Season of
Denha
Third Sunday: MARK 3:7-19
THE SELECTION OF THE APOSTLES
THE SELECTION OF THE APOSTLES
INTRODUCTION
Jesus started his ministry primarily in the
synagogues of Galilee, where people assembled for prayer on the Sabbath.
The elite Jews, especially the Pharisees and the Scribes, questioned his
progressive approach to Sabbath observance, alleged him of blasphemy,
and condemned him for dining with sinners. When the Pharisees plotted to
kill Jesus, he moved his ministry from a synagogue to the shore of the
Sea of Galilee. He gained wide popularity because of his miracles of
healing. People from all over Galilee, Judea, and neighboring regions
came to him to cure and to hear his teachings of hope. Jesus used a boat
for preaching to avoid the crowd crushing on him. Besides preaching,
Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons. After spending a night in
prayer on a mountain, he selected 12 disciples as a special team and
appointed them as his apostles. Bishops are the successors of these
apostles. Under their pastoral guidance in the church, let us grow in
faith and give witness to Jesus in our given situation.
BIBLE TEXT
The Mercy of
Jesus
(Mk 3:7) Jesus withdrew toward the sea
with his disciples. A large number of people [followed] from Galilee and
from Judea. (8) Hearing what he was doing, a
large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea,
from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
(9) He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the
crowd, so that they would not crush him. (10) He
had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing
upon him to touch him. (11) And whenever unclean
spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the
Son of God.” (12) He warned them sternly not to
make him known.
(Mk 3:13) He went up the mountain and
summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.
(14) He appointed twelve [whom he also named apostles] that they might
be with him and he might send them forth to preach
(15) and to have authority to drive out demons:
(16) [he appointed the twelve:] Simon, whom he named Peter;
(17) James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named
Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; (18) Andrew,
Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, (19) and Judas
Iscariot who betrayed him.
INTERPRETATION
Background
According to Mark, Jesus performed several
miraculous healings. Since he did many of them on the Sabbath, the
conservative Jews interrogated him. The events prior to the section we
reflect here are: (1) Jesus cured a demoniac on the Sabbath in a
synagogue at Capernaum (Mk 1:21-26) which sparked his fame everywhere in
Galilee (Mk 1:28). (2) Jesus cured the fever of Simon’s mother-in-law on
the same sabbath day (Mk 1:29-31). (3) On the evening of that day, he
healed the sick and demoniacs in the presence of all the villagers (Mk
1:32-34). (4) Jesus went to synagogues all over Galilee preaching and
driving out demons (Mk 1:39). (5) He healed a leper (Mk 1:40-45). (6)
When some brought down a paralytic opening the rooftop of a crowded room
at Capernaum, Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic along with his
healing. The scribes accused Jesus of blasphemy for forgiving the sins
(Mk 2:1-12). Jesus called Levi at the customs post and dined at his
house with his friends. The Scribes and Pharisees questioned Jesus for
eating with sinners and tax collectors (Mk 2:13-17). The people
questioned Jesus for ignoring the non-practice of fasting by his
disciples (Mk 2:18-22). The Pharisees interrogated Jesus for his
disciples’ picking the heads of grains, grinding, and eating them, which
violated the sabbath (Mk 2: 23-28). While the Pharisees were critically
observing Jesus, he healed a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath (Mk
3:1-6). This agitated them and they “went out and immediately took
counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death” (Mk 3:1-6).
Though the public highly admired Jesus, the Pharisees, Scribes, and
Herodians alleged him of violating Sabbath, for allowing his disciples
to do the same, and being blasphemous. Their agitation was so high that
they plotted to kill him as per the Jewish law.
(Mk 3:7) Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people [followed] from Galilee and from Judea.
Jesus withdrew
toward the sea with his disciples.
Where was Jesus before he withdrew to the
seashore? The immediate cause for this move was the assassination
planning of the Pharisees when Jesus healed a man’s withered hand on the
Sabbath (Mk 3:1-6). Then “the Pharisees went out and immediately took
counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death” (Mk 3:6).
So, the location must be a center of Pharisees and Herodians. Though
Capernaum was the center of Jesus’ ministry while he was in Galilee,
this crisis must have occurred in Sepphoris, the provincial capital of
Herod Antipas. It is about four miles (six km.) northwest of Nazareth,
and about 15 miles (25 km.) from the Sea of Galilee. That was a Jewish
center with many Pharisees and Herodians living there.
Jesus and the Jewish
leaders differed in their views on sabbath observance. For Jesus, the
acts of mercy were part of worship, allowable on the Sabbath, and in
congruence with the spirit of the Law. The leaders differed with this.
To avoid confrontation with them at an early stage, when his hour had
not yet reached, Jesus moved out of the synagogue. This was not out of
fear, but to avoid his immediate assassination in Galilee. His
self-sacrifice should happen in Jerusalem, and not in Galilee. Jesus had
withdrawn from the public frequently in Mark to escape from enemies (Mk
3:7), to pray (Mk 1:12; 6:46; 14:32-33), for rest (Mk 6:31; 7:24; 7:31;
10:1), and for private discussions with his disciples (Mk 7:17; 9:2).
