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Mark 3:13-19 - The twelve apostles

Back from the Mark hiatus.

Here Mark describes the occasion where Jesus chooses His twelve.

It happens on a mountain, and He calls them to Him - so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.

The mountain is probably nothing but a symbolic high place - often used in older cultures.

Our first takeaway here is that Jesus calls out His apostles first. They do not choose to go to Him, neither do they have some form of competition amongst themselves etc.

This ties in with the doctrine of election - that God chooses His people. Although we are not chosen to be apostles, we have been chosen to be God's people. It is a choice on which God alone has authority.

The next takeaway is that these elected came to Jesus. This then ties in with the doctrine of human responsibility - that given free choice and being elected by Christ's death on the cross, it is our duty to respond faithfully and correctly in all situations. I personally like the word "duty" a lot - because of the weight of obligation and responsibility it carries.

Finally, the last key takeaway is the task given to the apostles - to preach and to have authority to cast out demons. They are to fulfill Jesus's ministry.

By preaching, they bring forth the good news of salvation through repentance through faith in Jesus Christ.
By casting out demons, they exercise the authority of the Son of God, cleansing the world.

So what does all this mean for us?

This short passage ties in well with the overall lessons we learn from the Bible. To me, importantly was the reminder on human responsibility and our duty. Also, the role of the apostle - the exact same role of us today. Where there is no biblical evidence that Christians today can cast out demons, our mandate to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ is the same - and by preaching Christ's death and resurrection already the demons of this world will have trouble enough.

How have we exercised our free will to respond to God?
How have we fulfilled God's given task to us?
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