Crowds Vs. Disciples
Mark 3:7-19
Message #9
Today, because of Mark’s writing style, we again have a great opportunity to see a stark contrast between two ends of the “following Jesus” spectrum. In two short scenes in Mark, we get to decide which people we want to be like, the crowd in the first scene or the disciples in the second scene. It’s a clear comparison and a clear challenge. Are we “in the crowd” or are we “becoming a Disciple”?
Mark 3:7–8 (NLT)
7 Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him (meaning ‘followed after’ him). They came from all over Galilee, Judea,
8 Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. (WHY were all these people “coming after Jesus”) – (because) The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.
Is this good? Do you think Jesus thought this was good? Don’t we think drawing a big crowd to church is good? But really, if you look closely, it’s easy to see that Jesus did not think drawing a big crowd (in and of itself) was good. Look at our next section about the crowd.
Mark 3:9-12 (NLT)
9 Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.
10 He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him.
11 And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!”
12 But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was. (this is ‘crowd control’ by Jesus)
Guys, Jesus loved each person in these crowds. And out of compassion, he healed them and he cast demons out of them. But if you really look at how the crowds are portrayed in the gospels, it’s obvious that they were coming to Jesus for all the wrong reasons.
John 2:23 says that many people began to believe in him because of his miracles. But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew what was in each person’s heart. The implication is, Jesus knew it wasn’t real. He knew they weren’t coming for the right reasons. They were there to get something from Jesus. They were not there to commit to follow Jesus as the Messiah.
And isn’t it really the same today? Aren’t there still plenty of churches who portray Jesus as giving the people something they want? And aren’t they creating the same type of crowds that Jesus worked so hard to avoid.
If you really want to see how Jesus handled the crowds, read the Bread of Life sermon starting at John 6:22. We have two messages on this text on the wordbymail phone app. Just search “John 6:22”.
In John 6, it’s very clear that Jesus challenged the motives of those who were “coming after him” in order to get something from him, and when he did challenge them, they turned away and stopped following after him.
And at the end of that sermon, in John 6:66, it says this.
John 6:66–69 (NLT)
66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”
68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.
69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
Guys, this is the real reason to commit to follow Jesus your entire life.
“Lord, [where else would we go]? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
You and I have to choose to either… “Look to Jesus” for something he can give us, which is why the crowds chased after him; or “commit to follow Jesus” because he alone has the words of Eternal Life, and because we believe and know that he is the Holy One of God which is why the original twelve Disciples followed him.
So, Mark sets up the contrast here by first painting a picture of the crowds and now introducing us to the Disciples.
Mark 3:13-15 (NLT)
13 Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him.
14 Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him (be with him), and he would send them out to preach,
15 giving them authority to cast out demons.
This is an extreme contrast to the crowds that were crushing in on Jesus in order to get something from him. In contrast, Jesus called the Disciples to be with him, and they came to him, and he would use them to literally change the world.
Not the crowds – the twelve. With twelve who responded to his call to be with him and committed to follow him as their Lord. With twelve, God spread the Good News of salvation and the plan of the Kingdom of God around the world.
Those must have been some kind of superstar twelve, right? Like the Avenger superheroes of the first century. They must have been the most gifted, the best and the brightest – the top of the class superstars. No! Not at all, in fact, quite the opposite. So, let’s meet the Disciples and then we’ll do super-mini bios on each of them, okay?
Mark 3:16-19 (NLT)
16 These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter),
17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot),
19 Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
Jesus turned away the crowds because their motives were wrong, and he put all his eggs in the basket of these twelve guys, pinning the hope of salvation for the world on these twelve guys… so let’s see what they have to offer.
16 . . . Simon (whom he named Peter),
The leader and self-appointed spokesman for the twelve. Bold, aggressive, out-spoken, impulsive. Peter was the ready-fire-aim guy, and he had a perfectly foot-shaped mouth. And Jesus took him – just as he was. But Jesus didn’t leave him just as he was. This means, if Jesus could transform Peter and use him so mightily, then there is hope for some of us, right?
