02.18.08

Commissioning of the Twelve (Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16)

Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 7:09 am by Bryan Dunn

Commissioning of the Twelve (Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16)

Here we see 2 responses to His presentation of Himself as Messiah.

1. Opposition and rejection
2. Faith – not only in Israel, but also by others in the surrounding nations.

This was the setting that Jesus chose His disciples from – and he had many folks to choose from. But why now to organize? There certainly were good reasons. His enemies had been organizing forces to oppose His ministry for some time. For this antagonism there certainly was a need to organize. Perhaps a larger reason was that the demands of ministry were growing, and this demanded a more complete organization of those working to do a better (more complete) work. I’m certain training had a part in organizing as well (perhaps this is a good example of train the trainer). And – there was a need to set apart the once that had ‘authority’ or ‘backing’ of Jesus to go forth on His behalf in the work.

This appointment was not made on a whim, nor was it the culmination of weeks / days / months of campaigning. Instead, Jesus spent the night in prayer – utter dependence on God to guide His decision – to ensure that these were the correct choices.

What is a disciple anyway? What does the word disciple mean? What connotations does it carry with it? Disciple is a learner. One who is willing to listen to a teacher. It doesn’t mean the person accepts the word of a teacher, it only means they will listen. From those that had been listening, Jesus chose the Twelve. They were called apostles. So what does that word mean?

Apostle means a sent one. The idea of authority is not in the word disciple, however it is essential to concept of apostle. These men were appointed as Christ’s representatives. The authority He possessed was conveyed to them.

Of interest is a comparison of the 4 lists of Jesus’ chosen apostles as given.

The first 4 names in Matt/Mark/Luke/Acts begin with Simon Peter and include the same people, but not always in the same order. Likewise, the second 4 names begin with Philip and include the same people, but not always in the same order. Lastly the last 4 names follow suit in beginning with James s/o Alphaeus and end with Judas Iscariot (except for Acts).

NO LITTLE PEOPLE

The list of Jesus’ twelve disciples does not give us many details — probably because there were not many impressive details to tell.

Jesus selected ordinary men with a mixture of backgrounds and personalities to be his disciples. Jesus did not choose these twelve to be his disciples because of their faith — it often faltered. He didn’t choose them because of their talent and ability — no one stood out with unusual ability. The disciples represented a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences, and apparently they may have had no more leadership potential than those who were not chosen. The one characteristic they all shared was their willingness to obey Jesus.

Today, God calls ordinary people together to build his church, teach salvation’s message, and serve others out of love. Individual Christians may feel unqualified to serve Christ effectively, but with other believers, they make up a group strong enough to serve God in any way. Remember that it is the oneness that believers have in Jesus that holds them together. Without that, all the congregations would break apart. Ask for patience to accept the diversity of people in your church, and for wisdom to see their gifts and abilities. Build on the variety of strengths represented in your group.

Jesus called people from all backgrounds and occupations — fishermen, religious activists, tax collectors. He called common people and uncommon leaders; rich and poor; educated and uneducated. Today, many people think only certain people can follow Christ, but this was not the attitude of the Master himself. God can use anyone, no matter how insignificant he or she appears. When you feel small and useless, remember that God uses ordinary people to do his extraordinary work.

(from The Life Application Commentary Series copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 by the Livingstone Corporation. Produced with permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Permalink