23 Jan 26 | When Jesus Calls Us Together
The calling of the Twelve reveals Jesus intentionally reconstituting Israel, exercising divine authority to gather, name, and send representatives who share His mission, power, and eventual suffering.
The Gospel: Mark 3:13-19
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Today’s Focus
When Jesus appoints the Twelve, He steps into the long story of Israel’s restoration, deliberately gathering those who should not have belonged together and rebuilding God’s people around Himself. This fulfills the Old Testament pattern of God regathering what was scattered and forming unity through covenant rather than similarity. True communion is not based on shared background, ideology, or temperament, but on relationship with Christ. In a world that sorts itself by politics, background, and belief, this Gospel asks whether Christ truly defines our unity, or whether we still cling to the lines that keep us apart.
In the Margins
If you read this Gospel and thought, well that is pretty straight forward, there is so much packed in here!
Going up to the mountain is generally reminiscent of divine revelation. This would have stood out to any first century Jew. We see this in Exodus 19-24 and again in 1 Kings 19, where Moses and Elijah respectively encounter God. By ascending before appointing, Jesus is following what had been the key way God interacted. This is not just selecting a leadership team. Jesus is doing what God does in the earliest foundation of Israel, He is forming the new covenant.
Just as Jesus has not allowed demons to announce His coming, He also does not seek council here. There is not a single Gospel that talks about, “after conferring with advisors”, or “counseled by His closest followers.” Instead, Jesus has taken this initiative on His own, echoing Old Testament election theology. The twelve did not apply for a job, they did not volunteer, they were chosen and called.
The number of disciples is not coincidence either. Twelve represents the original tribes of Israel from Genesis 49. By selecting twelve, Jesus is restoring Israel and showing His authority to redefine God’s people. This is also fulfilling the prophecies. Isaiah 11 says that God will gather the scattered remnant of Israel, which Jesus is doing by gathering the twelve. Ezekiel 37 promises that the people were to be reunited into one nation under one shepherd. Finally, Jeremiah 31 says that God will form a renewed people who truly “know the Lord.” Here we have Jesus doing all of these by calling the twelve who know him and uniting them all around Him.
This next part is pretty huge when we look at the implications from a linguistic standpoint. It says that Jesus names them Apostles. The word for this is Apostolos, but this has a legal and linguistic implication. First, linguistically, Apostolos means one who is sent with the authority of another. This has legal implication in first century Judaism, as the one sent carries the authority of the sender. This would have truly stood out to early Christians reading this passage as Jesus passing authority to the twelve Apostles. It is distinct from any authority of disciples, as they may be encouraged to follow, but they are not granted the authority of Jesus. This is derived authority, but it is real – not symbolic.
On the heels of us seeing that proximity does not equate to being close to Him, here we have twelve who are called to be “with Him.” Before they are sent to perform exorcisms or other healings, they are called to be close. They are called to live and walk in the way of Him before they are sent to represent Him. They are also an extremely diverse group of people that He has called.
The group was mixed of some who we might expect to see, but some who would have been seen as people on the outside of religion. Simon Peter was renamed, signaling a new identity and leadership role. James and John were known as “Sons of Thunder,” which may be indicative of zeal or volatility. Matthew was a known collaborator with the Romans as a tax collector. Simon the Cananean was likely associated with anti-Roman resistance. And Judas is named as the future betrayer. Jesus called a group that would have traditionally had trouble sitting in the same room together and gave them the authority of the Kingdom of God. He built unity across political, economic, and ideological lines, a fundamental redefinition of community.
It is really easy to find dividing lines today. We are so quickly divided into social classes, political groups, neighborhoods, religious beliefs, friends groups, and so much more. Every generation seems to express how theirs is the most divided generation they have ever seen. When we look back at Jesus, this is the opposite of what He called for. His entire ministry is founded around finding the commonality, love of the Lord.
Reflection Question
Where do I allow divisions (political, social, or personal) to shape my relationships more than my shared identity in Christ?
A Small Invitation
If this reflection helped you, consider sharing it with someone who may be carrying more than they were meant to.