17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),
Their nickname from Jesus describes their character. They were zealous, thunderous and intense brothers. James was the older brother, but he was not the writer of the Book of James. In fact, the thing this James is best known for is being the first of the Twelve to be martyred because he was a stir-it-up, in your face kind of guy.
And his brother John, that we call the Apostle of Love, was not that originally. He became the Apostle of Love as he was transformed by his own love for Jesus. These brothers were rough and tumble, hard fishermen with overbearing personalities. This again means if Jesus could transform them and use them to change the world, then there is hope for some of us who might be like them.
Next, verse 18 Andrew,
The least known of what we call the four “Leader-Disciples.” Andrew was Peter’s brother and he brought Peter to Christ. He was eager to follow Christ and very eager to bring others to Christ. But Andrew always remained in the background, mostly in the shadow of his brother Peter.
But there is no evidence of resentment or bitterness in him. Andrew was happy to be in the background serving others who were more in the spotlight like Peter, James, and John. And if Jesus could use Andrew who was most comfortable serving in the shadows, that means Jesus can use us who might be more like Andrew than the hot-headed leaders.
18 . . . Philip,
Philip was a Hellenistic Jew, which means he came from a family that had adopted the Greek language, Greek culture, and Greek customs. It seems Philip was a facts and figures, by-the-book, practical (and pessimistic) kind of guy. He was the guy who was always first to point out why something was not going to work. So, and if, Jesus could use Philip, the short-sighted, pessimistic realist to change the world, that means there is hope for some of us who might be like him.
18 . . . Bartholomew (more often - Nathanael),
He is always named together with Philip and there are no real details about him at all. We do know he was a serious student of the Old Testament and he knew immediately that Jesus was fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies – as the Messiah. We know he came from Cana, and we know he had a prejudice problem with people from Nazareth. But Jesus took him, transformed him and used him… again, mostly in the shadows. So, if you’re a Brainiac – with some prejudices – have some hope. If Jesus could use Nathanael, he can use you.
18 . . . Matthew,
We looked at Matthew two messages ago. He was the despised tax collector, the lowest of the low of Jewish society, hated by all. Ostracized by his family and banned from the Synagogue, his only friends were other low-life, criminal sorts. And not only did Jesus call him and use him, but he went to a huge dinner with all of Matthew’s low-life, criminal friends. Which may give you or someone you know the hope that Jesus would come to dinner with you and use you.
18 . . . Thomas,
If Philip (who we already met) was a pessimist, then Thomas was Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. He was a doubter, questioner and an anxious worry wort. He anticipated the worst and often saw it coming, whether it really was or not. And so, if you can secretly relate to Thomas (or Eeyore), then there is hope for you because if Jesus could use Thomas to change the world, then he can surely use you.
18 . . . James (son of Alphaeus),
He was also called James the Less and the only thing scripture tells us about this James is his name and his name may actually refer to his level of influence. He had no recognition, displayed no leadership, had no insights and no comments during the entire time he was with Jesus. But he was called by Jesus and he was used by Jesus, just like the four well-known disciples that lead the list.
It makes me think about celebrity pastors versus the other 99.6 percent of all pastors (non mega-church). The celebrities lead the list and live in the spot-light, but it takes every single one of us no-name guys in order to lead God’s church.
18 . . . Thaddaeus,
Thaddaeus has three names in Scripture, and no one knows who this guy really was. He’s called Judas-Not Iscariot. He’s called Lebbaeus. He’s called Thaddaeus. The last two names are probably nick-names and they both imply gentle, tender-hearted compassion. He’s mentioned only once in the gospels where he shares his concern for the world. So, while the Leader-Apostles were arguing over who gets to sit next to Jesus, the no-name apostles were caring about the world in the shadows of the big personality guys. And listen, please, God called them all and God used them all.