Fleeing from place to place because of
persecution was tolerable for Jesus because he does not want Christians
to fight against their opponents or throw themselves unnecessarily into
danger. The disciples should continue their mission rather than facing
an untimely martyrdom from the enemies. So, Jesus had advised his
disciples, “When they persecute you in one town, flee to another” (Mt
10:23).
Jesus withdrew
toward the sea
with his disciples.
The sea mentioned here is the Sea of Galilee,
that is in fact a lake. Its other names are Lake of Gennesaret and Lake
Tiberias. This pear-shaped lake is the lowest freshwater lake on the
earth. It has a circumference of 33 miles with mountains around it. Its
beaches and valleys with hills in the back all around made it convenient
for the crowd to gather like in an amphitheater, while Jesus preached on
a boat. It provided amplifying sound effect for his speech when there
were no artificial devices for sound amplification.
Jesus withdrew toward the
sea
with his disciples.
When Jesus became popular, he got disciples
who followed him to listen to him and to witness the miracles he
performed. Luke records that “a great crowd of his disciples” (Lk 6:17)
followed him.
A large number of people [followed]
Though the reason for Jesus’ move from the
synagogue to the lakeshore was the resentment of the Pharisees, he had
the advantage of accommodating the enormous crowd on the open ground
that no synagogue could contain. The Gentiles, Publicans, and others who
were ineligible, or uninterested in the synagogue service, could also
meet Jesus at the lakeshore. Besides, he could avoid the disturbance of
the antagonists in the synagogue.
Jesus was popular only by word of mouth
because no print or electronic media was available for publication.
Ordinary people had to walk miles to reach Jesus. This was especially
difficult for the sick and those who had to carry them. Besides the
people in Galilee, many arrived from the neighboring cities. Mark
mentions their names. Such a flow of people shows the wide
popularity Jesus had gained because of his merciful miracles.
from Galilee
During the public ministry of Jesus,
Palestine had three traditional regions: Galilee in the north, Judea in
the south, and Samaria in between them. Jesus’ ministry was mainly in
Galilee and Judea. Since the conservative Jews, the Sanhedrin, and the
Temple were in Judea, Jesus’s life was at threat there. So, he centered
his ministry at Capernaum in Galilee.
Joshua had assigned Galilee to Asher,
Naphtali, and Zebulun tribes when the Israelites first inhabited the
Promised Land. Zebulun and Naphtali tribes failed to expel entirely the
native Canaanites when they entered the land. So, they later had Gentile
influence and attacks from neighboring Gentiles. The Assyrians conquered
the land, exiled many Israelites in 733 BC, and scattered them so they
would not unite for any revolt against the Assyrians. Many foreigners
then settled in the land. So, Galilee became a mixed group of Israelites
and Gentiles. Aristobulus had conquered Galilee for the Jews in 104 BC
and forcibly made the inhabitants Jews through circumcision.
The name Galilee had derived from the Hebrew
word “galil,” that means circle. The full name was the Galilee of the
Gentiles. The Gentiles lived around them as neighbors: the Phoenicians
in the west, Syrians in the north and east, and Samaritans in the south.
Since the Gentiles and Jews lived around Galilee, the Jews there were
open to innovative ideas compared to Judea. So, Jesus had better
receptivity from the Jews and Gentiles in Galilee.
and from Judea
Judea is the southern region of Palestine
adjoining Jerusalem, where the Jews re-inhabited after their return from
Babylonian captivity. Samaria surrounded it in the North, Jordan in the
east, Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the town of Beersheba in the
south. When the Israelites conquered Canaanites and settled in
Palestine, predominantly the tribe of Judah had settled there. Later,
King David captured Jerusalem in the tenth century BC from the Jebusites
and made it the capital of the unified 12 tribes of Israel. After his
son King Solomon’s death, the northern 10 tribes separated from Judea,
and Jerusalem continued to be the capital of Judea. Jesus used to go to
the Jerusalem Temple for feasts and preached there as well. Because of
the wide popularity of Jesus, people from all over Judea also came to
Galilee to listen to him.
(8) Hearing what he
was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre
and Sidon.
Hearing what he was
doing, a large number of people came to him
Jesus performed more miracles than all the
previous prophets combined. They were mostly acts of mercy for the
marginalized people. That attracted a massive amount of people to meet
Jesus in person. They were eager to benefit from what he was doing and
listen to his progressive ideas of hope for the less fortunate in the
community.
Also from Jerusalem
Jerusalem was the capital of the united
Israel and later of Judea. The Temple was located there. The presence of
the elite Jews, especially the Sanhedrin, was a hurdle for Jesus because
he challenged their corruption and the undue importance they gave to
man-made traditions that were inconsistent with the genuine spirit of
the precepts of God through Moses. Mark specifies Jerusalem to highlight
that even people from the Jewish headquarters of Judea also came to
listen to Jesus. They had to travel around hundred miles from Jerusalem
to reach Capernaum.
