13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 16 And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphæus, and Thaddæus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into a house. 20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. (Mark 3:13-21 KJV)
The Twelve Apostles
In these verses, we have the choice Christ made of the twelve apostles to be his constant followers and to be sent out to preach the gospel when needed. It says that Jesus went up into a mountain to pray. Ministers must be set apart with solemn prayer for the outpouring of the Spirit. Even though Christ had the authority to give the gifts of the Holy Spirit, he still prayed for them to set an example.
He called those he wanted. Not those we might have expected, judging by appearance or background, but those he chose and intended to make fit for his service (Matthew 3:13). Christ calls whom he wills; his grace is his own.
He called them to separate from the crowd and stand by him, and they came to him. Christ calls those given to him (John 17:6), and all the Father gives him will come (John 6:37). He made those he willed to call willing to come. His people will be willing in the day of his power. Perhaps they initially followed in hopes of a worldly kingdom, but when that hope faded, they still trusted in him and did not regret leaving all to follow him.
He appointed them—probably by laying hands on them, a Jewish custom—to be with him constantly, to witness his teaching, his life, and his miracles, so they could later testify about him. They had to spend time with him to be prepared to teach others. They were not to preach until they were sent, and not sent until they were trained through close fellowship with him. Christ’s ministers must spend much time with him.
He gave them power to work miracles, showing great honor beyond what worldly leaders could offer. He gave them the authority to heal sicknesses and cast out demons. This proved that Christ’s power was original and not delegated like a servant’s, but belonged to him as the Son in his own house. He had life in himself and the Spirit without measure, able to give this power even to the weak and foolish of the world.
He appointed twelve, matching the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. The names are not listed in the same order as in Matthew, but as there, Peter is listed first and Judas last. Matthew is listed before Thomas here, likely based on when they were called, though in his own Gospel, Matthew humbly places himself after Thomas. Mark notes that Jesus called James and John Boanerges, meaning “sons of thunder.” Perhaps they had powerful voices or were fervent and zealous in spirit. Dr. Hammond says they were to be especially prominent ministers of the gospel, which is described as a voice shaking the earth (Hebrews 12:26). Yet John, one of the sons of thunder, was also full of love and tenderness, as seen in his epistles, and was the beloved disciple.
They went into a house with Jesus. Now that this group was appointed, they stayed together, likely to set the structure for their ministry. It is probable that at this time Judas was entrusted with the money bag, which pleased him and made him comfortable.
The crowds continued to follow Jesus (Mark 3:20). The multitude gathered again without being invited, coming at inconvenient times with various needs, so that Jesus and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. Yet he didn’t turn them away but welcomed them and responded kindly to each one. Those whose hearts are committed to God’s work can endure personal inconvenience in pursuit of it, even missing meals if it means doing good. It’s a blessing when eager hearers and passionate preachers meet and encourage each other. The kingdom of God was being preached, and people were pressing into it (Luke 16:16). This was a moment of opportunity worth seizing, and the disciples could rightly postpone their meals for it. It’s wise to strike while the iron is hot.
When his relatives heard about how hard he was working, they came to take charge of him, saying, “He is out of his mind” (Mark 3:21). Some see this as a misguided concern that actually disrespected him. They may have believed—or accepted others’ claims—that he had lost his senses and needed to be restrained. Many of his family members held low opinions of him (John 7:5) and may have used this concern as a reason to interfere with his work. The prophets were called madmen (2 Kings 9:11).
Others interpret this as sincere concern. They read exeste to mean “he’s fainting”—he hadn’t eaten, was exhausted from the crowd and the miracles, and needed a break. They meant to help him by giving him some rest. In his preaching work, as in his suffering, he was told, “Spare yourself.” Those who pursue God’s work with passion must expect resistance, both from hostile critics and well-meaning but misguided friends, and must be prepared to stand firm against both.