Mark 6: How Jesus Trained His Twelve Apostles

Introduction

This message is part of a study series from the Église Évangélique de Pentecôte de Nantes titled "Jesus, Who Did He Pray To?" The pastor opens with an observation: we are witnessing the birth of a new world. COVID has changed the nations and the way we act, and wars have robbed hearts of peace. "The Church of Jesus Christ is called to work in a difficult context, but God is with us."

The pastor returns to the question: how did Jesus work with the twelve? He chose them, taught them, sent them out, asked them to account for their work, and he prayed. What Jesus did with these men, he still does with those he calls today.

Outline of the Message

1. Jesus Chooses the Twelve to Be With Him

Mark 3:13-19: Jesus goes up on the mountain, calls those he wants, and appoints twelve "that they might be with him," and then to send them out to preach with authority to cast out demons. The pastor stresses the order: first, to be with him.
Simon, whom he named Peter, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, whom he called Boanerges, "Sons of Thunder," then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, "who betrayed him."
The Father revealed this choice to the Son. And yet, "pardon the expression, they were raw timber." Each had his own personality, and forming these twelve men can't always have been easy for Jesus.
What encourages the pastor: "we too are part of God's choice." God has entrusted us with responsibilities and made us leaders.

2. Jesus Spent a Great Deal of Time Teaching

Mark 6:6: Jesus goes around the surrounding villages teaching. Throughout the four Gospels, he devotes a great deal of time to teaching.
Before returning to glory, he sets before the disciples a worldwide vision: go, baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teach, and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).
He gives them very deep teaching and reveals that this beautiful temple will be torn down: not one stone will be left on another (Matthew 24:1-2). This was fulfilled in AD 70, under Titus.

3. Sent Out Two by Two, With the Master's Trust

Mark 6:7: Jesus calls the twelve and begins to send them out two by two, with authority over unclean spirits. "Twelve divided by two makes six": six teams set out.
Mark 6:12-13: they preach repentance, "a return to God." They cast out many demons, anoint many sick people with oil, and heal them. The pastor smiles: if next Sunday we anointed unconverted people with oil, someone would ask him on the way out where he found that teaching. Yet it is right there.
"Jesus did not follow his apostles around. He trusted them."
Mark 6:30: when they return, the apostles tell Jesus everything they have done and everything they have taught. The disciples give their report, just as today everyone on a pastoral team reports to the pastor.

4. "You Give Them Something to Eat"

Mark 6:34: as he steps out of the boat, Jesus sees a great crowd and is moved with compassion, "because they were like sheep without a shepherd." He begins to teach them many things.
Mark 6:35-36: the disciples say that this is a deserted place and the hour is already late, so he should send the people away. Nothing unusual, the pastor notes: night falls quickly. But the disciples go as far as advising Jesus.
Jesus does not listen to them: "You give them something to eat" (Mark 6:37).
Application for today: churches must not say "this place is deserted, the hour is late" and send people off to healers and mediums. The pastor mentions healing ministries that collapsed when their founders went home to glory, and a woman who asked him to pray that she would receive the gift of healing so she could "pick up the torch."
The Church must know that God's power is greater than the power of darkness. He tells of a Tuesday evening prayer meeting where a woman, a medium, fell under the power of God, and where some Christians left because they were afraid. To the brothers he says: "Pray, drive out demons, brothers, it is your job."

5. From the Miracle of the Loaves to the Bread of Life: The Sorting Happens

John 6:1-6: a great crowd follows Jesus because they see the miracles he performs on the sick. He asks Philip: "Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?" He says this to test him, for he knows what he is going to do.
Philip and Andrew reason in a "compartmentalized" way. Then comes the multiplication of the loaves. Through this miracle, God was teaching.
John 6:15: Jesus withdraws, because he knows they want to take him by force to make him king. The pastor pictures a president saying: "Don't worry, I'll give you everything to eat." That is what people are demanding today.
John 6:26: "you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled." The pastor invites you to read all of chapter 6 in the evening before falling asleep.
The spiritual application: Moses did not give the bread from heaven, God worked the miracle, and Jesus reveals that he is the bread of life.
John 6:60: many disciples say: "This is a hard saying! Who can listen to it?" The pastor notes that "the sorting was done": only the twelve remain.
John 6:67: Jesus says to the twelve: "You don't also want to go away, do you?"
Peter answers: "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life." He adds that they have believed and come to know who Jesus is (John 6:68-69).
"This is not part of our way of thinking. And yet, this is how the Lord worked." The miracle ends by showing that Jesus is the bread of life, in his very person.

6. The More Work He Had, the More He Prayed

Mark 6:45-46: right afterward, Jesus makes his disciples get into the boat. He himself sends the crowd away. Then he goes up on the mountain to pray, before the great evening storm.
"What amazes me is seeing how much time Jesus spent in prayer. The more work he had, the more he prayed."
Among pastors, the observation is the same: whatever the workload, "we have to keep our intimacy with God." If we stop taking time to pray, "we know very well what will happen."

7. John, From Son of Thunder to Apostle of Love

Luke 9:51-56: on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus sends messengers ahead into a Samaritan village to prepare lodging for him. They do not receive him, because he is heading for Jerusalem.
James and John say: "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky" and consume them? "Forgive me, but they really were Pentecostals," jokes the pastor.
Jesus turns and rebukes them: "You don't know of what kind of spirit you are."
And yet, didn't John become the apostle of love, in his Gospel and his letters? "What a transformation in his life, in the school of the master!" It was the Lord who undertook all the work in these men.
With humor, the pastor asks: if someone steps on your foot, do you say: "Excuse me, your foot is on top of mine, please remove it gently, brotherly"?

Key Takeaways

Jesus chose the twelve first of all to be with him. You too are part of God's choice, with responsibilities he entrusts to you.
Jesus taught a great deal, sent his disciples out two by two, trusted them, and received their reports.
"You give them something to eat": the Church is not meant to send the crowds elsewhere, it is called to serve with the power of God.
Jesus is the bread of life. Following him for the miracles or for the bread is not enough, and the sorting always ends up happening.
The more work Jesus had, the more he prayed, and the pastor urges us to keep our intimacy with God. In the school of the master, a "son of thunder" became an apostle of love.

Personal Application

Do you take time to be "with him" before wanting to be sent out for him?
What responsibility has God entrusted to you, and to whom do you give an account of what you do for him?
Are there people around you whom you are tempted to "send away" when Jesus is telling you: "You give them something to eat"?
Do you seek Jesus for what he gives or for who he is, the bread of life?
When your workload grows, does your prayer grow too, or is it the first thing to disappear?

Bible Passages Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Jesus send his disciples out two by two?

In Mark 6:7, Jesus calls the twelve and sends them out two by two, making six teams, with authority over unclean spirits. The pastor stresses that Jesus did not follow them around: he trusted them. When they returned, the apostles told him everything they had done and taught (Mark 6:30).

What does "You give them something to eat" mean?

The disciples advised Jesus to send the crowd away because the place was deserted and the hour was late. Jesus refuses and entrusts them with the responsibility of feeding the people. For the preacher, the Church is not meant to send the crowds off to healers and mediums: it is called to serve.

How did John, the son of thunder, become the apostle of love?

In Luke 9:54, James and John want to call down fire from the sky on a Samaritan village that will not receive them. Jesus rebukes them. Yet the same John would become the apostle of love, in his Gospel and his letters: this is the fruit of the master's school.