Jesus Calls The Twelve
Mark 1:1-3:35 L1_Mark_Ch1_Ch3_PKim
Key Verses 3:13-14
“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach…”
Studying the Word in small portions each week is valuable and helps us grow steadily. However, it is also important to step back and look at the bigger picture so that we may grasp its deeper meaning and see God’s overall plan and purpose. Today, we are revisiting Mark Chapters 1 throught 3, the first lesson in 5 Lessons. These chapters show us Jesus’ Galilean ministry – how he began it and laid its foundation. Through this, we want to understand more deeply the gospel of Jesus, the nature of his ministry, and his ultimate desires (Hope and Vision) in calling his disciples. So we pray that, through this study, we may come to discover the meaning and value of our UBF ministry and our personal life of mission within God’s redemptive history.
Point 1. The Gospel of Jesus the Messiah. (Ch1:1-15)
Mark began by saying, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” We heard the powerful message last week delivered by M. Matthew J. Kim. It is the gospel, good news. Why is it good news? It is because Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, came to set us free from sin. In the beginning, God created mankind in his own image. However, sin came into the world through disobedience of one man and death throguh sin. In this way death came to all peopple because all sinned. Sin cuts us from God, takes away peace, but fills us with fear, guilt, and shame. Imagine a person wearing invisible chains. On the outside, everything looks fine. But inside, that person is bound by guilt, fear, or shame. That is what sin does to all mankind. Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” This is the true codition of humanity.
But, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God came. He came to set people from sin. It is truly good news for all people! Do you know that the gospel of Jesus was not accidental, but was prepared for us according to God’s redemptive plan? This gospel is not a man made story but it is God’s story – how God has fulfilled what he had promised. Just as God promised in Isaiah and Malachi, John the baptist came and prepared the way for the Lord by preaching the baptism of repentance in the wilderness. Then, as God’ promised, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John the Baptist. God, the father, was so pleased for His obedience that he poured out the Holy Spirit upon him. Immediately, Jesus was driven into the wilderness and faced the enemy directly – the one who had led all mankind into sin and death through temptations. But Jesus overcame Satan by the power of the word of God. After defeating the enemies, he began his public ministry, preaching the good news – “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.”
This good news proves that our God is faithful and powerful enough to keep what he had promised. The coming of Jesus is the good news! Jesus, the Son of God, came to set us free and bring us into the kingdom of God. All we need to do is “repent and believe.” No matter what the path we have been, we should trun toward Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life. Many may wonder why we need to hear the same story again. First of all, it is because we are so forgetful. Second of all, it is because this gospel of Jesus is the demonstration of God’s love for us, saying “I love you!” No one ever tires of hearing “I love you” from its loved one. Instead, the more we hear it, the more we deisre to hear it again. That is why we read and meditate on the words of God more and more.
Poits 2. The nature of Jesus’ ministry (1:16-3:12)
In this part, we see three main aspects of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. First, Jesus called his disciples. Sh. Isaac Lee delivered a wonderful message of Jesus’ calling. “Come, follow me! I will send you out to fish for people.” His calling is God’s grace upon unworthy sinners. It is Jesus’ invitation to personal relationship with him; it is an invitation to new life with new purpose and vision. Then, they made a life-changing decision to follow Jesus, leaving everything behind. Jesus did not choose them based on human standards; rather, he chose those who were willing to trust his promise and follow him. Jesus did not say, “You are qualified.” He said, “I will make you…” Disciples are not born, but they are made through personal relationship with Jesus.
Second, Jesus preached the word of God with authority. He traveled throughout Galilee and wherever he went, he entered the Synagogues and taught. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority. Although they wanted him to stay with them, Jesus did not lose sight of his mission – “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (1:38) He did not come to build an earthly kingdom, but to proclaim the ingdom of God through teaching of the word of God.
Third, Jesus healed the sick and drove out demons. Jesus healed a man possessed by an impure spirit, commanding “Be quiet. Come out of him.” Jesus healed Simon’s mother in law. Then, the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. Jesus did not turn away a single one.
He healed many and drove out many demons. Moreover, he healed a man with leprosy, touching him and saying “I am willing. Be Clean.” He healed a paralized man and a man with a shriveled hand. A large crowd came from Galilee; more people came from Judea, Jerusalem, the regions of across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidom. Still, Jesus healed many and drove out demons.
Then, through all this, what does Mark show us about Jesus and his ministry? It is undedniable that Jesus came to serve all kinds of sinners – the broken, the outcast, the proud, the selfish, the self-righeous, and all unclean sinners. His ministry is the ministry that reaches and serves all sinners. The ministry of Jesus is also a ministry of the word of God – teaching the truth and preaching the goodnews of the kingdom of God. The ministry of Jesus is a ministry that calls ordinary people into an extraordinary life to follow Jesus and to become His disciples.
Many spiritual leaders warn that the modern church is growing weak and even becoming corrupted by the spirit and trends of this world. This is because the church has lost its itdenty as the body of Christ, which is called to carry on the ministry of Jesus in this generation. Let us remember we are called to be the body of Christ in our time by teaching the word of truth, calling people to follow Jesus and serving all sinners with love. Let us reach out to campus students, preach and teach the gospel of Jesus, welcom and serve all kinds of sinners, and call them to be disciples of Jesus. That is why we have come. When we forget what we are called to do, we also lose our spiritual identity.
If we look only at the outward aspects of what Jesus did, we are likely to misunderstand the true natue of His ministry. As a result, people see Jesus merely as a charity worker, or humanitarian or a miracle worker. Though that is not entirely wrong, it is not fully true either. The events in Mark 2 and 3 help us to clearly see and understand Jesus and his ministry.
