JUST ORDINARY FOLKS
Opening Prayer
Dear God, shine the light of Your face upon me, and make me a light for You in the world.
Read MARK 3:7–19
Crowds Follow Jesus
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
Jesus Appoints the Twelve
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Footnotes
- Mark 3:14 Some manuscripts twelve—designating them apostles—
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”’1
Think Further
The signs of the inauguration of the kingdom of God are visible. Jesus has been teaching, healing the sick, performing miracles and exorcising in Mark’s narrative. The time has come for Him to appoint disciples to pursue His mission on earth. He chooses twelve disciples for two primary purposes (14,15). First, they are to spend time with Him so that they can learn from Him and pattern their lives upon His example. Second, they are to preach the Good News of the kingdom and to have authority over the evil one.
These disciples are ordinary people just like us, following Jesus with all our failures, weaknesses, and sinful nature. They are not supermen, nor are they like the heroes that are depicted in Hollywood movies. There is boastful Peter who will deny Jesus. There is Thomas who will doubt his Lord. There are James and John, brothers who are ambitious in wanting to sit in powerful positions in God’s kingdom. There is Matthew, whose profession as a tax collector is regarded by many as sinful. In the Old Testament, Moses was also reluctant when God called him to lead His people out of Egypt. He felt that he was not equipped to do so – as shown in the quotation at the head of this page. Yet God used him to fulfill His plans and purpose for His people. This reminds us that there is always room for people who are broken and weak, for those who experience failure in life, to be of service in God’s kingdom. We need not wait until we are perfect and fully equipped to serve God. We never will be perfect!
Is God calling us to serve Him in the church, our homes, schools, colleges, workplaces, and neighborhoods? Will we make ourselves available to share the Good News of the kingdom?
Apply
Lord, make me a willing servant to serve You and Your church.
Closing prayer
Amazing One, I marvel that You can take ordinary people like me and accomplish extraordinary things. Lord I am Yours, use me today.
1 Exod 3:11
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