The Disciples of Jesus
Text: Mark 3:7-19
Core Idea: The disciples of Jesus are those who have been called because Jesus desired to be with them, and created to be sent out to proclaim and demonstrate the power of the gospel together as a community of disciples.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. It’s good to see all of you here in-person, and welcome to those who are joining us online. I pray that all of us will be refreshed through His Word and through His Spirit. And if you’re visiting us for the first time, I want to warmly welcome you. I pray that you won’t leave this place without experiencing the fullness of His love for you.
Well, as a church, we’re looking at the life of Jesus through the Gospel of Mark with the hopes that we would come to know and encounter the real Jesus – not a Jesus we make up, but the real Jesus as He really was. This is so important for our faith journey because true transformation is not possible without embracing the real Jesus. Here’s what I mean: unless you know that Jesus not only has the authority but wants to forgive your sins, you’ll continue to live under the crushing weight of guilt and shame. Unless you know that Jesus is the Friend of sinners, you’ll continue to keep your distance from Him out of fear. Unless you know that Jesus is the Bridegroom who is committed to you, you’ll continue to live in uncertainty, constantly questioning His love for you. Unless you know that Jesus is the True Sabbath for your souls, you’ll never be able to fully rest from the demands and pressures of life because you believe that your worth comes from your performance. But if you know all these things and more, if this isn’t just in your head but you begin to experience the implications of these truths, your life will be turned upside down and inside out. This is how we grow. And even better news is that Jesus wants to see you transformed – He desires for growth in your life. Listen to what Dane Ortlund says, “We will grow in Christ only as we recognize the ally Jesus Christ is to us, now in heaven. He did not die and rise again on our behalf back then only to stand now with arms crossed seeing how we’ll do in response. He continues to work on our behalf advocating for us when no one else will, not even we ourselves. He is more committed to your growth in Him than you are.” Think about that for a second. Jesus is committed to our growth even when we continue to fail and fall, even when we’re distracted, and even when we have stopped pursuing altogether. He will never give up on you. I pray that you’ll hear this truth today. He will see to it that you grow and mature as His disciples. Then with this in mind, let’s turn to Mark 3:7-19. Let me read this for us.
7 Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all He was doing, many people came to Him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd He told His disciples to have a small boat ready for Him, to keep the people from crowding Him. 10 For He had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch Him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But He gave them strict orders not to tell others about Him. 13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Here, Jesus was reaching the peak of His popularity. Mark tells us in verse 8 that a large group of people flocked to Jesus from everywhere – Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem which were Jewish territories, but also Tyre and Sidon which were gentile territories located 80km to the north, and even Idumea which was a region located almost 200km to the south. Considering that Jesus once fed 5,000 men (and possibly more, like 15,000–20,000 if you include women and children), it wouldn’t be farfetched to think that there were thousands of people swarming over Jesus at this point. So, imagine this scene as this crowd of needy, broken, suffering people were pressing in on Jesus. Some were being carried in by their family and friends, and some were frantically pushing their way through a sea of people alone. There must have been those who were demon-possessed, but there were also those who simply came to be entertained. And all these people were desperately, violently pushing their way just to touch Jesus, hoping for a miracle. No wonder Jesus told His disciples to have a small boat ready to withdraw from this chaos. And reading this, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What was going through Jesus’ mind? Was He heartbroken by seeing their suffering and pain? Was He completely overwhelmed by the demands and pressures from them? Or was He frustrated that so many people were coming for the miracles not for Him?” Of course, we’ll never know, but one thing’s for sure: this scene led Jesus to appoint twelve men who would ultimately be sent out to do what He Himself came to do. It was like He was extending His ministry through these men. And through this story, we learn three things about being a disciple of Jesus Christ:
JESUS’ DISCIPLES ARE CALLED
JESUS’ DISCIPLES ARE CREATED
JESUS’ DISCIPLES ARE IN A COMMUNITY
1) JESUS’ DISCIPLES ARE CALLED
Let’s turn to verse 13. It says that “Jesus… called to Him those He wanted.” We need to see that the focus is on Jesus who calls them. You see, the qualification of these disciples was not found in their background, personality, resources, or skills; their qualification was found in the person of Jesus Christ. He sovereignly chose them, He qualified them. He taught them, equipped them, and sent them out to do what they were called to do. This is a good reminder that Christianity doesn’t begin with our pursuit of Christ but with Christ’s pursuit of us. Christian discipleship doesn’t start with an invitation we offer to Jesus, but with an invitation Jesus offers to us. In other words, we didn’t seek out Jesus; He first sought us out and found us. This is how our journey begins. Then who did Jesus call? This is mind-blowing. Verse 13, “Jesus… called to Him those He wanted.” It doesn’t say that He was gathering a group of people who would be useful to Him, those who had something to offer, or those with the most potential. No, it says that He chose those He desired, those who He wanted to be with. Friends, does this move you?
