Mark 3:13

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.

From Background Notes [BN] for March 3^rd/4^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

He is Lord of his disciples.

As before, when he calls, they come. Mark uses the Greek word apēlthon which contains the preposition meaning "from". This is a "coming from" the crowd and a "coming to" Jesus. They must step out from the crowd and assume their new identity apart from it. This is the nature of being a disciple of Jesus. To follow Jesus does not just mean following him around looking for favors, whether healings or deliverance. Following Jesus means hearing his call, stepping out from the culture around us, and becoming something new, something made by Jesus.

Mark 3:14 says, literally, "he made the twelve", that is, he "created the twelve", emphasizing the coming into being of something new, namely, the people of God. This does not mean he replaces the old people with the new one, but rather that he is re-forming the people of God, a new version of the Twelve Tribes. After all, these men are all Jewish, just as Jesus is Jewish. His choice of Twelve does not, however, necessarily follow tribal lines. Jesus chooses these because they fulfill his purposes in raising up again the kingdom of God on earth. Jesus is not bound by geography or genealogy in his appointing of these twelve men. He names them:"apostles" from the Greek word which means "to send" in an authoritative sense. They are the official spokespersons for the kingdom of God. In contrast to his censuring of the false spokespersons (the unclean spirits), Jesus here authorizes the Twelve for kingdom work.

What is that work? The table below summarizes it:

1. That they might be with him

2. That he might send them to "proclaim"

3. That he might send them to have authority to cast out demons.

They become his unique talmidim. This is the meaning of "be with him". Among the Rabbis, the taking of a student was a serious task. This talmid became the next generation responsible for transmitting and thus preserving the proper interpretation of Torah (the Jewish Bible). For the talmidim of Jesus' time, this meant learning and passing along the oral tradition (halakha). But it has become increasingly clear from Mark's record of Jesus' teaching that the old oral tradition does not agree with what Jesus is saying about Torah. The offer of forgiveness to the paralytic and the controversy surrounding Sabbath-keeping underscores the sharp differences between the Rabbis among the Pharisees and the message Jesus is now proclaiming. It becomes necessary for Jesus to gather around him a new generation of talmidim who know what Jesus teaches and how he interprets Torah. That is what Mark means when he says they are to be "with him".

Once taught, they can proclaim the message of the kingdom. By doing this, Jesus is multiplying his work. These apostles are the royal proclaimers. They are the official representatives of Jesus, given authority through being Jesus' talmidim. When they speak, he speaks. Because they are Twelve in number, they also become the official representatives of the New Israel of God. They also become generals in the war with the prince of darkness. Through their proclamation they bring the royal message to Israel. Through their authority over the demons, they are able to wage holy war against evil and, in the process, set free the captives in Israel who are possessed by evil spirits (3:15).  [BN, 9-10]

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