity, and finally Judah went into exile. At the time of Mark’s Gospel, the people of Israel were an oppressed group in Judea, and a people dispersed throughout the Roman empire. The choosing of the twelve looks back to the original establishment by God of the tribes as his people. But the number 12 also looks ahead. There were the representatives of the new people of God. It is not just Israel restored, it is God’s people becoming the blessing to the nations that was part of their original call. It is not that the church replaces Israel, but that we have joined our spiritual ancestors and have become the true Israel. These twelve would become the pillars of the church in the New Testament.
“This… number.. has a redemptive-historical significance. It must without doubt be related to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. And this not merely because in this number Jesus summons the whole of Israel, despite its unfaithfulness and unbelief, unto the kingdom of heaven and thereby exhorts it to repent; but much rather because these twelve disciples represent the new people of God.”
Herman Ridderbos, The Coming of the Kingdom, pp. 198–199
Jesus selected the twelve he wanted. It is clear that Jesus is the one selecting, and he is doing so for his purposes. Simon is mentioned first, and the Greek name, Peter, which Jesus gave him is also mentioned. “Rock” is the meaning of the name. While is not a pope, he does have a certain priority, a first among equals status. Along with him are James and John, whom Jesus called “sons of thunder.” Those three were picked out from among the twelve at times by Jesus to be witnesses of certain events. The remainder are mentioned, and from this point on usually not specifically identified by name in this Gospel. Matthew may well be the Levi of Mark 2:14. Appreciate something of the contrast. Matthew had been part of the unpopular establishment, Simon was a Zealot, active apparently in opposing Roman rule. The last name is Judas, and even at this first mention, he is identified as the one who betrayed Jesus. That identity follows him “like a ball and chain” through the Gospel, as Sinclair Ferguson remarks. But the identification is from a post death and resurrection perspective. At this point the twelve are simply being called by Jesus.
What purpose did Jesus have in selecting them? Jesus called the twelve . . .
. . . to be with him. One basic reason for Jesus calling the disciples was simply for companionship. He wanted them to be with him. Jesus was truly human, and we were not created to be alone. Nor was he. You see him asking the disciples to pray as he goes beyond them in the Garden of Gethsemane and wrestles in prayer. This being with Jesus qualified them for the work they were to do, John 15:26–27. Having been with Jesus was what even critics took note of regarding the disciples, Acts 4:13. Through his Word and Spirit, you can continue to be with Jesus, learning from him, being equipped for the particular areas in which he calls you to serve.
. . . to be sent to preach. “Apostle” means sent. And the twelve were being sent as heralds of the kingdom. They went in a preliminary way during the earthly ministry of Christ—the preaching tours of the 70 and of the twelve. But the term becomes a description of the same group of men (with Judas replaced) on whom the Spirit came at Pentecost, and who became the pillars of the church. They become the crucial pillars for the new temple, the new people of God. The twelve apostles appropriately fulfill the role, in an expanded way, of the twelve tribes. In Exodus 19:4–6 God called his people to be a kingdom of priests. That is finally becoming a reality .
“… Christ is the true Israel, and as true Israel, he represents the church as the continuation of true Israel from the OT. Christ came to do what Israel should have done but failed to do. Those who identify by faith with Christ, whether Jew or gentile, become identified with him and his identity as true eschatological Israel…. [T]he church is not merely like Israel, but actually is Israel. This is most in keeping with the original purpose of Israel itself and why the OT prophesies that in the eschaton gentiles will become a part of Israel and not merely be redeemed people who retain the name ‘gentiles’ and coexist along side but as a separate people from redeemed Israelites. Rather, these converted gentiles would come to be identified with Israel and Israel’s God.”
G. K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology, pages 652–653
. . . to have authority over demons. The choosing of the twelve is bracketed by accounts of Jesus triumphing over demons, verses 11, 22. Mark is reminding you that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces. Though the phenomenon of demon possession seemed to peak during Jesus’ earthly ministry (perhaps a dark parody by the evil one?), the nature of the conflict has continued unchanged. Ultimately it is the power of the Word of God that pushes back the forces of darkness. The emphasis in Mark is not on semi-magical procedures (do the exorcism just right and it will work), but on the power of the Lord, and the authority given to his church by him. That power continues to work in your life, and in the life of the apostolic church.
You are not alone. Though your Lord has ascended, you can still be with him. And his resurrection power continues to be at work in the life of his people. You are not alone. The community of the twelve has grown into the Lord’s church of every tribe, tongue, and language.