This truth really spoke to me even as I was preparing for this message, maybe because one of my biggest struggles in life has always been people-pleasing – working to be accepted. You see, my sense of worth and value came from the fact that I was the reliable one, that I got things done, that I was helpful to those around me. But I learned that this was just a symptom of something else; that at its core, I was ultimately driven by fear – this fear of failure, the fear of disappointing others, the fear of rejection – always wondering, “Would people still love me if I can’t perform? Would people still desire me if I’m no longer useful?” And the answer was always an emphatic “no” in my mind, which is why I forced myself to work harder, all the while the weight of anxiety crushed my heart. As this continued on, because I didn’t want people to see the real me (the inadequate one, the fragile one, the anxious one), I began to put on a mask – one after the other, in order to protect myself – only to realize that I had put a huge wall around me. I was keeping a safe distance from people – not too close but not too far, close enough so that they see me but not really see me. Sometimes I forgot who the real me was because I became so good at hiding, covering up, pretending – until I couldn’t do it anymore, which took me to a path of darkness that I won’t have the time to talk about today but hopefully another time. But the point I want to make is this: here I was, always being driven by fear and desperately working to be loved and accepted; yet the Bible says that Jesus wanted me not because I had anything to offer but simply because He desired to be with me. And that’s what Jesus is telling you, “I want to be with you not because you’re useful, not because I need something from you, not because you have something to offer, not because I’m obligated. I love you simply because I love you. I’m drawing you out of your hiding because I want to draw near to you.” I wonder if you need to hear today. You may be lost in your sin, guilt, and shame, maybe you’ve lost your way under the demands and pressures of life, but Jesus is not saying, “You better find your way back to me”; no, the gospel tells us that Jesus came after you in order to find you, even though it would cost Him His very life. Brothers and sisters, that’s His love for you. Do you know this love personally? Do you feel the wonder of realizing that Jesus desires you?
Then how should we respond? Look at the end of verse 13, “and they came to Him.” We must come to Him. Just as He desired us, we are now invited to desire Him. This was not the case for the crowd. They pushed forward just to touch Him in order to get what they wanted – physical or spiritual liberations. They didn’t necessarily want Jesus. Jesus was just a means to their end. This is so important to see because at times, we get tempted to use Jesus as a means to our end. Sure, the things we desire may be good: marriage, children, job, reconciliation, rescue, wisdom, strength, peace, and so on. But if we forget to love and give thanks to the Giver of these good gifts, we may be using Him for our gain. If we’re not careful, we could be pursuing Jesus simply because we don’t want to go to hell, not because we want to be with the Giver of life Himself. Friends, let me invite you to check your hearts today. Are your decisions, thoughts, and actions being driven by your love for Jesus or your love for what He can give you? Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.” Is this the desire of your heart today? Is He the treasure you’re after? Brothers and sisters, this amazing, Almighty God desires us – He is all that we need, all that we’re looking for. How can we not desire Him too? This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus: we are called.
2) JESUS’ DISCIPLES ARE CREATED
Let’s take a look at verse 14. Mark tells us that Jesus appointed the twelve. The word “appointed” in Greek is from the root word, “Poieo” which means “to create.” It’s a Greek word used to describe an artist creating a work of art. And it’s exactly the word that the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT) uses in Genesis 1:1. God didn’t appoint the heavens and the earth. He didn’t select them. He created them. Then in the same way, Jesus wasn’t just appointing twelve men to follow in His steps; He was making them into His disciples. It’s fascinating to see that Jesus didn’t choose 8, 10, or 20, but He chose 12. Twelve is not a common number in the Bible except the twelve tribes of Israel in the OT. Then by choosing twelve men, Jesus was intentionally showing that He was creating a new Israel, a new people of God, a new community – He was essentially creating the church.
