The Original Dirty Dozen

The Final Roster

In the world of sports, there’s always a lot of drama when it comes to the roster. It doesn’t matter if it’s little league or the Major Leagues. Mighty mites or the NFL.

Who makes the team? Who gets picked? Who gets cut? Then there’s the depth chart. Who plays which position? Who starts? Who’s coming off the bench?

Everybody wants to know. Players. Fans. Parents. Sportswriters. Bloggers. You can be sure the Twitterverse will go nuts no matter who makes it.

Jesus’ Expansion Team

Well, Mark takes us back to the day Jesus sets His roster. He’s already invited two pairs of brothers to leave their careers as commercial fishermen (Mk 1:16-20). Then there was rather controversial decision to pick a tax collecting traitor (Mk 2:13-14).

But Christ continues building His expansion team after that first five. He fills out His club with seven more picks bringing it to a total of twelve.

Let’s just say there are a LOT of people second guessing the quality of His picks. Most of them seem to be…shall we say…a bit of reach. More on that in a moment.

Inside the War Room

In his description of the first ever Disciple Draft, Mark gets a sneak peek into the war room to see what Jesus has in mind for His team. The Lord apparently plans to bring them in and then send them out. Gather and then scatter. Come and then go.

We pick up the action just after a wild scene on the lakeside in Galilee. Christ has just performed more miracles than you could ever count by helping folks who are sick, disabled, diseased, and demon-possessed (Mk 3:7-12).

That’s when Mark writes, “Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones He wanted to go with Him. And they came to Him” (v13). Luke tell us that our Savior spent the night in prayer on the mountain consulting with His Dad before announcing His team (Lk 6:12).

The Caller and the Callees

The public portion of the draft begins. Not with the commissioner coming to the podium but Christ personally inviting and announcing each disciple. He “called out” to them.

Mark uses a verb here (Gr. προσκαλεομαι/proskaleomai) which means to summon, call to oneself, appoint, or select for a special assignment. Special assignment? Yeah, changing the world would certainly fit that description!

This Greek word describes urgently inviting someone to accept responsibilities for a specific task. It implies a new relationship between the Caller and the callees. It’s a brand new ballgame for Jesus’ first five followers as well as the next seven.

One more important point about προσκαλεομαι/proskaleomai. It points to the One doing the choosing, NOT the ones chosen.

No Five-Star Recruits

These dozen disciples didn’t do anything to earn their selection. No five-star recruits on this list. They didn’t do anything to improve their draft stock ahead of time. They didn’t play their way onto the roster during training camp.

Jesus said just as much to them right before He died. “You didn’t choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using My name” (Jn 15:16).

Filthy Rags and First Round Picks

Just like the original disciples, there’s absolutely nothing you and I can do impress Jesus. He’s not sitting back looking at my spiritual scouting report thinking, “Boy, that dude can ball. I’ve gotta do whatever I can to get Him on my team.”

Not gonna happen. Ever. Not for me. Not for you. Not even for LeBron. Why? A prophet named Isaiah says the best we can do for God is “nothing but filthy rags” (Is 64:6). Face facts. We’re not dazzling the Lord.

The Ones He Wants

Despite their total lack of a resume, these are exactly the guys Jesus looks forward to putting on His team. These are “the ones He wanted” (v13). The word “wanted” here is θελω/thelo. It paints a picture of desiring, determining, even taking pleasure in something or someone.

Jesus wants these specific guys. He’s not reluctantly picking leftovers or the best of the rest. He takes pleasure in drafting them. He enjoys hanging out with them and looks forward to what the next three years will bring.

He Called, They Came

“And they came to Him” (v13). The sovereign Son of God personally picks them. But these men responded to His invitation out of their own choice. He called. They came.

Same with us. He invites and will have the responsibility to respond. We still have to say “yes”…otherwise we miss out on the blessing of what He has for us. Here’s a little tip for you. He’ll still accomplish whatever He wants whether we’re part of His team or not.

The Active Roster

At this point, Jesus announces the number of folks on His active roster, gives them a name, and tells them what they will eventually do.

“Then He appointed twelve of them and called them His apostles. They were to accompany Him, and He would send them out to preach giving them authority to cast out demons” (v14-15).

Their Number Is Their Name

Jesus is the one calling the shots as He creates His team. He picks exactly one dozen dudes. Why twelve? It probably has something to do with the twelve tribes of Israel. The number shows up all throughout the Bible and usually deals with God’s power and authority.

Their number will become their name. They’ll be the first in a long line of number names. Think James Bond as 007, 7-11 stores, or Eleven on “Stranger Things.”

They are the Twelve (Mk 3:16; 4:10; 6:7; 9:35; 10:32; 11:11; 14:10-20, 43). It became so much their brand that people call them the Twelve when they are down a man (1Cor 15:5). Meet the original Dirty Dozen.

