Mari Ikeda

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The Beginning And The Purposes Of The Church (Mark 3:7-19)

A. The reality of this world (7-12)

7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

B. The beginning and the purposes of the Church

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 

1. We did not choose Jesus, but He chose us (13-14a)

2. Just for the two purposes (14b-15)

C. The reality of the Church (16-19)

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.

Summary

There are so many people in this world who need Jesus’ help, both ourselves and people around us. But in fact the answer to all problems we have does not lie in what Jesus could do for us, but in us knowing who Jesus is, instead. Jesus chose us in order to make us be with Him first and to send us as His delegates to this world. Chosen by Jesus, desiring to follow Him, we form a group called Church. Though a church is just a group of imperfect humans, let us personally get to know Jesus more, and let us grow to let this world know more about His greatness.

For Discussion

1) Why can we find the answer to all of our problems in knowing who Jesus is?
2) Why does Jesus call us to “be with him”?