From Idumea
The descendants of Esau, called Edomites, had
settled in Idumea. Edom in Hebrew means red. Like Esau, who was reddish
(Gen 25:25), the region they occupied had sandstone cliffs in red color.
It was south of Judea and the Dead Sea. During the Babylonian captivity,
the Edomites occupied some areas in the south of Palestine. They mingled
with the Jews and practiced circumcision. King Herod the Great was a
descendant of this mixed race. They also showed interest in the message
and activities of Jesus. Hence, they came all the way from the south to
Capernaum to listen to him.
From beyond the
Jordan
Beyond Jordan means those who lived on the
east side of River Jordan across Palestine.
From the neighborhood
of Tyre and Sidon
Tyre and Sidon are in the north of Galilee,
now in Lebanon. The inhabitants of Sidon must be the descendants of
Sidon, who was the firstborn son of Canaan, the grandson of Noah (Gen
10:15). Sidon was the northern border of the ancient Canaanites (Gen
10:19). Tyre is 20 miles south of Sidon on a rock island on the east
coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The name Tyre came from the Semitic word
“Sister” meaning rock.
Though Joshua had allotted Tyre and Sidon
also to the tribe of Asher (Josh 19:28-29) at the conquest of Canaan,
the Israelites never conquered the inhabitants there (Judg 1:31-32). “So
the Israelites lived in the midst of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. The Israelites married the daughters
of these people, gave their own daughters in marriage to the sons of
these people and served their gods” (Judg 3:5-6).
Tyre contributed supplies and personnel for
the construction of David’s palace in Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:11) and for the
Temple. “The Sidonians and Tyrians had brought cedar logs to David in
great quantities” (1 Chr 22:4).
The Assyrians attacked the ten northern
tribes of Israel around 740 BC and exiled them to various parts of their
empire. The tribe of Asher was also among the lost 10 tribes. Jeremiah
(27:3-11) and Ezekiel (26:7-14) had prophesied the surrender of Tyre and
Sidon to Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar
besieged Tyre for 13 years (585 BC).
After returning from the Babylonian exile,
when the Jews started construction of the second Temple in Jerusalem
(521-516 BC) under the leadership of Zerubbabel, they sought help from
Tyre and Sidon for construction materials and personnel for the Temple.
“They gave money to the masons and the carpenters. They also gave food,
wine and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians to bring cedar trees from
Lebanon to Joppa by sea, according to the authorization of Cyrus, king
of Persia” (Ezra 3:7).
The people from the neighborhood of Tyre and
Sidon also joined the crowd at the lakeshore of the Sea of Galilee to
listen to Jesus. That might have been the reason for the Syro-Phœnician
woman to seek Jesus’s help for healing her daughter (Mt 15:21-28; Mk
7:24-30). She addressed Jesus as the Son of David (Mt 15:22) professing
her faith in Jesus as the Messiah. She could also be one among the crowd
at the Sea of Galilee to listen to Jesus.
(9) He told his
disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that
they would not crush him.
He told his disciples
to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd
Some disciplines of Jesus were fishermen, and
the boats they had used must have been available then. So, he asked them
to arrange a boat that he could use as a platform to address the vast
crowd without them crushing on him. He used a natural crowd control
system that would keep the crowd at a safe distance from the speaker
So that they would
not crush him
When the crowd is too large, the sick and
their helpers might worry about getting personal attention and cure from
Jesus. So, they kept pressing on him. That was dangerous for Jesus and
the people around. The crowd might step or fall on those who were in
front of them because of the wave of push coming from behind.
The primary goal of Jesus was to preach the
gospel and prepare the people for the new kingdom that he was going to
inaugurate on the day of Pentecost. His second priority was to help
those who were in misery, making use of his divine power. Providing acts
of mercy without conveying the gospel message should not be the
Christian missionary goal. However, his listeners had the freedom to
accept or decline his message and bear the consequences.
(10) He had cured
many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to
touch him.
He had cured many
The chief attraction of the immense crowd
that came from all the neighboring localities was Jesus’ power and
willingness to heal even the incurable diseases. There was no report
like that ever before.
those who had
diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.
The sick people were eager to get healing
from Jesus. Because a vast crowd came even from faraway places, the sick
persons and their families were competing to get his attention. They
tried to touch Jesus, believing they could get healed by doing so.
There were several instances when people got
healing by touching Jesus’ cloak. While Jesus was going to an official’s
house to heal his daughter, a woman who had a hemorrhage for 12 years
came up behind him and touched the tassels on his cloak. “She said to
herself, ‘If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured’" (Mt 9:21).
She might have heard of such miracles of Jesus happening before. When
she did so in secret, “Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt
in her body that she was healed of her affliction” (Mk 5:29). When Jesus
reached Gennesaret with his disciples, the people there recognized him.
“They sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him
all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the
tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed” (Mt
14:35-36; Mk 6:56).
