Mark 3:7-21
Mark 3:7-21
Big Idea: Jesus called the disciples with purpose, on purpose, for a purpose.
Look back at verse 6, “The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him.” All the claims that Jesus had made previously had now led to the religious leaders plotting on how to take Jesus down.
He had claimed the ability to forgive sins
He was eating and spending time with tax collectors and sinners
He told the religious leaders that He had come to do away with their religious system, and usher in a new one
His disciples broke the law on the Sabbath, and Jesus claimed to be Lord over it (again claiming to be God)
He broke Sabbath law again by healing a man with a withered hand
The Pharisees see their influence decreasing. People are flocking to Jesus, and the power that they held was slipping through their fingers. Jesus knows this, so he withdraws out of the city and back to the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It wasn’t just the locals that were taken captive by this Jesus, people were coming from all over to witness the miracles that He was performing. Look here at the magnitude of the crowds: “From Galilee, Judea (67 miles), Jerusalem (76 miles), Idumea (85 miles); beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon (40 & 52 miles).” Estimations would tell us that people would usually travel between 20-25 miles a day during this time. So, people have traveled for 3 days just to see what all the hype is about. Word travels quickly.
We don’t know how many people made up this crowd, but we know that it was enough for Jesus to always have a boat at the ready in case they needed to create some space. “Lest they crush Him,” Mark says. Imagine this scene! But, let’s not miss WHY they were all coming to Jesus. Mark says they were all coming because he had healed a lot of people, so everyone who was sick was trying to touch Jesus to receive healing. If someone with an unclean spirit came near, and the spirit saw Jesus, that person fell down before Jesus and professed Him as the Son of God. I mean, again, imagine this scene.
But, there is much work yet to be done. There are probably thousands of people in this crowd, some even speculate tens of thousands, but they aren’t coming to Jesus to have their sins forgiven, they are coming because of diseases and spiritual oppression that had plagued them or their family members. Yes they believed that Jesus had the power to heal, but they still had to be shown and taught what it really meant to be wholly healed by the power of Jesus.
So he goes up to a mountain, and chooses the 12 that would help start the spiritual revolution that was about to explode. Jesus, in his humanity, could not help everyone. So, He gathers to Himself a team of people to show them what it means to follow Him, and what it means for them to carry out the mission that He had come to fulfill.
In the 2nd half of our passage this morning, we see Jesus appointing the 12 for 3 specific reasons:
Three-Fold Purpose of the Original 12
Before jumping right into these, let’s note a few things of importance. Somehow Jesus is able to leave the crowd behind, and get away to a more secluded place with some of his followers. The implication would be that there were more than 12 there at that time, based on the language that is used. But here’s the important part, Jesus didn’t ask these men if they wanted to be part of the 12. Jesus knew who He wanted and appointed them. In John 15:16, when Jesus was in the Upper Room with the 12, He says, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” Jesus knew exactly what He was doing.
And this is a huge turning point in His ministry. Up to this point, it’s been Jesus doing everything, and many had been observing and following Him. Now, he is creating a ministry team of sorts. They will learn and grow with Him, participating hands-on in the ministry that Jesus will have, and even beyond Jesus’ time on earth. There is purpose in it. Jesus calls the 12 to Himself for a purpose, with His mission in mind. Keep that in mind, because it’s the same for us. When Jesus calls us to Himself, He gives us purpose in it. Alright, so 3 responsibilities that He called these disciples to:
1.. To Be With Him (14)
It has to start here. It has to start with personal experience. How will they be able to speak about something if they have not experienced it themselves? How are they going to teach the message of Jesus if they don’t hear it from Jesus Himself?
Which is easier for us? To speak from something that we have seen someone else do or experience, or to experience something ourselves? Some years ago I did this thing called Flyboarding (show picture). I could be sitting across the table from you, and said something like, “dude, did you see this new thing called flyboarding? I saw this video on YouTube, and it looks insane. Wouldn’t it be cool to try that?” OR, I could sit across the table from you and say something like, “Dude! I did this thing called flyboarding. And it was insane. This hose was connected to the jet ski jets, and when they pulled the throttle, it shot the water up into the board, and propelled me into the air. It was a bit tricky to maintain balance, but once I got it, it was AWESOME. It literally felt like I was flying. And then, I tried to swim like a dolphin. I put my head down and just went for it. I’ve never experience anything like it before. You HAVE to try it!”