Then as His disciples, what are we created for? What’s the purpose of our existence? He shares two things in verse 14: “He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out.” First, we are created to be with Him. Jesus created them to do life with Him. And this is what we’re created for as well – to have an intimate relationship with Him. Isn’t that amazing? Then what does this mean practically? Of course, there’s so much we can say about this but at the very least, it means that we must be in the Word. My 4-year-old recently asked me, “If we can’t see God, how do we hear from Him?” And I responded this way: “Sometimes we write cards to share what’s on our hearts to one another, right? In the same way, God wrote us a book, sharing His heart with us.” Then to be with Him, to have a relationship with Him, to know what’s on His heart for us, to hear from Him, we must be in the Word. This means that we read the Word, study the Word, and meditate on the Word. It means that we pray the Word. It means that we trust and hold onto the Word in all circumstances. It means that we apply and obey the Word in our lives. Then let me ask you, “Are you spending time with the King? Do you reserve time just to be with Him? Are you saturating your lives with the Word?” Christians, we must recognize that it’s possible for us to be so busy doing things for Jesus that we forget just to be with Him. Or let me put it this way: one of the best ways to avoid Jesus is to stay busy for Him. Friends, let us never fall into this trap. Remember, Jesus desires to be with you. He wants to spend time with you. Maybe you could do that today. He’s waiting for you.
Second, the disciples are created to be sent out to preach and drive out demons. To put it differently, we exist to proclaim this King who has set us free, who has liberated us from the power of death, and who has loved us so much that He died for us to give us life – but we also exist to demonstrate visibly, tangibly what that life looks like through the work of healing, restoring, serving, and prayer. Proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. Listen to what Mark 1:38-39 says, “Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’ So He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” In other words, we are called to do the very thing that Jesus came to do. We must share this news with others, and we must liberate people through Word and deed. Eric Geiger says, “Many have a misconception that the Christian faith is private. The Christian faith is personal but never private. In fact, the more personal the faith is to a believer the less private that faith becomes.” Friends, is this true for you today?
Now, what’s amazing is that Jesus doesn’t send us out expecting us to survive on our own, with our own strength; no, He gives us, He equips us with everything we need to do the work that He is calling us to do. In fact, Jesus says, “I’m sending you out with My authority – this authority to heal and drive out demons. With this authority, do these things. Depend on Me.” Listen to what Pastor Ligon Duncan says, “Isn’t it ironic that it is precisely when we are most aware of our own limitations, that we are most useful to the Lord? When we recognize that all ministry is done by the power of Christ, we recognize that our profound limitations are not the limits to our usefulness. Our limitations do not limit God’s use of us.” Then let us step out in faith, with boldness, knowing that He is with us always, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:20). We are created for this purpose.
3) JESUS’ DISCIPLES ARE IN A COMMUNITY
If you read verses 16-19, Mark lists the names of those who have been chosen as the apostles. And the twelve of them did everything together – they ate together, they suffered together, they traveled together, they were trained by Jesus together, they served together, they prayed together; they essentially did life together. Why? Why did Jesus put His disciples in a community? Because community provides the context for discipleship to happen where they can work out their faith together. Eric Geiger provides an image that is very helpful in understanding the relationship between discipleship and community. This is what he says: “The sequoia trees are sometimes referred to as the largest living things on earth, reaching almost 250 feet in the air and standing for as many as 1,500 years. If you could have a conversation with one, you would be wise to ask: ‘How have you done it? How have you stood strong through all the storms of life, all the difficult situations? How have you not toppled?’ Their response would be to point to the other sequoias – supporting and keeping one another strong. If you looked around, you would notice that sequoia trees grow only in groves. While their roots go only about 4 feet deep into the ground, their roots intermingle with the other sequoias next to them. Each tree is able to stand strong through the centuries because each tree has an interdependent posture. No sequoia grows alone. No believer is transformed alone.” Community helps us to bridge the Word and life; it provides mutual edification by the truth spoken in love and grace; and it strengthens us to persevere by interlocking our lives with one another which then would enable us to stand tall together. Now, as much as this sounds amazing, it doesn’t mean that community life is going to be easy. It’s actually going to be really messy – as it probably was the case for these twelve men.