18 . . . Simon (the zealot),
A one-time member of a radical political party known as “The Zealots,” which was a well-known, greatly fear political action group. They hated the Romans, and most of their political action was through violent attempts to overthrow Rome. The Zealots were looking for a political Messiah to help them overthrow Rome and they were more than willing to die or kill to help make that happen.
And one more thing, a Zealot would have killed a tax collector in his sleep at the first opportunity. Instead, Simon the Zealot and Matthew the Tax Collector became spiritual brothers, and they served side-by-side for the Kingdom of God. So, when the Lord calls you and you commit to truly follow him, he might just put you in his service alongside someone you would have previously hated. That is the way the Lord changed the world.
Finally, there is 19 Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
While there is a lot we can learn from his life, we’ll have to save it for another time.
The question today is… if you only had twelve to take the life-saving message of the Gospel to the entire world, are these the twelve you would have chosen? When churches today want to attract the big crowds… are these the type of people their Human Resource departments are looking for?
Why did Jesus call this small group of mostly fishermen and questionable characters to be his representatives to the world? For the same reason that he called you and me!
2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
7 But we have this treasure (talking about the Gospel) in jars of clay (cracked jars of clay), to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
That is why he chose the original twelve, and that is why he chose you and me to show the world that the power of transformation and new life belongs to God and comes from God.
All God needs is a truly surrendered life. With a truly surrendered, committed life, Jesus will pour in the gifting and the refining and the power to accomplish whatever he sets out for us to accomplish. Because it is not by our might. It is not by our power. It is by God’s Spirit, says the Lord.
Our life is replaced with the life of Christ in us, and by the life of Jesus Christ in us, we take part in the greatest eternal plan ever created. The grand plan of the Eternal Kingdom of God.
But hear me please on this. The first Disciples surrendered everything in their life in order to follow Jesus, and we must do the same thing and through that total surrender, Jesus will transform our lives and use our lives for his glory.
The Lord loves to use weak and common people. So, if you see some of yourself in the original twelve Disciples, take heart and have hope because you are the kind of person the Lord loves to use for his glory. He’s just waiting for you to fully surrender your life to him and commit to truly follow him all of your days.
Don’t be part of the crowd who came to Jesus looking for him to give them something. Become a true Disciple surrendering your life to Jesus Christ and committing to follow him all your days.
Mark 3:7–8 (NLT)
7 Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him (meaning ‘followed after’ him). They came from all over Galilee, Judea,
8 Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. (WHY were all these people “coming after Jesus”) – (because) The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.
Is this good? Do you think Jesus thought this was good? Don’t we think drawing a big crowd to church is good? But really, if you look closely, it’s easy to see that Jesus did not think drawing a big crowd (in and of itself) was good. Look at our next section about the crowd.
Mark 3:9-12 (NLT)
9 Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.
10 He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him.
11 And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!”
12 But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was. (this is ‘crowd control’ by Jesus)
Guys, Jesus loved each person in these crowds. And out of compassion, he healed them and he cast demons out of them. But if you really look at how the crowds are portrayed in the gospels, it’s obvious that they were coming to Jesus for all the wrong reasons.
John 2:23 says that many people began to believe in him because of his miracles. But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew what was in each person’s heart. The implication is, Jesus knew it wasn’t real. He knew they weren’t coming for the right reasons. They were there to get something from Jesus. They were not there to commit to follow Jesus as the Messiah.
And isn’t it really the same today? Aren’t there still plenty of churches who portray Jesus as giving the people something they want? And aren’t they creating the same type of crowds that Jesus worked so hard to avoid.
If you really want to see how Jesus handled the crowds, read the Bread of Life sermon starting at John 6:22. We have two messages on this text on the wordbymail phone app. Just search “John 6:22”.
In John 6, it’s very clear that Jesus challenged the motives of those who were “coming after him” in order to get something from him, and when he did challenge them, they turned away and stopped following after him.
And at the end of that sermon, in John 6:66, it says this.
John 6:66–69 (NLT)
66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”
68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.
69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
Guys, this is the real reason to commit to follow Jesus your entire life.