(11) And
whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and
shout, “You are the Son of God.”
Whenever unclean spirits saw him
Popular belief of the time was that evil
spirits enter the body of living persons causing mental or certain
physical illness. The person convinced of such a possession identified
with the evil spirit and behaved like that demon.
They would fall down before him
The demons were bowing not to express homage
to Jesus as the Son of God. They fell down because of their
powerlessness in front of Jesus, and they were afraid that he might cast
them out from the afflicted people. Even if the demons were the real
ones, they were afraid that the Messiah might cast them out to the abyss
before the appointed time (Mt 8:29) which would take place only at his
second coming (Rev 20:1-10).
Shout, “You are the Son of God.”
Though the Bible used “Son of God” only for
Jesus in the strict sense, it was used also for:
1. Angels: “One day, when the sons of God
came to present themselves before the LORD, the satan also came among
them (Job 1:6).”
2. The chosen or righteous people: “The sons
of God saw how beautiful the daughters of human beings were” (Gen 6:2).
3. The Nation of Israel: “When Israel was a
child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 1:1), “Thus says
the LORD: Israel is my son, my firstborn” (Ex 4:22).
4. The king of Israel: “I will be a father to
him, and he shall be a son to me” (2 Samuel 7:14).
5. Those who show mercy to others: “Be like a
father to orphans, and take the place of a husband to widows. Then God
will call you his child” (Sirach 4:10).
However, the “Son of God,” when used for
Jesus, is different because he shares the essence of God from eternity.
All other sons of God, like Adam, are God’s creation.
Jesus acknowledged when others called him the
“Son of God.” God the Father used it for Jesus at the time of his
baptism (Mk 1:11) and at the time of Transfiguration (Mk 9:7). John the
Baptist (Jn 1:34), Nathanael (Jn 1:49), and Simon Peter pronounced Jesus
as the Son of God (Mt 16:16). Several others also used the title “Son of
God” for Jesus in the gospels: At the annunciation, Angel Gabriel told
Mary, “The child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk
1:35). When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they said,
“Truly, you are the Son of God” (Mt 14:33). Before raising Lazarus from
the dead, Martha professed her faith in Jesus, saying, “Yes, Lord. I
have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one
who is coming into the world” (Jn 11:27). After the crucifixion of
Jesus, “The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over
Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was
happening, and they said, ‘Truly, this was the Son of God!’” (Mt 27:54;
Mk 15:39). Mark begins his gospel, stating, “The beginning of the gospel
of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]” (Mk 1:1). John the Evangelist states
the purpose of his gospel, saying, “But these are written that you may
[come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God” (Jn 20:31).
After his conversion, St. Paul witnessed in the synagogue that Jesus is
the Son of God (Acts 9:20). Thus, several people acknowledged Jesus as
God’s Son in the factual sense.
In Luke, when Jesus cast out demons in
Capernaum, they shouted at him, saying, “You are the Son of God” (Lk
4:11). However, the “Son of God” that the demoniacs used could have a
distinct sense. The secular world had used the title “son of god” for
humans. At least during some period, people considered Egyptian kings
and Roman emperors as sons of God. Some communities considered a person
with extraordinary quality or divine power as “son of god.” The demon
possessed people could understand Jesus as a person of divine power
because of the miracles he performed. They might have called Jesus “the
Son of God” in that sense. They were afraid that the divinity of Jesus
would agitate the demons in them, and that might cause more trouble for
them. Theirs was not a confession of his divinity, but a rebuke to get
rid of his presence.
(12) He warned them sternly not to make
him known.
Besides this case, when Jesus was at
Capernaum “demons also came out from many, shouting, ‘You are the Son of
God.’ But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they
knew that he was the Messiah” (Lk 4:41). Why Jesus warned the demoniacs
sternly not to publicize him as the Son of God?
2. The concept of Messiah for
Jesus and the popular concept of the Messiah were different. For Jesus
Messiah came to love, serve, and to sacrifice himself for all people so
that those who believe in him and keep his commandments might attain
salvation. Whereas the popular concept was a worldly conquer who might
lead the Israelites for their liberation from the foreign rulers. Jesus
needed time to train his disciples and educate the public on his
ministry so they could follow him in reaching the heavenly crown through
the cross of salvation. So, after major miracles, Jesus asked his
beneficiaries not to publish the favors they had received.
3. Any
prior claim of messiahship could endanger the life of Jesus before his
appointed time of self-sacrifice. He needed time to accomplish his
mission in the world by preaching to the public and preparing his
disciples to continue his mission in the world.
The Mission of the Twelve
(Mk 3:13) He
went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to
him.
Besides going to the Temple of Jerusalem and
local synagogues, Jesus used to go to mountains for prayer (Mt 14:23, Mk
6:46, Lk 6:12, Jn 6:15). According to the Bible, mountain was a holy
place where God and men could meet. The belief was that God was on high
in heaven and men can go to the mountain tops to interact with God as
Moses did on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-34:30). Though Jesus preached in
the synagogues, houses, lakeshores, and from water on boats, he also
preached on mountains like the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:1).
