EmmDev 2025-03-14 [Moments with Mark] He them to be with Him.

He them to be with Him.

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mark3:13-19)

Mark has introduced us to a busy, controversial and compassionate Jesus. In only two and a half chapters we have seen baptism, wild temptation, compassionate healing, the promise of newness (new wineskins), humble healings and confrontational healings. He has portrayed Jesus as compassionate, focussed, prayerful, challenging and exhausting in His activity to reveal God's kingdom as a place where God is central, where love and justice hold hands and where hypocrisy has no place.

He has been with disciples in a general sense, but now He specifically and officially appoints the twelve. Luke tells us that He spent a night in prayer preparing for this moment.

Who did He appoint?

• They were diverse: Fishermen, Tax collectors, Zealots, and Youngsters.
• They were works in progress:
  For example Simon-Peter moved from Simon (means "Listen") to Peter (means "Rock")
  and Sons of Thunder (James and John) became the first martyr (James) and the "apostle of love" (John)
• Some were unschooled, some were worldly wise, some were on the fringe of society, others were outcasts.
• And one would betray Him.
• They were people like us...

And what did He call them to?

• To be with Him - And this is the most important. To be with Him. To hear His teachings, observe His ways, absorb His character and understand His kingdom
• Then that He might send them to preach - to share what they had learned and absorbed.
• To have authority to deal with evil - When we've absorbed enough of Jesus we will not be able to do nothing when we encounter evil and injustice. We will need to act.

Like the disciples we are called to the same things.
And it all starts with "being with Him..."

When Peter and John get arrested for healing the lame man at the temple gate, they surprise the Pharisees and teachers of the law (The "temple mafia") by being courageous, articulate and faith-filled. This is what Luke records: "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)

How do we change the world?
By being WITH Jesus!
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For the next two weeks there will be no EmmDevs. Brenda and I are going down to East London where I will be going through Sacraments and Going for Growth with our Denomination's probationers and then we will come back slowly camping along the way and taking the roads less travelled.

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