It’s so easy for us to skim through the names because we’re familiar with them, but if you took the time to reflect, you’ll realize how diverse this group was. The first four men (Simon Peter, James, John, and Andrew) were fishermen, which meant that they were most likely an uneducated, working-class group. Almost certainly, they must have resented the Romans who took away their nation’s freedom, which is why it’s surprising to see Matthew who was also known as Levi the tax collector in the list. As we saw a few weeks ago, the tax collectors were Jews who were hired by Rome in order to collect taxes from their own people. They were considered traitors – collaborating with Rome to actively exploit their own people. And to make matters worse, they would often collect far more in order to keep the leftover for themselves. Then it’s even more shocking to see the name Simon the Zealot. The Zealots were a revolutionary group that was trying to mobilize people to take up arms to regain Israel’s independence. Can you imagine what their conversations were like? Can you imagine the tension at their dining tables?
Not only that, through other Gospel accounts, we learn that their personalities were so different from one another. Andrew was kind and open-minded, Peter was impulsive, Thomas was skeptical, and James and John were given the nickname, “sons of thunder,” implying that they were passionate and fierce – sometimes, too extreme. For example, in Luke 9, when Jesus and His disciples were rejected in Samaria, they clearly didn’t grasp the concept of grace yet because they said, “Jesus, do you want us to call down fire to destroy these people?”
Now, when you look at this group, there’s no reason why they would come together. Yet Jesus brought all of them together. Jesus would look at Simon the Zealot and say, “I love Matthew.” Jesus would look at Peter and say, “I love the freedom fighter.” Jesus would look at Andrew and say, “I love James and John.” And He would look at all of them and say, “Now, love one another.” Jesus was essentially calling them to reconfigure their understanding of people and reorder their hearts and lives around Him because they now belonged to a radically different kingdom.
Do you know what this means? It means that being part of a community will cause you to go through changes – it will stretch you. Or to put it differently, if you’re not changing, it could mean that even if you’re there, you’re not really in the community. Doesn’t this make sense? Think about marriage. Living with just one person will stretch you to change in so many ways – then how much more for being part of the whole body of Christ? Being part of a diverse community will not always be comfortable, harmonious, and easy; there will be tensions, differences, challenges, and problems. But this doesn’t mean that it was a mistake; no, if anything, through it, God may be stretching, carving, shaping you to grow and mature as a disciple of Jesus Christ. For example, Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” How did Jesus get His disciples to do that? He did it by bringing all these enemies together and making them one under His reign, under His love. Think about it: Jesus even brought Judas in. One Christian author wrote, “[Jesus] didn’t choose twelve men like Himself, but by His word and Spirit He made them like Himself. And that’s what the Lord continues to do in His disciples today. We don’t all have to think the same on every issue. What matters is that we never let these things interfere with the clear, new, overarching commandment to love one another. By loving one another, regardless of our views on controversial issues, we bear witness to the world that we are truly Jesus’ disciples. The disagreements are also an opportunity for Christians to show that our unity is a supernatural reality – that we are one in Christ.” This is the kind of community Jesus was creating for Himself – and this is the kind of community we must seek after here at Lighthouse.
Brothers and sisters, despite the visible diversity, we can be one not because we’re in agreement on everything but because Jesus brings us together. It’s about Him. Our community is held together by the grace of God that’s offered to us in the gospel. It’s Christ’s love that forms us as a community. And we’re placed in a community not because it’s going to be easy but because it’s worth it, because we’re learning to care for each other like a family, because we’re growing and maturing as disciples of Jesus Christ. Then as His disciples, this is what we should strive to be – a community that’s centred on Jesus, His love, and His gospel.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, as the disciples of Jesus, we have been called because Jesus desired us – He wanted to be with us. And through His love, He is now sending us out to proclaim and demonstrate the power of the gospel to this world. But He doesn’t call us to be alone; we’re placed in a community in order to endure the storms of life together and encourage one another to remain faithful. Then this is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus: we are called, created, and placed in a community to do life together with Christ and with one another.
sermon questions
How do the crowd and the disciples differ in their motivations for seeking Jesus? Has Jesus ever been a “means to an end” for you?
Jesus appointed us to be His disciples so that we might be with Him and be sent out to proclaim and demonstrate the power of the gospel (3:14-15). Then is this evident in your life? What might be needed for us to faithfully live this out in our lives today?
What’s the relationship between discipleship and community? Why is it important for the disciples of Jesus to be in a community? Why is it important for you to be at Lighthouse? (Why do you think God called you here? What does it mean to practically interlock your life with others here?)