Mark 3: Called to Be with Jesus and Sent Out by Him

Introduction

When you have to make an important decision, what do you do first? The pastor of Chitose Evangelical Christian Church in Hokkaido starts from that question: most of the time, we Christians begin by praying. We ask God where his will lies, and we also seek advice from people we trust.

Jesus himself did the same. Before choosing the twelve, he spent the whole night praying. In this message on Mark 3:13-19, the pastor looks at the meaning of the word "apostle," the three missions given to the twelve, and the profile of these ordinary men.

His conclusion applies to every believer: the Church today has received the same mission as that small group. We are sent out as ambassadors of God's kingdom to bear witness to his grace.

Message outline

1. Consulting God before big decisions

When we want advice today, we have LINE, email, the phone, or a face-to-face meeting. But we always choose someone we truly trust. We don't go to someone we think won't have anything to say.
About eight years ago, the pastor was serving in a church on the far western edge of Tokyo. He faced a major decision and could not see the Lord's will clearly.
With his wife, he went to see an older pastor in Toyama Prefecture. This was the man who, when the pastor was 23 and had been attending church for six months, told him that Jesus Christ is the Savior, that he carried all our sins on the cross and that he rose again. It was at that moment that he believed in Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
The couple explained their situation and asked him to pray that they would understand what God thought about the matter. Since then, God's direction has gradually become clear to them. The result, says the pastor, is that they now walk with the Chitose church in the Lord's grace.
Our first counselor is still God himself. He is the most trustworthy, he listens seriously to each of our prayers, and he shows us his mind in one way or another. So we can pour out our hearts before him, hiding nothing, and pray boldly.

2. Jesus prays all night before calling the twelve

Mark 3:13 tells us that Jesus went up on the mountain and called those he wanted. Luke recounts the same event: "It happened in those days, that he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God" (Luke 6:12).
According to Luke, Jesus went up alone, with no one accompanying him. The pastor sees in this a desire to pray without being disturbed, to spend the night in communion with his Father.
Why pray for so long? Because the matter was serious. From the crowd of his disciples, Jesus chose only twelve and called them apostles. He considered this choice of the highest importance and wanted to talk it over with the Father before choosing them.
The Greek word apostolos refers to someone sent with a particular mission: a messenger, an envoy, like the ambassadors that countries send to Japan.
According to verses 14 and 15, the twelve receive three missions.

3. First mission: being with Jesus

The twelve are first called to stay close to Jesus and learn from him: to see, hear and feel what he says, what he thinks and everything he does, miracles included, and then to take it in. This can only be absorbed by being with him.
The pastor asks: what is Christianity? Gathering what the Bible says about Jesus, telling the story of the Church or the lives of great missionaries, all of that is useful. But it is not the heart of it. "What is Christianity? The answer is Christ."
If you want to know Christianity deeply, you need to know Jesus Christ himself. This knowledge doesn't come only from books, the internet or classes: it comes from a personal encounter and relationship with him, which requires staying close to him.
The pastor compares this to Bible school. There, students study the biblical languages, systematic theology or Church history. But through the studies, the encounters, and sometimes the friction and mutual help, students also discover their own poverty, sin and ugliness, and they experience God's mercy.
The Hokkaido Bible school students who come to share their testimony at the church every year often say it: they learned a lot, but even more, they discovered their weakness and the love of God who lifts them up.
In the same way, Jesus kept the twelve close to him to show them who he is, and so that they would become aware of their own weakness and sin.

