The Appointment of the Twelve

 

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mark 3:13–19 ESV).

 

In our reading today we see the appointing of the twelve disciples. Simon is the first Jesus names. He will later change Simon’s name to Peter. This verse marks a pivotal moment in the Gospel of Mark. Giving Simon the name Peter (Petros, meaning "Rock") signifies his foundational leadership role in the early church. Despite his future flaws and denials, Peter is characterized by his bold, upfront confession of Christ as the Messiah. It is easy to recognize the strong personality of Peter; however, this was not the qualification that gained him the appointment of leadership. Much of that personality would change through the work of the Holy Spirit as Peter matured in his faith. Peter was appointed to this position by the sovereign will of God.

 

This whole paragraph emphasizes that Jesus called the Twelve not through a human application process, but by His own sovereign election. They were chosen first "to be with him," and then sent out to preach and cast out demons. Verse 16 begins the roll call of the Twelve (Simon/Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot). We should not miss the fact that Jesus intentionally united a wildly diverse group of men—fishermen, a tax collector, and a political zealot—to form the nucleus of His church.

 

That brings me an incredible feeling of hope and encouragement. If God is in control, then I certainly have nothing to fear, no matter how bleak the present might be. I need to remind myself of that truth often. I tend to forget God is working to produce good in and for me. That is a disaster waiting to happen. God doesn’t merely occupy the throne, He exercises the authority of the King of all things! That’s good news indeed!