Mark 3:13-19
Chapter 3
13
The Twelve
Then Jesus went up into the hill country and called those he wanted, and they came to him.14
He appointed twelve to be with him, and he called them ‘apostles.’ He wanted to send them out to preach,
15
and he gave them authority to drive out demons.
16
Here are the twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter;
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James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘men of thunder’;
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Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
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and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
Commentaries
The Twelve.
Jesus chooses those he wants. The initiative is his, not the disciples’. He calls them to form a community, a new people (symbolized by the number twelve, like the twelve tribes of Israel). The mission of this people is to be witnesses and testimonies of the reign of God. Here are two important characteristics of following Jesus: community and mission.