The King's Men: The Apostolic Muster Text: Mark 3:13-19
Introduction: The King Forms His Cabinet
We live in an age that despises authority and loves a committee. Our institutions, both secular and sacred, are often run by a spirit of bureaucratic caution. Decisions are made by focus groups, leadership is determined by popular vote, and vision is hammered out in endless meetings until it is a dull, blunt instrument that offends no one and inspires no one. Into this beige landscape, the actions of Jesus Christ in our text are a splash of glorious, sovereign color.
Jesus is not forming a subcommittee for community outreach. He is not taking applications for an advisory board. He is the King, and He is forming His cabinet. He is the General, and He is mustering His command staff. This is a foundational, revolutionary act. Having demonstrated His authority over disease, demons, and the religious establishment, He now establishes the formal structure through which His authority will be administered in the world. He is creating an institution, the apostolate, that will be the foundation of His Church, with Himself as the chief cornerstone.
What we are witnessing is nothing less than the formal constitution of the new Israel. The old Israel had its twelve patriarchs, the sons of Jacob. Now, on a mountain, reminiscent of Sinai, the new and greater Moses is calling the twelve foundational pillars of the new covenant people of God. This is a declaration of war against the corrupt structures of the old guard and a declaration of the dawning of a new kingdom. And the way He does it is a direct affront to every democratic, egalitarian, and man-centered impulse we have.
The Text
And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) to be with Him and to send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons. And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
(Mark 3:13-19 LSB)
The Sovereign Summons (v. 13)
The scene is set with divine gravity.
"And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him." (Mark 3:13)
First, notice the location. "He went up on the mountain." Mountains in Scripture are places of divine encounter and covenant-making. Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai. Elijah met with God on Mount Horeb. Jesus is deliberately echoing these moments. He is not just a teacher giving a lecture; He is the divine Lord establishing His covenant order. This is a new Sinai, and a new lawgiver is present.
Second, notice the basis of the call. He "summoned those whom He Himself wanted." This is pure, unadulterated, glorious sovereignty. The basis for their selection was not their resume, their piety, their potential, or their eagerness. The basis was one thing and one thing only: His desire. He wanted them. This is the doctrine of election in its most beautifully stark form. The great mystery is not why God rejects some, but why He chooses any. And the answer is found not in us, but entirely in Him. "You did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16). This truth is the death of all pride and the foundation of all assurance. You are not a Christian because you were smart enough to figure it out; you are a Christian because the King wanted you.
Third, notice the response. "And they came to Him." This is the effectual call. When the sovereign Lord summons His chosen, they come. His call creates the response it demands. There is a divine power in the voice of Jesus that awakens the dead and brings them to Himself. He does not merely invite; He summons. He does not suggest; He appoints.
The Apostolic Commission (v. 14-15)
Having been summoned, they are now given their commission, their job description.
"And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) to be with Him and to send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons." (Mark 3:14-15 LSB)
The number is crucial. "He appointed twelve." This was no accident. He was deliberately constituting the leadership of the new Israel. Just as the twelve sons of Jacob were the patriarchs of the old covenant nation, these twelve men would be the foundational authorities for the new covenant people of God. The church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20). He named them "apostles," which means "sent ones." They were not self-appointed spiritual entrepreneurs. They were official ambassadors, commissioned and sent with the full authority of the King who sent them.
Their commission has three parts, and the order is essential. First, they were "to be with Him." This is the bedrock of all true ministry. Before they could be sent out, they had to be with Him. Proximity precedes proclamation. They had to learn His voice, watch His life, absorb His teaching, and be saturated in His presence. Any ministry that is not an overflow of being with Jesus is just a clanging cymbal. Our effectiveness for God on the outside is directly proportional to our fellowship with God on the inside.
Second, they were "to send them out to preach." Their primary task was heralding the good news. The kingdom of God advances through the proclamation of the Word of God. They were not sent to offer helpful suggestions for self-improvement. They were sent to announce that the King had arrived and to command all men everywhere to repent and believe.
Third, they were "to have authority to cast out the demons." This was the verification of their preaching. The gospel is not just a set of ideas; it is power. It is the dynamite of God for salvation. When the Word of the King is faithfully preached, the kingdom of darkness is necessarily thrown into confusion and retreat. This was a direct, confrontational power encounter. The apostles were being sent into enemy territory to plant the flag of King Jesus, and that meant driving out the squatters.
The Roster of the Unqualified (v. 16-19)
And who were these men, chosen for such a monumental task? A list of elites? A team of religious scholars and polished orators? Not in the least.
"And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him." (Mark 3:16-19 LSB)
This is a glorious motley crew. Look at them. He starts with Simon, the impulsive, blustering fisherman, and renames him Peter, the Rock. Jesus did not name him for what he was, but for what He would make him by grace. Then you have James and John, the "Sons of Thunder," a nickname that suggests they were hot-headed, ambitious, and probably loud. Jesus did not quench their fire; He consecrated it.
You have ordinary men like Andrew and Philip. You have an honest skeptic like Bartholomew, also called Nathanael. You have a world-class doubter in Thomas, whose doubt would later be transformed into one of the greatest confessions of faith: "My Lord and my God!"
And then you have two men who represent the opposite ends of the political spectrum, thrown together in this divine fellowship. You have Matthew, the tax collector. In first-century Israel, this meant he was a traitor, a collaborator with the pagan Roman oppressors, a man who grew rich off the misery of his own people. He was despised. And in the same group, Jesus appoints Simon the Zealot. The Zealots were radical nationalists, guerilla fighters, assassins dedicated to the violent overthrow of Rome. A Zealot and a tax collector in the same room would normally end with the tax collector having a knife in his ribs. But in the fellowship of Jesus, they are made brothers. This is the supernatural, reconciling power of the gospel. It creates a unity that politics never could.
And finally, the list ends with a chilling, stark note: "and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him." Jesus, in His omniscience, chose him. He knew from the beginning what Judas would do. This is a terrifying reminder that proximity to Christ does not guarantee salvation. One can be in the inner circle, hear the sermons, see the miracles, and still have a heart that belongs to the darkness. It is a solemn warning that the visible church will always contain both wheat and tares, and the Lord knows who are His.
Conclusion: God's Peculiar Instruments
So what do we take from this? We see that the Church is founded not on human wisdom or ability, but on the sovereign choice of Christ. He does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. He takes fishermen, tax collectors, political radicals, doubters, and hot-heads, and He forges them into the foundation of a kingdom that will outlast the Roman Empire and every other kingdom of man.
This should be a profound encouragement to us. God is still in the business of using crooked sticks to draw straight lines. He delights in using weak, foolish, and insignificant things to shame the wise and the strong. The men Jesus chose were not impressive. But the one who chose them was. And He sent them out with a simple, three-part mandate that remains the Church's mandate today.
First, be with Him. Abide in Him through His Word and prayer. Let your life be hidden with Christ in God. Second, go and preach. Proclaim the kingship of Jesus Christ over every area of life. And third, expect conflict. Go with authority, knowing that the gospel you carry is the power of God to bind the strong man and plunder his house.
This is the pattern. The King has summoned us, just as He summoned them, not because of who we are, but because of who He is. He has called us to be His men, His ambassadors. Let us therefore be found faithful.