CHOSEN AND APPOINTED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

Mark 3:13-19

One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles: Simon (whom He named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Luke 6:12-16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Our journey through the Gospels and the work of Jesus has shown us the progressive nature of His ministry and the number of people He attracted. The more He did, the larger the crowds that formed, and the larger the crowds that formed, the greater opportunity was presented for Him to do miraculous works, mostly in the way of healing the afflicted and driving out demons from the possessed.

During this time, we also Jesus calling some men to follow Him, four of which were fishermen who Jesus promised would become fishers of men (Simon, Andrew, James, and John). Later, He would invite a tax collector named Matthew to join the first four as His disciple.

As we look at today’s twin passages from the Gospels of Mark and Luke, we find Jesus expanding the number of His closest associates to twelve. Look again at these verses:

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.  Mark 3:13-19

One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles: Simon (whom He named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.  Luke 6:12-16

Of note, it’s important to keep in mind that there wasn’t a set list of qualifications to be selected as an apostle. It wasn’t like interested men would fill out an application and submit a resume, be screened by some human resources, and formerly interviewed for the apostle position. Rather, the scriptures make it clear that the twelve men who became Jesus’ apostles were first chosen by Jesus Himself and then appointed for specific purposes.

The event took place after Jesus had “spent the night praying to God” on a mountainside. Perhaps He was conferring with His Father about the selections He was soon to make. The next morning, we read where Jesus “called His disciples to Him” and “chose twelve of them”. He then appointed them to with the intent to “send them out to preach” and to “have authority to drive out demons”. In other words, the newly selected apostles would serve as an extension of the powerful ministry work Jesus had already been doing. The scriptures tell us they were:

Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

I find it interesting that both Mark and Luke make it a point to identify Judas as Jesus’ betrayer/traitor well before it happens. And yet, Jesus did nothing to stop what would soon happen, allowing Judas to do the dirty work for the Pharisees and Sadducees instead of eliminating the threat once aware of it. Jesus knew what His destiny was and who would play key roles along the way to complete it before anything actually happened. He always kept His eye on the target and that was to be the Lamb sent by God to take away the sins of the world so anyone who believed in Him would be saved.

In other words, Jesus was first chosen and appointed by His Father before He chose and appointed any of His apostles.

Today, Jesus is still in the business of seeking and finding disciples for appointment to specific purposes, purposes which include the following:

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

If you have received Jesus as Savior, it’s time to get to work in carrying out your appointment to grow the body of Christ followers and, in doing so, expand and further His kingdom here on earth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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