Some prominent mountains where significant
events happened in the Bible are:
(2) Mount Ararat, where the
ark of Noah landed after the deluge (Genesis 8:4) and where God made a
covenant with Noah.
(3) Mount Moriah (Gerizim), where God had asked
Abraham to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:2).
(4) Mount Sinai, where
Moses met God and received the Ten Commandments.
(5) Mount Nebo
(Pisgah), where Moses saw the promised land (Deut. 34:1-4).
(6)
Mount Carmel, where Prophet Elijah proved God as genuine against Baal by
calling down fire from heaven to ignite fire on water-soaked sacrifice
(1Kings 18).
(7) Mount Zion (Jerusalem), where Solomon built the
Temple.
(8) Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on
the Mount.
(9) Mount Tabor (Hermon), where transfiguration of Jesus
happened.
(10) Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed before his arrest.
He ascended into heaven also from this mountain.
(11) Golgotha
(Calvary), a skull-shaped hill in Jerusalem where the crucifixion of
Jesus took place. His burial and resurrection took place nearby.
The selection of the 12 apostles, who later
should become the pillars of the church and Jesus’ emissaries, was a
crucial event in the ministry of Jesus. Hence, he chose a lonely and
holy place for it. Luke documents the spiritual preparation Jesus had in
doing so. “He departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night
in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and
from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles” (Lk 6:12-13).
Summoned those whom he wanted
Out of the 72 disciples Jesus had previously
chosen, he selected 12 whom he wanted to accompany him full-time (Lk
8:1), to learn from him, to become eyewitnesses of his miracles of mercy
and glory, to gain personal experience through practical training to
preach, heal, and cast out demons (Mt 10:1-15, Mk 6:7-13), and later to
continue his mission throughout the world. So, this was a second
selection and direct call after the primary training and evaluation.
Though others might have wished for such a position, the selection was
Jesus’ choosing and not of the disciples. “It was not you who chose me,
but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will
remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you”
(Jn 15:16). So, the ministry in the church is God’s call and not one’s
own selection of a profession for a means of living.
The disciples Jesus selected as apostles were
simple, ordinary, traditionally perfidious, and mostly illiterate
people. He selected the weak and the open minded, trained them in theory
and practice, and shared his miraculous power with them. Mathew was a
tax-collector and so an outlaw. Simon the Zealot was the member of a
revolutionary group that was fighting for the nationalism of the
Israelites. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen. The apostles
had weaknesses and failures. They were competing for higher positions
before they received the Holy Spirit. Judas Iscariot became selfish and
betrayed Jesus.
They came to him.
When Jesus selected the 12 from among his
disciples, they positively responded to their call by leaving others
behind and reaching towards him. They had several worldly achievements
to lose for following the master. Like Jesus, they left their home,
family, and source of income (Mt 19:27, Lk 18:28). Since they gave up
their houses, Jesus and his apostles had no residence of their own. When
a scribe approached Jesus and said, “’Teacher, I will follow you
wherever you go,” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the
sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head” (Mt
8:19-20, Lk 9:57-58). Because of giving up their professions, they had
to depend on others, including devoted women, for food and other means
(Lk 8:3).
(14) He appointed twelve [whom he also
named apostles] that they might be with him and he might send them forth
to preach
He appointed twelve
Jesus had appointed seventy[-two] disciples
“whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended
to visit (Lk 10:1). Out of these primarily trained disciples, Jesus
selected and appointed 12 as a special group. Though Jesus sent the
apostles to preach and to perform miracles during his public ministry,
that was for their pastoral training under his supervision. “The
apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and
taught” (Mk 6:30). Thus, they gave feedback to Jesus and received
corrections from him. Their ordination took place only after Judas drop
out from the college of the Apostles and after the resurrection of
Jesus. On the day of his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles
and said to them, “’Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I
send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to
them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit.’ Whose sins you forgive are forgiven
them, and whose sins you retain are retained’” (Jn 20:21-23).
1. The fame of Jesus had
spread even to faraway places. So, he wanted to share his power with
some selected disciples. That enabled them to reach out to distant
places, extending Jesus’ ministry like preaching and healing the sick.
2. Jesus’ period of public ministry was for three years and a
few months. His enemies were plotting to kill him. Jesus knew that the
appointed time of his self-sacrifice was imminent (Jn 12:23). There was
no print or broadcast media during those days for easy transmission of
the gospel. So, he needed helpers to complete his program. He could
achieve that only through the apostles, who were full-time disciples.
3. Jesus had a succession plan. He wanted to reconstitute the chosen
people of God. Instead of Israelites who rejected him as the Messiah,
Jesus was going to establish the church to follow up his mission until
his second coming. He had to train and prepare the initial leaders of
the church to receive the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. So, he
selected the apostles and gave them training and hands on experience.
WHY 12 APOSTLES?
