Reflection On Mark 3: 13-19

The passage can be illustrated with the different ideas and ways.

In the natural means:

The election of the twelve apostles provides us with five insights into apostleship. First, Jesus’ action of going up to the mountain and calling the twelve to Him indicates that apostleship is divine. The mountain stands for the meeting place of God and man. Even in the Old Testament, the prophet Moses was called to the mountain. Secondly, they are called to be with Him. Apostleship binds union with Jesus. Third, they are empowered by Jesus to cast out demons. It’s a special power to conflict with evil power they received. Fourth, they are sent to preach, preaching and teaching are inseparable parts of apostleship. Fifth, they are called by name and at times given new names. This is personally given by Jesus to His followers with a changed personality to work with Him closely.

In a dramatically and considering the background of the elected apostles, the view goes like this:

The Jordan Management Consultant Firm requires staffs. According to the firm Jesus hired twelve members. But Jesus committed a big mistake by selecting this band of illiterate and useless men to accomplish a noble and hazardous task of spreading a new faith. In their assessment, none of them was worthy of the job. But Jesus sought these men and made His close disciples called as ‘Apostles.’ Their evaluation was quite true, but Jesus called them to be with Him. He is the uniting force, the inspiration and the light that guides them. Or else, they would have parted ways with each other, because they were men with conflicting ideologies and temperaments. For example: Mathew was a tax collector, an agent of the Roman Empire. Hence a  traitor, whereas Simon was a member of the Zealots, a violated band fighting for Jewish nationalism, ready for murder and arson to free the Jews from the foreign yoke. Jesus united these men, not through compromises but eliminating illusions and revealing the truth which is only one, where there is no room for conflict. Jesus may invite you too. Invite Jesus to our lives that are full of internal conflicts, to our broken family, to our warring societies. He can only bring the changes in us too.

Question Yourself:

Do you want to be close to Jesus?

Do you accept apostleship in the light of twelve disciples?

Do you accept such tasks in the faith?