12

Mark 3:13-19

"13 And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him.

14 And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach,

15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;

17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed Him: and they went into an house."

These verses mark a pivotal shift in Jesus’s ministry; from attracting crowds to forming a structured community that will carry on His work.

Jesus ascends a mountain (a place of divine revelation, echoing Moses at Sinai) and summons “those whom He wanted.” Discipleship begins with His sovereign choice, not human initiative. The men respond immediately, showing grace-enabled obedience.

Dual Purpose of the Twelve

Jesus appoints them to be with Him (intimacy and relationship first) and to be sent out to preach, heal, and cast out demons (mission and authority). Relationship with Christ always precedes fruitful ministry.

By choosing exactly twelve, Jesus symbolically reconstitutes God’s people; the twelve tribes of Israel, forming a new covenant community founded on faith in Him, not ethnicity. This group becomes the apostolic foundation of the Church.

The Character of the Chosen

The list reveals striking diversity and human frailty:

•Simon (Peter) — “Rock,” despite his impulsiveness.

•James and John — “Sons of Thunder,” reflecting their fiery zeal.

•Simon the Zealot — likely a former political revolutionary.

•Judas Iscariot — the one who would betray Him.

Judas’s inclusion is sobering: divine calling does not override human free will. Proximity to Jesus does not guarantee salvation.

This passage shows that Jesus’s mission is communal and participatory. He empowers ordinary men; fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, with His authority to preach and act in His name. The event bridges the Old Covenant and the New, launching the Church’s witness to the ends of the earth.