Up On The Mountain: Mark 3:13-15
What does the process of being an apostle look like? One of my favorite ways of expressing the call of apostleship is becoming like Jesus so much that when people take notice of us they actually see Christ instead. That image affects my actions whenever I am in leadership. I have no desire to make duplicates of myself though my actions. If someone takes notice of something I’ve done, I want them to realize it is God who is the true source for whatever I do. At least that’s the ideal. I’m sure I don’t always get it right.
Jesus heads up the mountain, which serves one huge purpose in this story. Walking up mountains is hard work; it will be difficult for the crowds to follow. Here is a test to sort out those who want to be with Jesus. Those looking for access to an easy healing won’t put in the effort to follow through difficult terrain.
As Jesus goes, He calls twelve people to Him. There are three important points that Mark brings out. First: when Jesus called, they came. They obey the call of the Lord. Those wishing to follow Jesus must first submit to Him. If you are anything like me, you may forget the importance of obedience. Yet, submission to Him is a very crucial first step.
The second point is incredibly easy to miss. Jesus appointed the twelve so they might be with Him. If we follow Jesus, then we need to learn about Him. We need to immerse ourselves in His presence so that His light shines through us. As Paul says, we die so that He lives in us. Submission to Jesus naturally brings about change so we become more like Him.
The third point is where we typically focus when we hear this story. Jesus appoints the apostles to go out, have authority to preach, and cast out demons. I’ve always wondered if Mark literally means to take on demons when he writes this or if he is speaking figuratively for healing people of whatever ails them. I could see it either way. Regardless of how literal Mark is, we see the apostles called to eventually leave Jesus’ side, go into the surrounding area, preach, and do something with the people. We don’t draw close to Jesus so we can ignore the world and stay in His presence. We draw close to Jesus so we can become more like Him and impact the world for Him.
These steps are important to putting ourselves into a position to be used by God. We must be willing to go into more difficult areas. We must be willing to submit. We must be willing to listen, learn, and change. Finally, we must be willing to go out and do. What does the process of being an apostle look like in your life?