According to the Biblical numerology, 12 is a
perfect number like 3, 7, 10, 50 and 100. God established Israel as 12
tribes under the names of the sons of Jacob (Genesis 49:28). Moses sent
12 spies to Canaan, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. King David
selected 12 tribal leaders to represent these tribes for efficient
administration (1 Chronicles 27:16-22). When Jesus started his public
ministry as the Son of David, he reestablished the rule of the 12 tribal
representatives through the 12 apostles he selected on the mountain.
They would later become the pillars of the church. This showed the
reestablishment of the old Israel in a new format. These 12 were not
representatives of the 12 tribes originated from Jacob. However, they
“will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Lk 22:30) at
his second coming. Though the apostles were Jews, they were to represent
all nations whom God promised to bless when he made a covenant with
Abraham. God had told Abraham, “In your descendants all the nations of
the earth will find blessing” (Genesis 26:4).
The Bible considered the number 12 as the
perfect number of administration and symbolizes universality. Three
signifies the triune God, and four the four corners of the earth. Twelve
is the product of three and four. Jesus sent the twelve apostles to the
four corners of the world to communicate the love of the Triune God.
whom he also named apostles
Jesus named his specially assigned group of
disciples the apostles. It originates from the Greek word Apostolos
meaning “person sent.” It designates a person sent as a delegate to
another in a distant place or country. Thus, the apostles were
representatives of Jesus to communicate his mission and continue his
sacrificial service to humanity. The early church later applied the term
apostle to other prominent leaders of the church, like St. Paul and
Barnabas (Acts 14:14; Gal 1:1).
that they might be with him
Once selected, the apostles became a family
of Jesus. Unlike other disciples who used to come as observers and
listeners for a while only, the apostles left behind everything they
had, traveled with Jesus, and stayed with him full-time. During that
formation period, they learned how Jesus lived, behaved, preached, and
showed compassion to the people in need. Jesus shared private
instructions and secrets with them (Mt 13:11, Mk 4:11). After his
resurrection, Jesus appeared to them often, and gave them further
training. Thus, the apostles had the privilege of being with Jesus until
he ascended to heaven.
and he might send them forth to preach
The primary goal of the apostles was to
preach the Word of God, revealed through Jesus. The miracles the
disciples performed were to strengthen the believers and to continue the
acts of mercy Jesus had started. During his public ministry, Jesus sent
the disciples only to nearby places. After the Pentecost, he sent them
from Jerusalem to all over the world (Lk 24:47).
(15) and to have authority to drive out
demons:
Jesus wished to continue his miracles of
mercy through the apostles so that people would receive them in his name
and the suffering people would keep on getting God’s favors. They were
casting our demons in Jesus’ name using the authority he had given them.
(16) [he appointed the twelve:] Simon,
whom he named Peter
Simon,
Simon means “to hear” or "God has heard"
which could mean that he was born in answer to the prayers of his
parents, or it could be a name he had inherited from his ancestors. He
was a fisherman along with his brother, Andrew. Jesus called them both
while they were fishing (Mt 4:18-20). Even at that moment, Jesus
promised them, “I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19). “At once they
left their nets and followed him” (Mt 4:20). As a fisherman, Peter was
not an expert in the scripture. However, he had leadership qualities.
Probably, he might have been a leader of the fishermen. Jesus made use
of Peter’s skills and openness to new ideologies for his mission.
whom he named Peter
When Jesus and the apostles were in Caesarea
Philippi, Simon confessed his faith in Jesus, stating, “You are the
Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). In response to it, Jesus
changed his name to Peter. When God gave a new name to a person, it
showed a new identity. Petra means rock. Since it is a feminine form,
Jesus used Petros a masculine version of rock for Peter. In Isaiah
51:1-2, Abraham, the father of faith, was known as a rock. His faith in
God was the basis of the Old Testament believers. So also, the New
Testament period is based on the faith that Peter professed in Jesus.
Jesus wanted to build his church upon this rock (Mt 16:18). As the
foster son of Joseph, a builder, Jesus used the example of rock as the
firm foundation for building his church. When Jesus was speaking of
Peter as a rock, they were standing on the rock base of Mount Hermon.
According to the Biblical concept, only a
person who has authority could change the name of another person. The
change of name showed a change in the identity or mission of the person.
Among the apostles, only Peter had that privilege of Jesus changing the
name.
Though Simon was not the first disciple of
Jesus, he is first in all lists of the apostles (Mt 10:2; Lk 6:14; Acts
1:13; 1 Cor 15:5–8) because Jesus later made him the leader of the
college of Apostles. Jesus gave authority to Peter, saying, “I will give
you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven” (Mt 16:19).
(17) James, son of Zebedee, and John
the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder;
James, son of Zebedee
The evangelist specifies James as the son of
Zebedee to distinguish him from James, the son of Alphaeus. James was
the first martyr among the apostles and the only martyrdom of an apostle
recorded in the Bible (Acts 12:1-3). King Herod Agrippa beheaded him in
Jerusalem in 42 A.D. James is commonly known as James the Great.
