Mark Photos - 3:13-19 - Twelve
Mark 3:13-19 - Jesus Appoints The Twelve
He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
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I love the juxtaposition of these two things that I saw earlier this year in the office of one of my friends - the figures of Jesus and the disciples with the globe in front of them. I love the faces on the figures - makes them look so very human instead of the formalized images we often see of them at the table with Jesus. But I mostly love the way that the two things connect. This passage reflects the calling that Jesus gave to the disciples - he calls them by name and sends them out to share the message in deed and in word. What I also love about this passage is the way that the disciples are so very human (just like the figurines). They are not only names but nicknames are shared (Peter/Petros and the Sons of Thunder) but also failings (betrayer). Wow - that's just like me (and like all of us) - Jesus knows our personalities, calls us by name, even with our failings - God calls and God uses. Amazing.