Jesus’ fame spread. People seeking healing, spiritual goose bumps, or those curious followed Him everywhere. Mark records, “Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee, and a large crowd followed from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to him because they heard about everything he was doing. Then he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, so that the crowd wouldn’t crush him. Since he had healed many, all who had diseases were pressing toward him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” And he would strongly warn them not to make him known.” (Mark 3:7–12, CSB)
Mark identifies people from Israel and the surrounding territories. Gallilee is essentially northern Israel, and Judea is southern Israel. Idumea is the territory of Edom, which is south of Judea. Those beyond the Jordan River are from what we call Syria today, while those from Tyre and Sidon are north of Galilee and are today Lebanon. People around that region had heard something about Jesus and sought Him out.
Today, we would call that “going viral.” The crowd was so large and needy that they threatened to crush Jesus. It is interesting that the demon-possessed were anywhere near Jesus. And yet there seems to be something here to recognize. Spiritually broken people are attracted to the light of Christ like moths to a flame. We must welcome them into the light while freeing them from their souls’ darkness through Jesus.
Mark then skips scenes. Sometime after ministering to the crowd, Jesus went up the mountain. Luke tells us in chapter six that Jesus spent the night praying and in the morning called the twelve men He would name as apostles.
“Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, to send them out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons. He appointed the Twelve: To Simon, he gave the name Peter; and to James the son of Zebedee, and to his brother John, he gave the name “Boanerges” (that is, “Sons of Thunder”); Andrew; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.” (Mark 3:13–19, CSB)
Books have been written about the variety of the twelve and their differences. Imagine the conversations between Matthew, the former Roman sympathizing tax collector, and Simon the Zealot, who sought violent overthrow of the Romans. And yet, in Christ, they could put those differences aside to unite in Jesus’ mission. That should tell us something.
We will have differences with those in our congregations. Perhaps even substantial political differences. But those must never get in the way of our love for Christ and each other. There was a reason Jesus called men from various backgrounds to be His sent ones. Paul touched on it. In that section of 1st Corinthians, “And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.” (1 Corinthians 12:16–18, CSB) Jesus arranged each of the apostles just as he wanted.
Let’s put these two pieces together. In our congregations and in the broader church, there are going to be differences. Some of those people, at this moment, are moths seeking the light of Christ. Some are those whom God has placed for His purposes. We need the different parts of the body. I learn much from those with other viewpoints, and I hope they learn something from me. All require humility and discernment. As we function as God has placed us, we declare that Jesus is the Son of God.
- Mark: Crowds and Apostles - May 19, 2025
- Mark: Lord of the Sabbath - May 14, 2025
- Mark: Old and New - May 12, 2025