John the brother of James
John was younger than James. So, Mark gives
John’s name after James. He was “the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining
at Jesus’ side” (Mk 13:23) at the Last Supper. John was the only apostle
bold enough to be at the foot of the cross of Jesus. Jesus entrusted his
Mother Mary to John, and John to Mary (Jn 19:26-27). Besides his gospel
and epistles, John also authored the book of Revelation based on his
vision of heaven while the Roman emperor expelled him on the Island of
Patmos. He had a natural death at Ephesus in 100 A.D. when he was 88
years old. He was the only apostle who died of natural causes.
Common features of James and John
James and John were sons of Zebedee and
Salome from Bethsaida. Both were fishermen in the Lake of Galilee, along
with their father. Jesus nicknamed James and John as Boanerges, meaning
“Sons of Thunder” which reflects their character. While Jesus and the
apostles were going through Samaria to Jerusalem, the Samaritans
declined to welcome Jesus. Then James and John asked, “Lord, do you want
us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” (Lk 9:54). During the
public ministry of Jesus, both were desirous of sitting at the right and
left of Jesus in his kingdom (Mk 10:35-45). After the Pentecost, their
zeal was turned to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus, and they dedicated
their lives for it.
They, along with Peter, were in the inner
circle of Jesus. Out of the 12 apostles, Jesus took only Peter, James,
and John to special places like the mount of Transfiguration, rising of
Jairus’ daughter, and to the Garden of Gethsemane. Because of that, the
evangelist lists James and John immediately after Simon Peter, although
Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter.
(18) Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the
Cananean,
Andrew
Matthew lists Andrew after Peter because he
was Peter’s brother and the first disciple, Jesus called. Andrew was the
son of Jonas and a disciple of John the Baptist. He was one among the
two who heard John the Baptist introducing Jesus, saying, “Behold, the
Lamb of God!” (Jn 1:35-37). He was the first to follow Jesus and was
enthusiastic to introduce Jesus to his brother Simon Peter (Jn 1:40-42).
Unlike his brother Simon, Andrew was a reserved person. However, he was
passionate about preaching the gospel. He preached in Asia Minor
(Turkey), Scythia, east of Turkey, Greece, and Macedonia. He faced
martyrdom of crucifixion with boldness and courage. According to
tradition, Governor Aepeas crucified him in the town of Patra in Greece
in 61 AD. When he was sentenced to be crucified, Andrew begged his cross
differ from his master’s because of his unworthiness in using the same
type of cross. So, his was an X-shaped cross which is now known as St.
Andrew’s cross. While on the cross for two days, he preached from there.
Two-crossed fish is also used as a symbol of Andrew because he was a
fisherman before becoming an apostle of Jesus and was crucified on an
X-shaped cross.
Philip
Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew
and Peter (Jn 1:44) and could be a fisherman. He was formerly a disciple
of John the Baptist. After John introduced Jesus to his disciples, Jesus
found and called Philip to follow him (Jn 1:43). Philip immediately
recognized Jesus as the Messiah. He was enthusiastic to introduce Jesus
to Nathanael by telling him: “We have found the one about whom Moses
wrote in the law, and also the prophets” (Jn 1:45). So, from the very
beginning of his discipleship, Philip was sharing the good news of
Jesus’ ministry with others. Though the Bible does not record Philip
professing faith directly to Jesus like Peter, Nathaniel, or Thomas, he
was convinced from the very beginning that Jesus was the Messiah.
Scholars assume Philip as the overseer of
supplies and food for Jesus and his apostles. Before Jesus fed the 5,000
listeners by the multiplication of five loaves and two fish, it was to
Philip that Jesus asked, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
Philip answered: “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be
enough for each of them to have a little bit” (Jn 6:5-7). Philip
preached in Greece and Turkey. The persecutors crucified him upside down
at Hierapolis in Persia in 62 AD.
Bartholomew (Nathanael)
Bartholomew, known as Nathanael in John, was
from Cana in Galilee (Jn 21:2). Philip introduced Jesus to Nathanael.
When Jesus saw Nathanael, he said of him: “Here is a true Israelite.
There is no duplicity in him” (Jn 1:47). Response of Nathanael to Jesus
was a profession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the
King of Israel” (Jn 1:49). Jesus promised Nathanael: “Amen, amen, I say
to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and
descending on the Son of Man” (Jn 1:51). Nathanael preached in India and
then at Asia Minor. The opponents martyred him by skinning alive in
Armenia in 72 AD.
Matthew
Matthew, also known as Levi, was the son of
Alpheus and lived in Capernaum. Levi was the Hebrew name and Matthew was
his Greek name. Before following Jesus, Matthew was a tax collector or
publican. Publican means someone engaged in public service or in
handling public money. The Jews considered tax collectors as traitors
and outcasts because they collected tax for Romans who were their pagan
oppressors. The Jews hated tax collectors as exploiters because they
collected unjust amount from them than was necessary to pay to the
government. That was why John the Baptist told the tax collectors, “Stop
collecting more than what is prescribed” (Lk 3:13). Jesus selected such
a hated “criminal” and made him his apostle.
