Mark 3:17-19 - Intentionally Called
Interesting things happen between Jesus and his disciples in this passage. It begins with Jesus wanting to spend some time with them, withdrawing to the lake. However the crowds continued to follow him. He never seemed to discourage them from following him, he never seemed annoyed by them, but intent upon serving them. People were coming from all around now, word was getting out about him not only among people but in the spiritual world as well.
11 Whenever the evil 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 who he was.
When the evil spirits saw him, they knew exactly who he was and out of submission to His authority, reverence and obligation they bowed before their creator (yes - Jesus even created them too - see John 1:3; Col 1:15-16; Lk 10:18; Job 1:6-7; Phil 2:10-11). They had to acknowledge who Jesus was, and Jesus remained in authority as He ordered them what to do. Do you and I have even the reverence for Jesus that the evil spirits have? Does He have that kind of authority over your life?
When Jesus finally gets away for a few minutes and He called some of His followers to him, twelve of them. In those few minutes those 12 men's lives were dramatically changed for the rest of their lives. In those few minutes Jesus appointed them as apostles and commissioned them to their life's callings. Right there - they went from being disciples - ones who are learning the ways of the master, to apostles - ones carring a message, entrusted to carry on the work that Jesus had taught them and gave them.
It is no mistake that this occurs just after Jesus encounter with the evil spirits. What a dramatic contrast to the rest of the world. The new apostles had just witnessed the extraordinarly authority and power that their master possesses. They were to have that same authority over the spiritual powers of evil (v15), but not in their own authority. They were to be with Jesus and He would send them out to preach (v14). Jesus just uped the stakes for them, they were to be with him always, to learn, to serve, to grow in understanding, both intellectually and experientially. They were not going to miss anything with Jesus; what an extrordinarly relationship. They would also have to respond to Jesus' direction to go out and speak publically of His message of forgiveness and love. Those were the prerequisites to having authority over evil.
Jesus lived with the constant awareness that His departure was ahead of Him. His time on earth as a human was limited but the effects of His presence was to be ongoing for the rest of time. As a result, His followers and apostles were His succession plan, to continue His redemptive work after His departure. He called not only followers, of which he gained many, but He also appointed and designated some to be appostles, those who would carry on and carry out His work for the rest of history, in the power of having been with Him and in His authority.
He is still appointing apostles from His followers today, people who go out with His message and in His authority. Are you one of those?
11 Whenever the evil 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 who he was.
When the evil spirits saw him, they knew exactly who he was and out of submission to His authority, reverence and obligation they bowed before their creator (yes - Jesus even created them too - see John 1:3; Col 1:15-16; Lk 10:18; Job 1:6-7; Phil 2:10-11). They had to acknowledge who Jesus was, and Jesus remained in authority as He ordered them what to do. Do you and I have even the reverence for Jesus that the evil spirits have? Does He have that kind of authority over your life?
When Jesus finally gets away for a few minutes and He called some of His followers to him, twelve of them. In those few minutes those 12 men's lives were dramatically changed for the rest of their lives. In those few minutes Jesus appointed them as apostles and commissioned them to their life's callings. Right there - they went from being disciples - ones who are learning the ways of the master, to apostles - ones carring a message, entrusted to carry on the work that Jesus had taught them and gave them.
It is no mistake that this occurs just after Jesus encounter with the evil spirits. What a dramatic contrast to the rest of the world. The new apostles had just witnessed the extraordinarly authority and power that their master possesses. They were to have that same authority over the spiritual powers of evil (v15), but not in their own authority. They were to be with Jesus and He would send them out to preach (v14). Jesus just uped the stakes for them, they were to be with him always, to learn, to serve, to grow in understanding, both intellectually and experientially. They were not going to miss anything with Jesus; what an extrordinarly relationship. They would also have to respond to Jesus' direction to go out and speak publically of His message of forgiveness and love. Those were the prerequisites to having authority over evil.
Jesus lived with the constant awareness that His departure was ahead of Him. His time on earth as a human was limited but the effects of His presence was to be ongoing for the rest of time. As a result, His followers and apostles were His succession plan, to continue His redemptive work after His departure. He called not only followers, of which he gained many, but He also appointed and designated some to be appostles, those who would carry on and carry out His work for the rest of history, in the power of having been with Him and in His authority.
He is still appointing apostles from His followers today, people who go out with His message and in His authority. Are you one of those?
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