“Lord, [where else would we go]? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
You and I have to choose to either… “Look to Jesus” for something he can give us, which is why the crowds chased after him; or “commit to follow Jesus” because he alone has the words of Eternal Life, and because we believe and know that he is the Holy One of God which is why the original twelve Disciples followed him.
So, Mark sets up the contrast here by first painting a picture of the crowds and now introducing us to the Disciples.
Mark 3:13-15 (NLT)
13 Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him.
14 Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him (be with him), and he would send them out to preach,
15 giving them authority to cast out demons.
This is an extreme contrast to the crowds that were crushing in on Jesus in order to get something from him. In contrast, Jesus called the Disciples to be with him, and they came to him, and he would use them to literally change the world.
Not the crowds – the twelve. With twelve who responded to his call to be with him and committed to follow him as their Lord. With twelve, God spread the Good News of salvation and the plan of the Kingdom of God around the world.
Those must have been some kind of superstar twelve, right? Like the Avenger superheroes of the first century. They must have been the most gifted, the best and the brightest – the top of the class superstars. No! Not at all, in fact, quite the opposite. So, let’s meet the Disciples and then we’ll do super-mini bios on each of them, okay?
Mark 3:16-19 (NLT)
16 These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter),
17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot),
19 Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
Jesus turned away the crowds because their motives were wrong, and he put all his eggs in the basket of these twelve guys, pinning the hope of salvation for the world on these twelve guys… so let’s see what they have to offer.
16 . . . Simon (whom he named Peter),
The leader and self-appointed spokesman for the twelve. Bold, aggressive, out-spoken, impulsive. Peter was the ready-fire-aim guy, and he had a perfectly foot-shaped mouth. And Jesus took him – just as he was. But Jesus didn’t leave him just as he was. This means, if Jesus could transform Peter and use him so mightily, then there is hope for some of us, right?
17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),
Their nickname from Jesus describes their character. They were zealous, thunderous and intense brothers. James was the older brother, but he was not the writer of the Book of James. In fact, the thing this James is best known for is being the first of the Twelve to be martyred because he was a stir-it-up, in your face kind of guy.
And his brother John, that we call the Apostle of Love, was not that originally. He became the Apostle of Love as he was transformed by his own love for Jesus. These brothers were rough and tumble, hard fishermen with overbearing personalities. This again means if Jesus could transform them and use them to change the world, then there is hope for some of us who might be like them.
Next, verse 18 Andrew,
The least known of what we call the four “Leader-Disciples.” Andrew was Peter’s brother and he brought Peter to Christ. He was eager to follow Christ and very eager to bring others to Christ. But Andrew always remained in the background, mostly in the shadow of his brother Peter.
But there is no evidence of resentment or bitterness in him. Andrew was happy to be in the background serving others who were more in the spotlight like Peter, James, and John. And if Jesus could use Andrew who was most comfortable serving in the shadows, that means Jesus can use us who might be more like Andrew than the hot-headed leaders.
18 . . . Philip,
Philip was a Hellenistic Jew, which means he came from a family that had adopted the Greek language, Greek culture, and Greek customs. It seems Philip was a facts and figures, by-the-book, practical (and pessimistic) kind of guy. He was the guy who was always first to point out why something was not going to work. So, and if, Jesus could use Philip, the short-sighted, pessimistic realist to change the world, that means there is hope for some of us who might be like him.
18 . . . Bartholomew (more often - Nathanael),
He is always named together with Philip and there are no real details about him at all. We do know he was a serious student of the Old Testament and he knew immediately that Jesus was fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies – as the Messiah. We know he came from Cana, and we know he had a prejudice problem with people from Nazareth. But Jesus took him, transformed him and used him… again, mostly in the shadows. So, if you’re a Brainiac – with some prejudices – have some hope. If Jesus could use Nathanael, he can use you.
