“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.” – Mark 3:13
When the Lord climbed this mountain, He anticipated revealing something to His followers. But according to Luke’s gospel, Christ first received a revelation from His Father.
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” – Luke 6:12
The Bible often uses mountains to symbolize revelation. For example, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1-21) and three disciples witnessed the glory of Jesus displayed on a mountain (Matthew 17:1-6).
So on this mountain, Jesus heard from God and then shared what He’d learned.
Mark says that Jesus summoned those whom He Himself wanted. The verb here is “willed” which emphasizes Christ’s intentions more than His emotions. God’s calling isn’t about feelings; it derives from His wisdom. Jesus may not explain His rationale, but this verse tells us three things about calling:
- Jesus is the one who calls
- Jesus calls people to Himself
- Jesus chooses people
Depending on our perspective, these can either comfort or trouble us. Our calling finds grounding in the person of Jesus Christ. This secures it; our calling doesn’t depend on our abilities or virtues. It depends on Him.
But this can also drive us to ask questions–why didn’t You me? Or the other way around–why did You call me? When we’re dissatisfied with our present station, we can doubt the Lord’s decision. The solution to this predicament?
Let’s see.
“He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons.” – Mark 3:14-15
Jesus appointed (the verb is “made”) the twelve out of a larger group of disciples (cf. Luke 6:13). The calling to discipleship derives from relationships and depends on relationships. There’s a social aspect to discipleship that will never go away. Even in this time of a coronavirus quarantine, our spiritual life develops because we follow Jesus together.
The Lord had two purposes for the selecting of the twelve:
- That they might be with Him
- That they might preach and cast out demons
The first purpose is relational; Jesus invites us to be with Him (and each other). The second is task-oriented; Christ wants us to accomplish something. According to Matthew, Jesus wanted workers for the ministry that lay ahead.
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” – Matthew 9:37-38
He wants His kingdom announced; this is positive work. He also wants opponents to His kingdom defeated; this is negative work. (Matthew 10:1 adds healing sicknesses.) Christ bestows authority to do both. Can we surmise that this power stems from the time we spend with Him? Jesus calls us to send us. We give what we receive from Him. Instead of fretting about our calling, we’d do better if we draw closer to Him.
“These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder’), 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” – Mark 3:16-19
These are the names of the twelve apostles, a group called out from a larger circle of followers. And Jesus knew their names. He even knew what their names should be. In ancient Israel, a name described a person’s character and destiny. Receiving different names indicated Jesus was giving them new identities. Simon became a “rock,” and James and John received the boldness of thunder.
Our calling involves more than a job Jesus has for us. It concerns our character and identity, too. What we do expresses who we are and who we are derives from the One who calls us and sends us. The closer we get to Christ, the more we will discover and fulfill His vision for our lives.
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