Scripture Reference: Mark 3:7-35

The Call – Continued

From Last Lesson: The disciple’s job will be to cover the ground in a way in which no single individual, no matter how powerful and persuasive, could ever do.

This is the beginning of the church. When Jesus calls people today, He calls them into the same mission. People sometimes ask if He has given us the same authority, even over demons, that He gave the disciples. Demons figure prominently in Jesus’ ministry because it was His unique mission to confront Satan and defeat Him; Jesus’ appearance on earth seems to have drawn out demonic opposition on a massive scale that has never been seen before or since. Yet demons still exist today. We don’t expect to meet them very often, but we should not be shocked when we do. If we belong to this new people, the church, then we too have the authority of Jesus over the spiritual powers, including Satan himself when he tempts us or tells us we are useless. Although the first disciples’ position was unique, there is a sense in which every Christian is part of the Twelve.

Now let’s take a closer look at the twelve Jesus calls at first (see verses 16-19). Even “Judas” has his part to play in God’s purposes. Some of them have extra names, nicknames, and they are very significant. This is not a gallery of heroes, at least not yet. Simon is called “Peter,” meaning “the (small) rock.” Jesus calls him that because he is going to be a strong foundation of the new people, the church, one day! For now, though, the name is somewhat ironic, for Peter is one of the most unstable people you will meet. The brothers “James . . . and John,” whom He nicknamed “Sons of Thunder,” explosive hotheads who can create a violent argument out of thin air. The other “Simon, the Canaanite,” also known as Simon, the Zealot. The “zealots” later become an organized extremist group, who in forty years’ time will lead the revolt against the Romans, a sort of first-century Hezbollah whose tactics include mingling with the crowds, sidling up to suspected collaborators and sticking daggers in their backs. That organized violence still lies in the future, but it shows where Simon’s sympathies lie. Simon now finds himself in the same group as “Matthew,” or Levi, the former tax collector and collaborator. To put it mildly, the Twelve are indeed a motley crew . . . unqualified, untraveled, untrained, yet called by Jesus to be the founding fathers of the church. With them He will turn the world upside down.

Today however, many who admire Jesus are content to remain in the crowd. They never do hear the call and climb the mountainside. The crowd is a comfortable place to be. You don’t have to commit yourself to anything when you’re lost in the crowd. You can turn up in Galilee to watch Jesus do His thing, but then you can walk away. We need to show people that it’s not enough to be part of the crowd. We have to come to Him on His terms, in His way, when we do hear Him call. Unlike the man watching Jean François at Niagara Falls, we have to turn our admiration into faith. If we have heard the call and have responded to it, then verses 13-18 remind us what we are called to: to be “with Him,” intimately, surrendered, and not as nodding acquaintances, but to know Him. And we are called to ministry, to serve others, just like the original Twelve.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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