Jesus Appoints the Twelve
Jesus Appoints the Twelve
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.
Reflection:
Up to this point Jesus has been ministering largely by himself, but now an important turn is about to take place. Jesus is going to move from carrying the mantle of leadership primarily by himself to equipping others to do the things he was doing. Notice the manner in which he calls or appoints the disciples to become apostles. He goes to a mountainside to pray. Like before anything else he did which was of utmost importance, he retreats to be with His Father so that in prayer He might be in concert with the Father. And when you think of it, if Jesus needs to keep such a discipline, how much more do we need to when facing big decisions in our lives.
After this time of prayer and reflection it says he, "called to him those he wanted". It would be easy to miss this detail with a casual and cursory reading. Notice especially he called those he wanted to be with. It wasn't out of obligation, but these are the guys he desired to appoint to carry on the ministry he had started. They were persons of peace for him, though we know one of them would betray him as was destined to happen. And then it says they came to him. Again see that they came willingly not out of compulsion. They sensed the call and it was if they could do no other.
And what did he call them and ordain them to do. In Mark's version it says to do two things: preach and drive out demons. To preach is to announce or proclaim something publicly. And do so with conviction and extreme unction because one feels so compelled that others need to hear this truth. And they were to preach the same thing as Jesus. Repent for the kingdom of God has come near and is at hand! And not only would they preach about the kingdom, but show it forth as well. In this case the authority is given to drive out demons. As we talked about yesterday, Jesus minced no words about the reality of evil and spiritual forces. He had faced it in the wilderness with his testing and he knew that as the disciples pushed forth the kingdom they would too. And in the same authority (with the authority of the Word) that Jesus cast out demons, he bestowed upon them to do the same.
What does this mean? It means our preaching and deliverance are every bit as ordained by God and Jesus today as they were with the first disciples. And you might say I'm not a preacher and certainly don't want to be an exorcist. And maybe there is a sense in which this is gift relegated to those who have been called and appointed as modern day apostles. And yet, I think every believer has opportunities to proclaim what Jesus has done and also have the authority to cast our demons. Why? Because we all have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. And while we each have particular spiritual gifts, which guide where we serve in the body, we are all called to give a reason for the hope we have in Jesus (aka preach). And we are called to rebuke the enemy, if even in our own lives as we are tempted by him.
Where is God calling you to be more aware of the authority he has given you as a believer and as one filled with the
Holy Spirit through faith and baptism into Christ? Just as Christ sent his disciples, he sends us to announce and bring in His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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.
Reflection:
Up to this point Jesus has been ministering largely by himself, but now an important turn is about to take place. Jesus is going to move from carrying the mantle of leadership primarily by himself to equipping others to do the things he was doing. Notice the manner in which he calls or appoints the disciples to become apostles. He goes to a mountainside to pray. Like before anything else he did which was of utmost importance, he retreats to be with His Father so that in prayer He might be in concert with the Father. And when you think of it, if Jesus needs to keep such a discipline, how much more do we need to when facing big decisions in our lives.
After this time of prayer and reflection it says he, "called to him those he wanted". It would be easy to miss this detail with a casual and cursory reading. Notice especially he called those he wanted to be with. It wasn't out of obligation, but these are the guys he desired to appoint to carry on the ministry he had started. They were persons of peace for him, though we know one of them would betray him as was destined to happen. And then it says they came to him. Again see that they came willingly not out of compulsion. They sensed the call and it was if they could do no other.
And what did he call them and ordain them to do. In Mark's version it says to do two things: preach and drive out demons. To preach is to announce or proclaim something publicly. And do so with conviction and extreme unction because one feels so compelled that others need to hear this truth. And they were to preach the same thing as Jesus. Repent for the kingdom of God has come near and is at hand! And not only would they preach about the kingdom, but show it forth as well. In this case the authority is given to drive out demons. As we talked about yesterday, Jesus minced no words about the reality of evil and spiritual forces. He had faced it in the wilderness with his testing and he knew that as the disciples pushed forth the kingdom they would too. And in the same authority (with the authority of the Word) that Jesus cast out demons, he bestowed upon them to do the same.
What does this mean? It means our preaching and deliverance are every bit as ordained by God and Jesus today as they were with the first disciples. And you might say I'm not a preacher and certainly don't want to be an exorcist. And maybe there is a sense in which this is gift relegated to those who have been called and appointed as modern day apostles. And yet, I think every believer has opportunities to proclaim what Jesus has done and also have the authority to cast our demons. Why? Because we all have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. And while we each have particular spiritual gifts, which guide where we serve in the body, we are all called to give a reason for the hope we have in Jesus (aka preach). And we are called to rebuke the enemy, if even in our own lives as we are tempted by him.
Where is God calling you to be more aware of the authority he has given you as a believer and as one filled with the
Holy Spirit through faith and baptism into Christ? Just as Christ sent his disciples, he sends us to announce and bring in His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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