When Jesus called Levi, he left his
profession and enormous wealth to follow Jesus. He used his skills to
write the first gospel that was intended for the Jews, proving that many
prophesies of the Old Testament about the Messiah were fulfilled in
Jesus Christ. Matthew preached in Egypt and the persecutors killed him
with a spear in Ethiopia in 65 AD.
Thomas
The original name of Thomas, according to
tradition, is Judas Thomas or Judas the Twin. He is believed to be of
the same age as Jesus. He expressed his boldness to die for Jesus when
the other disciples discouraged Jesus from going back to Judea to see
the sick Lazarus saying, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?” (Jn 11:8). Thomas encouraged them,
saying, “Let us also go to die with him” (Jn 11:16). However, Thomas was
not at the foot of the cross during the crucifixion of Jesus. He doubted
the resurrection of Jesus when other disciples said that they had seen
the Risen Lord. So, Thomas is nicknamed as “Doubting Thomas." However,
he expressed his great faith in the Lord by declaring to Jesus, “My Lord
and My God” (Jn 20:28) when Jesus appeared to him the next Sunday.
Thomas preached in Parthia, Persia, and India. According to apocryphal
books, while Thomas was abroad, the Blessed Mother Mary died, and he
reached at her home on the third day after her death. Upon his
insistence, the tomb of Mary was opened, and her body was not found.
Thomas saw Mary being taken up to heaven. Enemies stabbed Thomas to
death by a spear in Mylapore in India in 72 AD.
James the son of Alphaeus
James, the son of Alphaeus (Lk 6:15) and Mary
(Mk 15:40), was known as James the Lesser or James the Younger to
distinguish him from James, the son of Zebedee who followed Jesus before
him. According to some, he wrote the Epistle of James. Some uphold that
he was the brother of Matthew and Judas Thaddeus whose father was
Alphaeus. James preached in Palestine and Egypt and the persecutors
crucified him in Egypt in 62 AD, and then they sawed his body to pieces.
Thaddeus
Judas was named Thaddeus, that means “big
hearted” to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
According to tradition, Thaddeus preached in Assyria and Persia. He was
also known as Judas the Zealot because of his enthusiasm to see Jesus
ruling the world. At the last supper, he asked Jesus: “Master, then what
happened that you would reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” (Jn
14:22). He wanted to publicize Jesus as a ruling king. Judas Thaddeus
preached in Edessa and healed Abgar, the king of Edessa. The enemies
clubbed him to death at Ararat.
Simon the Cananean
Simon is named as Simon the Zealot in Luke
6:15 and as Simon the Cananean in Matthew 10:4 and Mark 3:18. Cananean
did not mean that he was from the original inhabitants of Canaan. In
Hebrew, Cananean is the equivalent of Zealote in Greek. He must be a
member of the Zealot group before joining the group of Jesus. The
Zealots were a group of revolutionaries organized against the Roman
rule. Their revolt against Rome led to the destruction of Jerusalem in
70 AD. Unlike Matthew, who was pro-Roman, Simon was anti-Roman. Jesus
selected both with opposing views in his band and made them people of
true faith. Simon worked, suffered, and died for the true Kingdom of God
that Jesus established.
According to tradition, Simon preached on the
west coast of Africa, and then moved to England, where the persecutors
crucified him in 74 AD. Others say he, after preaching in Egypt,
accompanied St. Jude to Persia and martyred in Edessa in 67 AD.
(19) and Judas Iscariot who betrayed
him.
Judas is believed to be from Judah near
Jericho, whereas the other apostles were from Galilee. Judas had
attraction to Jesus, who gave him the privileged position to be an
apostle. Jesus entrusted him with the little money Jesus and his
disciples received for their sustenance from the well-wishers. St. John
reports that “he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal
the contributions” (12:6). Jesus was aware of what Judas was going to
do. During the public ministry, Jesus said to the Apostles: “’Did I not
choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?’ He was referring to
Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of
the Twelve” (Jn 6:70-71). Even after walking with Jesus, listening to
his discourses, and witnessing the miracles he performed for over three
years, Judas could not give his heart to Jesus. Unfortunately, his
interest shifted from Jesus to money.
Some people believe Judas was also a Zealot.
He believed that Jesus the Messiah would overthrow the Romans and
establish his earthly kingdom. Judas eventually lost his hope in Jesus
and sold his master for 30 pieces of silver to his enemies. When he
realized the Jews condemned Jesus, he regretted deeply on what he had
done (Mt 27:3). He might have also assumed that since his master had
escaped from the previous assassination attempts, he might do the same
even when he would help the soldiers. However, Jesus’s time had arrived.
Judas’ attempt to return the money to the chief priests and elders did
not help to release Jesus. Even the temple authorities found it was
unlawful to deposit the money in the temple treasury. So, they bought a
potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. When his
attempts failed, he got depressed and hanged himself (Mt 27:3-5). The
Satan that entered Judas did not allow him to turn towards his master
for forgiveness.
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