18 . . . Matthew,
We looked at Matthew two messages ago. He was the despised tax collector, the lowest of the low of Jewish society, hated by all. Ostracized by his family and banned from the Synagogue, his only friends were other low-life, criminal sorts. And not only did Jesus call him and use him, but he went to a huge dinner with all of Matthew’s low-life, criminal friends. Which may give you or someone you know the hope that Jesus would come to dinner with you and use you.
18 . . . Thomas,
If Philip (who we already met) was a pessimist, then Thomas was Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. He was a doubter, questioner and an anxious worry wort. He anticipated the worst and often saw it coming, whether it really was or not. And so, if you can secretly relate to Thomas (or Eeyore), then there is hope for you because if Jesus could use Thomas to change the world, then he can surely use you.
18 . . . James (son of Alphaeus),
He was also called James the Less and the only thing scripture tells us about this James is his name and his name may actually refer to his level of influence. He had no recognition, displayed no leadership, had no insights and no comments during the entire time he was with Jesus. But he was called by Jesus and he was used by Jesus, just like the four well-known disciples that lead the list.
It makes me think about celebrity pastors versus the other 99.6 percent of all pastors (non mega-church). The celebrities lead the list and live in the spot-light, but it takes every single one of us no-name guys in order to lead God’s church.
18 . . . Thaddaeus,
Thaddaeus has three names in Scripture, and no one knows who this guy really was. He’s called Judas-Not Iscariot. He’s called Lebbaeus. He’s called Thaddaeus. The last two names are probably nick-names and they both imply gentle, tender-hearted compassion. He’s mentioned only once in the gospels where he shares his concern for the world. So, while the Leader-Apostles were arguing over who gets to sit next to Jesus, the no-name apostles were caring about the world in the shadows of the big personality guys. And listen, please, God called them all and God used them all.
18 . . . Simon (the zealot),
A one-time member of a radical political party known as “The Zealots,” which was a well-known, greatly fear political action group. They hated the Romans, and most of their political action was through violent attempts to overthrow Rome. The Zealots were looking for a political Messiah to help them overthrow Rome and they were more than willing to die or kill to help make that happen.
And one more thing, a Zealot would have killed a tax collector in his sleep at the first opportunity. Instead, Simon the Zealot and Matthew the Tax Collector became spiritual brothers, and they served side-by-side for the Kingdom of God. So, when the Lord calls you and you commit to truly follow him, he might just put you in his service alongside someone you would have previously hated. That is the way the Lord changed the world.
Finally, there is 19 Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
While there is a lot we can learn from his life, we’ll have to save it for another time.
The question today is… if you only had twelve to take the life-saving message of the Gospel to the entire world, are these the twelve you would have chosen? When churches today want to attract the big crowds… are these the type of people their Human Resource departments are looking for?
Why did Jesus call this small group of mostly fishermen and questionable characters to be his representatives to the world? For the same reason that he called you and me!
2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
7 But we have this treasure (talking about the Gospel) in jars of clay (cracked jars of clay), to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
That is why he chose the original twelve, and that is why he chose you and me to show the world that the power of transformation and new life belongs to God and comes from God.
All God needs is a truly surrendered life. With a truly surrendered, committed life, Jesus will pour in the gifting and the refining and the power to accomplish whatever he sets out for us to accomplish. Because it is not by our might. It is not by our power. It is by God’s Spirit, says the Lord.
Our life is replaced with the life of Christ in us, and by the life of Jesus Christ in us, we take part in the greatest eternal plan ever created. The grand plan of the Eternal Kingdom of God.
But hear me please on this. The first Disciples surrendered everything in their life in order to follow Jesus, and we must do the same thing and through that total surrender, Jesus will transform our lives and use our lives for his glory.
The Lord loves to use weak and common people. So, if you see some of yourself in the original twelve Disciples, take heart and have hope because you are the kind of person the Lord loves to use for his glory. He’s just waiting for you to fully surrender your life to him and commit to truly follow him all of your days.
Don’t be part of the crowd who came to Jesus looking for him to give them something. Become a true Disciple surrendering your life to Jesus Christ and committing to follow him all your days.