4. Second mission: being sent out to preach

Verse 14 continues: "that he might send them out to preach." Everything the apostles received from Jesus, knowledge and grace, was meant to be shared. They were not to keep it to themselves.
They only truly launched into proclaiming the gospel after the cross and the resurrection, and even after Pentecost. But it was probably at that moment, the pastor thinks, that they understood their mission was to announce the Good News.
The church's verse of the year, recited at the start of the service, says the same thing: "Preach the word. Be urgent in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2). For the pastor, this is exactly what Jesus expected of the twelve.
Sharing the grace we have received is perfectly natural, but the ways of doing it vary. The pastor mentions kintarō-ame, the Japanese candy that shows the same face wherever you cut it. Christians are not like that: personalities, surroundings, gifts and health all differ. Not everyone speaks with ease, not everyone knows how to listen, not everyone can visit homes.
He gives the example of the tract distribution the church held the previous Sunday. You don't only need those who go from house to house slipping tracts into mailboxes. Someone also has to prepare the cards, count the tracts, and pray in the background. It is all of these services together that make up the work of evangelism.
Everyone is called, like the twelve, to carry the gospel, but not in a uniform way: each according to what suits them.

5. Third mission: authority over demons

Verse 15 adds: "and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons." In Jesus' day, demonic activity was intense, and many suffered from it.
When that influence is at work, it can dominate a person and push them to act against God's will.
But evil cannot exercise its authority before the Son of God, because Jesus' authority is above evil.
Jesus gave this authority to each of the apostles. They had the power and the mission to set free those who were under the grip of evil.

6. Ordinary men, one mission for the Church

Verses 16 to 19 give the list of the twelve, ending with Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus. To some of them, Jesus gives a nickname.
Simon, the Galilean fisherman, receives the name Peter, meaning "rock." The pastor doesn't know whether it refers to his stubbornness or to an unshakable faith.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, receive the name Boanerges, "Sons of Thunder." The pastor smiles: it was probably well chosen, they may have been hotheaded. Levi, the former tax collector, is called Matthew, a name meaning "gift of the Lord."
Around Jesus there was always a crowd, with believers and others who opposed him. The Gospels call those who believe disciples. From among them, Jesus chose twelve.
Reading the list, we see that this was not an elite, either in social standing or in ability. The same is true of the Church today: "rather a gathering of people full of flaws." Yet the Church of Christ is an assembly established by the Lord's mercy.
The early Church was led by these twelve, and the same mission has been entrusted to our church. We are sent with a particular mission, as ambassadors of God's kingdom, to bear witness to his grace, because each of us is spiritually connected to those who were called apostles.

Key takeaways

Before big decisions, Jesus consulted his Father in prayer. God is our first counselor, and he listens to each of our prayers.
Christianity is Christ. We come to know him by staying close to him, in a personal relationship.
Being close to Jesus lets us see who he is, and also our own weakness, covered by his mercy.
The grace we receive is meant to be shared. Each person proclaims the gospel in their own way, according to their gifts and situation.
The twelve were not an elite. The Church is a gathering of imperfect people, established by the Lord's mercy and sent out as an ambassador of his kingdom.

Personal application

Facing the decision on your mind right now, have you first poured out your heart before God, hiding nothing?
How are you spending time "close to Jesus" this week, beyond what you already know about him?
What has closeness to Jesus shown you about your own weakness and about his mercy?
Given your gifts, your health and your situation, what part can you play in proclaiming the gospel: speaking, listening, preparing, praying in the background?
Do you see yourself as an ambassador of God's kingdom where you live? What would that change in your week?

Verses cited

Frequently asked questions

Why did Jesus pray all night before choosing the twelve?

According to Luke 6:12, Jesus went up the mountain alone and spent the whole night praying to God. For the pastor, this is a sign that choosing the apostles was a very important decision: before calling the twelve, Jesus wanted to talk it over with his Father.

What does the word "apostle" mean?

The Greek word apostolos refers to someone sent with a particular mission: a messenger, an envoy, like an ambassador that one country sends to another. The pastor invites the Church to see itself the same way, as ambassadors of God's kingdom.

What are the three missions of the twelve in Mark 3?

Mark 3:14-15 gives three: being with Jesus to learn from him, being sent out to preach, and receiving authority to cast out demons. The pastor stresses that the same mission is entrusted to the Church today, each person according to their gifts and situation.