Mark 3:13-19 13And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. 14And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and so that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to cast out demons. 16And he appointed the twelve: and he gave Simon the name Peter; 17and James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder; 18and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Important things happen on mountains in the Bible. Mountains are often thought of as places of new revelation. Being high up gives a person a good look at things far away, even hundreds of miles on a clear day. The next major event in Jesus’ ministry was a key point of revelation as he chose twelve men to be his close companions. Jesus had many disciples who followed him, but of those numbers, he chose a small group to train. The number twelve is symbolic in the Bible, particularly in its relation to the twelve tribes of Israel. A small yet powerful new movement began when God called a people of twelve tribes to be close to him and learn his ways. What Jesus did on the mountain echoes Israel’s call.
Jesus called the small group of disciples the Greek word brought directly into English apostles (apostolous). This word literally means “one sent out.” The twelve apostles were chosen for a specific purpose with a specific task. They were not to sit at home in their comfortable chair but were to go out into the world. Their special job is described in verses 14-15. Basically, Jesus called them to imitate him. Their mission is expressed using three purpose clauses (two hina purpose clauses with the last divided into two infinitive of purpose clauses).
The first gives the most essential: so that they might be with him. There are two essential ways to understand this. Historically, the disciples would spend the next two-three years in close companionship with Jesus. They would travel all over Galilee and Judea, even to Jerusalem, the heart of the nation. They would go from quiet fishing villages to standing before the rulers of the people. They watched what Jesus did and listened to what he taught. Spiritually, they would be stretched, convicted, challenged, and, at times, rebuked. Their faith would grow to the point that they would be ready to give up even their own lives. Their worldviews would be forever changed. They would be called to lay down their lives and take up their crosses. All of this was possible because they were with Jesus. Jesus promised that he would always be with them through the Holy Spirit. Discipleship begins and continues with being with Jesus.
The second grammatical purpose (hina) focuses on two specific ministry tasks the apostles were to do. Both of these ministries were the focus of what Jesus was doing. One is to preach the good news of the kingdom. They began to do this with earnestness on the day of Pentecost, represented by Peter’s message to the gathered pilgrims. Preaching simply means proclaiming or speaking a message. The apostles were “sent out” to “share the message” about Jesus and the new life he brings to people. The second infinitive shows that as the disciples went out into world with this message of hope, they did it with power and authority. As representatives of Jesus, they would be able to cast out demons. Demons represented the greatest spiritual enemy for the people and deep spiritual conflict many of them experienced. The cast out demons would result in spiritual healing, restoration in families, and the victory that comes with calm peace.
Mark next list the twelve special disciples Jesus chose to be with him. We know little or nothing about many of the apostles. Some of them are mentioned individually only a few times but mentioned as a group more often. Traditions developed after the period covered by the New Testament about where the various apostles went in the decades following Pentecost. There is often some truth behind the traditions, but it is impossible to prove the accuracy of some of the writings that came centuries after the lifetime of the apostles. The list begins with the leader and ends with the traitor. Both Peter and Judas will have a part in Jesus’ trial later on.
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