Look at 2:1-17. A paralyzed man was brought to Jesus. Rather than healing his paralysis, Jesus first declared the forgiveness of sins, saying “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Then, some teachers of the law accused Jesus of blasphemy, thinking to themselves “He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” They were actually right about one thing – Only God can forgive sins. But what they’re missing is that Jesus is God. To demonstrate His authority as the son of God, Jesus healed the paralyzed man. He said “I want you to know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then, he said to the man, “Get up, take your make and go home.” The man gets up and walks out in full view of everyone. Through this, Jesus showed that he did not just come to fix physical problems, but he came to forgive sins which we all need more than physical healing.
Now, look at Levi. He was capable, ambitious and intelligent. However, he was lost in his sins – especially selfishness and indifference and pragmatism. Because tax collectors worked for the Romans, nobody respected them. However, Jesus came to him and invited him to follow him, saying “Follw me.” And Levi got up and followed him. His calling transformed this worst sinner into a humble, generous, and compassionate servant of God. He even invited many other sinners to his house and served them. Jesus came to his house and was reclining at the table, eating with them. When the Pharisees saw this, they criticised, asking “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinner?” Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (2:17) This statement “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” reveals who he is and what his ministry is about. Jesus, the son of God, came for sinners. He came not to despise them, but to heal them and restore them as God’s holy children. Jesus, the Son of God, came to forgive our sins: Jesus came to heal our sin-sickness. Ultimately, he accomplished this by sacrificing his life on the cross.
How, then, should we respond to Jesus and His ministry of Jesus? Just as new wine requirs new wineskins, we should become a new wineskin – a new people, transformed by the Holy Spirit – throught repentance. The ministry of Jesus is not about adding a few spiritual habits or lessons to the life we already have. It is not about simply coming to church on Sunday while living exactly the same way the rest of the week. Jesus is not just an addition to our life. Jesus calls for complete transformation -from-the-inside-out. We cannot contain Jesus, his truth, his ministry within an old, sinful way of life. So, the ministry of Jesus brings about this wonderful change – a transformation into a new wineskine – so that we may live by the truth of God – to follow Jesus’ teaching. Jesus calls for repentance!
Point 3. Jesus Calls The Twelve
A large crowd came to Jesus. The religious leaders who were supposed to be shepherds abused their power. They loaded heavy burdens on people but never lifted a finger to help them. Under the Pharisees, the people could never be free from the burden of sins, guilt, and shame. As the crowd grew larger, the needs increased. Jesus did not try to do everything alone. Instead, Jesus did something very important – he called and raised disciples. He went up on a mountain and prayed. Then, he called the twelve.
Look at verse 13-15. “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed Twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” After much prayer, Jesus chose 12 among the disciples and appointed them as apostles. Why? For what purpose?
The first purpose is To be with him. Before preaching, before healing, before any kind of ministry, Jesus wanted them to be with him – To know him – To walk with him – to learn from him through personal relationship. The first and most important calling of a disciple is to be with Jesus. Discipleship begins with a relationship with Jesus. It begins with times spent with Jesus, with his word, in prayer to him. We must know Jesus personally before doing any ministry. Often, we want to jump straight to doiong things for God. But God is not looking for our activity before he has our heart. He wants us with him first.
The second purpose is to preach and to heal with authority. Simply it means to carry on God’s redemptive work of salvation even after Jesus’ death, resurrection and assention. Jesus called them to proclaim the same gospel – the word of God that he had been teaching and preaching. This Gospel of Jesus was not meant to stay in one place or one generation. It was meant to go out- through these ordinday people – to all people to all nations and all generations.
Jesus had this vision far greater than any one could accomplish alone. Through his disciples, Jesus wanted the good news to reach every village, every city, every nation, every campus, and every generation. That is why he came and that is why Jesus called the disciples.
For this vision, Jesus chose the Twelve with hope! Considering these 12 ordinary people, it might have seemed like an impossible vision. But, consider who Jesus is – the son of God, the good shepherd, and disciple-maker. Though they were ordinary, Jesus was going to train them to become His disciples – means to be shepherds like him, teachers like him, and servants like him.
Through the disciples who had been transformed by knowing him, the gospel would reach to the ends of the earth. That is why Jesus called them to himself. Disciple-making is God’s wisdom to reach to the end of the earth. The work of God is not about numbers first, but about transformation. God raised one man, Abraham, to be a blessing for all nations. Jesus raised the Twelve and through them, the gospel spread to the whole world.
From Mark Ch4, we are going to see How Jesus bore with these ordinary people in great patience and love; Jesus never stop challenging them, rebuking them, and teaching the word of truth; he never stopped loving them, even to the point of sharing his very life. In this way, He shaped them into shepherds like him, teachers like him who teaches the word of truth, and serves all sinners with God’s hope and compassion for the lost.
Jesus is still calling disciples today. You may feel unqunaulified, weak or unsure. But remember, the disciples were the same. What matters is not who we are, what we achieve, or how much ability or talent we have, but who Jesus is. Jesus is the son of God. He came for sinners. He came to forgive our sins and to transfom our lives so that we may become His disciples and shepherds like him.
Today we learn about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus did not come only to heal or to teach—he came to forgive sins, to transform lives, and to raise disciples. In God’s redemptive History, UBF ministy -we ourselves- are called to serve His purpose – To preach the gospel, teach the Word of God, and serve and call campus students to become disciples of Jesus in this generation.