Now, if you were into this sort of thing, which would be more convincing? Me having watched a video and telling you about it? Or me having done it? YES! Because speaking from experience builds credibility. When you speak from experience, there’s passion, there’s excitement.
Jesus is calling them to experience with Him. He’s like, “come and experience what I am about to do. Observe it, then let’s talk about it. Ask questions. Learn from me. Watch what I can do, and participate in this ministry with me. Lend me a hand. Serve people with me. Love people with me. Experience the power of God manifested through me.”
This is where it had to start with the disciples, and this is where it HAS to start with us. Before we can expect to have any sort of impact for the gospel, we have to experience Jesus. We have to allot Him to transform us. We have to learn from Him and grow in Him. We have to attach our lives to His so that our life is being fueled by Him. Then, and only then can we move on to the next piece.
2.. To Preach (14)
This is a specific task that the disciples had been given. Just like the third, we have to look first at the context around what this meant specifically for the 12. Remember, there was a lot of ground to cover. Jesus could not have possibly covered it on his own. Remember what Jesus said a few chapters ago about His purpose? He said, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”
So he gathers these 12. These 12, ordinary men. These 12, mostly uneducated men. And he tells them that they are going to get out there and preach. The first purpose sounds like a non-negotiable for us. This second one we can maybe sit here and say, “well, preaching, I mean that’s reserved for a preacher. That’s reserved for a pastor.” But let me draw your attention to a few other passages.
Romans 10:14-15 - “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Sounds like global implications to me.
How about this one:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Great Commission)
While contextually, we could look at Jesus telling 12 specific men that they were to preach. And we think of preaching today as a role set aside for those who have been called to preach. But, can I submit to you this morning that taking into account the other passages in the New Testament, it would seem that the role of all believers is one of talking about and teaching people about Jesus.
But this has to be closely tied into the first point. In order for us to believe deeply in the truth of the gospel, enough to want to share it with others, we have to experience Jesus on a deep soul level. Think about this. What are the things that you are most passionate about in life? Let’s take sports as an example, given that March Madness is in full swing. For me, it’s the greatest time of year. I love it. Grew up playing basketball, family brackets every year. In my old office one of my walls was chalkboard paint, and every year I would measure and draw the brackets with precise line lengths and spacing, using a ruler. I love it. This year was the first year probably since high school that I wasn’t able to watch much of the tournament, but most years, I could talk for hours about the tournament. If you know me well, you know that I love college basketball.
But, I hope that, also if you know me well, you know that I love Jesus, even more.
3.. To Cast Out Demons (15)
We don’t quite have the time this morning to completely unpack the implications of the disciples being given power to cast out demons, along with the theological idea of cessation, which means that the spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing stopped at the end of the Apostolic age. There is a whole message there, probably a whole mini-series there. Without getting into the deep waters there, let’s hang out in the shallow end for just a minute. What Jesus was bringing was brand new. This way of thinking and living was brand new.
Jesus proved His authority by performing miracles, healing the sick, casting out demons, even bringing the dead back to life. In order for the disciples to prove that they spoke on the authority of God, Jesus gave them the ability to cast out demons. It was a form of credibility as they sought to preach this new message of salvation.
Read vs. 16-21
It’s important to lock this last verse away for later. Jesus’ family had heard about the claims He was making. They knew that He was probably not sleeping well, eating well, maybe not taking care of Himself like He maybe should because of how much energy He was using to take care of the crowds, so they come to literally “seize Him.” It’s like a massive family intervention. So even His own family thinks that He is out of His mind. This is why later we see Jesus make mention of who His true “relatives” are.
So, what about us?
Application
1 Peter 2:9 says, "you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
Just like the disciples were called with purpose, on purpose, for a purpose, so is everyone who is called by Jesus today. There are now over 8 billion people in the world. How will those 8 billion hear if someone doesn’t tell them?! How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news.
If you’ve ever struggled finding purpose, just start here! You have been saved SO THAT you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
