He
went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him. He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach, and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee; John, the brother of James, and he called them Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder; Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. He came into a house.
Mark 3:13-19
Mark 3 [7.] Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him. He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t press on him. For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him. The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, “You are the Son of God!” He sternly warned them that they should not make him known.
Mark 3 [13.] He went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him. He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach, and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee; John, the brother of James, and he called them Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder; Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. He came into a house.
Mark 3 [20.] The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.”
Meaning:
With crowds pressing in from every region (Mark 3:7-12) and opposition growing (Mark 3:6), Jesus takes a decisive step. He goes up a mountain and appoints twelve men to share His life and mission. These verses record the founding of the apostolic band through whom the Good News would go to the world.
- Up into the Mountain:
“He went up into the mountain”: The hills rising above the Sea of Galilee offered quiet away from the crowds. In Scripture mountains are often places where God meets His people and makes covenant with them, as at Sinai. Luke adds that Jesus “continued all night in prayer to God” before choosing the twelve (Luke 6:12-16). This was a carefully prayed-over decision.
“and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him”: The initiative was entirely His. Unlike Jewish students who chose a rabbi to follow, these men were chosen by Jesus. Grace comes first; response follows.
- Twelve, to Be with Him and to Be Sent:
“He appointed twelve”: The number is deliberate. Israel was founded on the twelve sons of Jacob and their tribes. By appointing twelve, Jesus signalled that He was gathering and renewing the people of God around Himself. (Some early manuscripts add that He “named them apostles,” as Luke records; the meaning is the same.)
Mark gives two purposes. First, “that they might be with him”: discipleship begins with relationship, with time spent in Jesus’ company. Second, “that he might send them out to preach, and to have authority” over sickness and demons. The word apostle means one who is sent. Later the religious leaders noticed of Peter and John that “they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). The church is still “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:19-20).
- A Surprising List of Names:
“Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter”: Peter means rock (Cephas in Aramaic). Jesus had promised this new name at their first meeting (John 1:40-42) and later said, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly” (Matthew 16:18). James and John, the fishermen sons of Zebedee (Mark 1:19-20), were nicknamed Boanerges, Sons of Thunder, perhaps because of their fiery temperament; on one occasion they asked for the best seats in Jesus’ glory (Mark 10:35-37).
The group was remarkably varied. Matthew had been a tax collector working within Herod’s and Rome’s system (Mark 2:14), while Simon the Zealot was linked with fierce Jewish nationalism that opposed Roman rule. Several were fishermen; little is known of others such as Bartholomew, Thaddaeus and James the son of Alphaeus. Only Jesus could unite such men. The list ends soberly with “Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him,” a reminder that privilege and closeness to Jesus are not the same as a changed heart.
“He came into a house”: The scene closes with Jesus returning home, probably to Capernaum, where the next events unfold.
The Significance of Mark 3:13-19 for Believers
- Called First to Be with Jesus:
Before the apostles were sent, they were called to be with Jesus. Our service for Christ must flow from time spent with Him in prayer, His word and fellowship. Being with Jesus is the source of fruitful witness.
- One Body from Many Backgrounds:
Jesus brought together people who would never naturally have been friends. The church is still meant to show this unity: “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ” (Romans 12:5). And like the twelve, every believer is sent: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me” (Acts 1:8).
Cross-References:
Luke 6:12-13: "In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God. When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles:" Luke tells of the night of prayer before the choice of the twelve.
John 1:42: He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter). The first promise of Simon’s new name.
Ephesians 2:19-20: "So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;" The apostles’ foundational role in the church.
Acts 4:13: "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus." The fruit of being with Jesus.
Conclusion: Mark 3:13-19 records Jesus going up the mountain and appointing twelve men, chosen by His own initiative, to be with Him and to be sent out with His message and authority. The twelve recall Israel’s tribes and mark the renewal of God’s people around Jesus. Their varied backgrounds show His power to unite, and Judas’s presence warns against mere outward closeness. The passage calls us to spend time with Jesus and to go where He sends us.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible