Day 10: Jesus calls the Twelve
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, eight companions are chosen to go with the hobbit Frodo on his mission to destroy the evil ring. The group includes elves, dwarves, and men to represent the different kinds of people who have resisted the evil Lord Sauron. The total number of the group is nine, to mirror the nine ring wraiths who follow Sauron. In our passage today, we’ll see Jesus picking twelve Jewish men to be His official disciples, to mirror the twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament.
Where did Jesus go in verse 13?
After God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt, He met with their leader, Moses, on a mountaintop and gave him the law.
In verse 13, how does Mark describe the people Jesus called?
Throughout the Bible, we see God calling people, and He’s still calling people today—including you, if you’re trusting in Jesus! He doesn’t call people because they’re especially good, or smart, or attractive, or rich. He often calls the least impressive people because He wants them.
In verses 14–15, Jesus picks a smaller group of people out of the large group He has called. How many people does Jesus choose, and what are the three things He wants them to do?
These twelve guys are sometimes called the “disciples” and sometimes the “apostles.” A disciple means someone who follows a teacher to learn from him, and an apostle means someone who is sent. Jesus had many other disciples—including many women—but these twelve Jewish men are picked out for the particular job of being sent. They mirrored the twelve brothers who started the twelve tribes of Israel.
In verse 16, who does Mark introduce us to first, and what’s his nickname?
Simon was the most common name for Jewish men in Jesus’ day, so no wonder he needed a nickname! Simon’s other name, Peter, means “rock.” As we saw in the introduction, it seems that Mark’s gospel is largely based on Simon Peter’s memories!
Who are the next two people Mark introduces, and what nickname does Jesus give them?
Along with Peter, these brothers—James and John—are in Jesus’ inner circle, even within His small group of twelve. But we’ll see as we read through Mark that even these three make big mistakes!
In verses 18–19, Mark gives us the rest of the names of Jesus’ twelve disciples. What are their names? Write them below.
According to an early tradition, Matthew wrote Matthew’s gospel. His other name was Levi, and we met him on Day 6, when Jesus calls the tax collector Levi to follow Him.
Why do you think Mark gives us extra descriptions for James the son of Alpheus and Simon the Zealot?
“Iscariot” probably refers to the place where Judas came from, but Mark gives us an extra description for him in verse 19. What does Mark say about Judas?
How do you think it felt that one of Jesus’ closest friends was the one who betrayed Him and, in the end, sent Him to His crucifixion?
In the New Testament, Christians are often called “brothers and sisters.” Followers of Jesus are family. The Bible teaches that our biological families (our parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc.) are very precious, and that we should especially honor our parents. But the Bible also teaches that we are even more connected to our brothers and sisters in Christ than to our biological family.