Having Orders

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

HAVING ORDERS

Mark 3:13-19

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve — designating them apostles-that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

NIV

Clearly, this was a special moment for these twelve men, to be called up front and center and to be designated as apostles. It is true that some manuscripts do not contain the phrase that he “designated them apostles”, here in the gospel according to Mark. However, both gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke uses that word which is translated as an apostle. This word means a delegate, one sent forth with orders. It was specially applied to the twelve disciples who Christ selected from a much larger group of disciples. However, this term, apostle, has been transferred to other eminent Christian teachers, such as Barnabas, as we see in the Acts of the Apostles. This could or would mean it is possible that some, even today, could be ordained as an apostle, if Christ so called them to go out and preach and maybe even drive out demons, giving them that authority. Certainly, we would have to say that if we take the commands of Jesus onto ourselves, and especially the one where he says to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He also said that we are to teach them to obey everything he has commanded. Now, if we take that to mean us as well as those twelve, then we have been sent forth with orders and the authority to carry those orders out. So then would that mean we could be considered as apostles? Maybe, we are just one of the nations that have been made into disciples and baptized. But then which one of the twelve came to the Americas? And if they were the only ones who were supposed to go to every nation, why then do we sent people to other nations to proclaim the good news and only call them missionaries. Could it just be one more example of us living under the guise of tradition rather than the truth? As certain as it was a special moment for those twelve, it was so when we were called out of the darkness into His wonderful light, and has he not called us to a special task, a particular living stone of which He is building His temple? Have we not been called to be His witness, proclaiming the good news in whatever part of the world we are in? Have we not been sent forth? It is certain, he did not call us to hide out in our homes, or in the church, but intends for us to go forth. Then what should we be called, Christians, disciples, believers, followers of Jesus, apostles? One thing is certain, that Jesus has called us to be with him. So perhaps we could be all of them all at the same time. The point is that we need to ask ourselves if we have orders.