Disciples or Apostles? What’s the Diff?

For the first and only time in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus “called them His apostles” (v14). Why is this such a big deal? Apostles, disciples. Potato, po-TAH-to, right? Aren’t these just different words for the same thing? Wrong.

When it comes to the Twelve, they are disciples first and apostles later. Let’s break down the difference. A disciple follows a teacher closely to train and learn. It describes a student or trainee.

They accompany a mentor. The direction of a disciple is toward the teacher. They are coming in. That’s what Jesus is doing here. Calling these men to His side.

A Matter of Direction

Meanwhile, “apostles” (Gr. αποστολος/apostolos) are ones sent on a mission with total authority of the one doing the sending. It’s a commissioned representative or special messenger. When you meet an apostle, it’s the same as having the one he’s repping right there.

An apostle is headed in the opposite direction of a disciple. They’re going out. Once an apostle learns what to do, they leave their leader to live a life on mission.

So think of it this way. A disciple comes in to train and learn. An apostle goes out to tell and do. Before Jesus can send them out, He must call them in. Before He can send us out, He must call us in.

Full Authority

Apostle isn’t just a religious title in the Greco-Roman world. Power players would handpick apostles to do work in their name. Kinda like giving someone power of attorney. With an apostle, you could be in two places at the same time!

How legally binding is an apostle’s authority? Well, there’s a story about a businessman naming an apostle to run his home while he was on an extended road trip. When the guy’s wife and his apostle got into a disagreement, the apostle divorces the wife on his boss’ behalf.

In other words, Jesus is selecting these twelve men to represent Him with every bit of His authority since He’s eventually heading home to heaven. He’ll send them out in His name.

Coaching Them up

But before they’re apostles, they’re disciples. Christ is gonna coach them up over the next three-and-a-half years. Train them. Teach them. He’ll transform this bunch of misfits into missionaries.

We mentioned before that Jesus’ selections of these guys had a lot of people scratching their heads. Back in day, the Sanhedrin is group of men who pride themselves in recognizing religious talent. Kinda like a First Century Mel Kiper and Todd McShay.

Illiterate Idiots

When these self-appointed experts take a close look at Peter and John, “they could see they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures” (Acts 4:13). The translators at the NLT are being kind. It literally says they are “illiterate idiots” in the original language.

What made them so effective? How did these uneducated knuckleheads do such amazing things? The Jewish leaders “recognized them as men who had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Spending time with our Savior is a game changer. It was then. It is now. He’s still calling us closer. Inviting us to hang out with Him. How does that happen now that He’s on His heavenly throne? Through prayer. In His Word. Following His instructions.

Just like the Twelve, Jesus calls us in so that He can send us out.

Get in the Game

After the Son of God gets them ready, “He would send them out” (v14). Get this. “Send” is actually the root word of “apostle.” Αποστελλω/apostello means sending out someone after being equipped or assigning with authority and a purpose.

Once they’re coached up and trained up, it’s will be time for His team to get in the game. This isn’t about looking pretty on the sidelines or warming the bench. God draws us in so that He can put us in. He calls us in so that He can send us out.

A Dirty Uniform

It’s okay to get your uniform dirty. As a matter of fact, Jesus says that’s a good thing! the Lord isn’t asking us to do anything He wouldn’t do Himself. He left the luxury of the heavenly palace and swan dive into the dumpster of our sin in order to save us.

It’s what’s behind His words to His team right after His resurrection. “As the Father has sent (αποστελλω/apostello) Me, so I am sending you” (Jn 20:21). Our Savior puts us into the game of life just as His Dad did for Him.

Christ will eventually turn these disciples into apostles with a very special assignment. “To preach, giving them authority to cast out demons” (v14-15). Think of it this way. Spreading the Good News is their mission. Exorcising evil spirits are their credentials.

Sending Demons Packing

First Jesus will complete His own assignment. He’ll live the perfect life that we’ve failed to live. He’ll die the death for our sin and rebellion that we should have died. He’ll rise to glorious new life we don’t deserve.

Once that’s done, He’ll unleash His posse in the power of His Holy Spirit. They’ll travel the world telling people about Jesus. They’ll make sure everyone they meet hears the message of the Messiah who’s thrown open the kingdom of God to anyone who places their trust in who He is and what He’s done.

To prove their message, Christ gives them authority over demons. If and when folks have their doubts about the Gospel, the apostles will have the God-given ability to send evil spirits packing as well as the ability to perform other miracles.

A Trio of Quartets

Before we meet the Twelve, let’s compare this roster with how the other writers of the NT list them (Mt 10:2-4; Lk 6:14-16; Acts 1:13). You can break each mention of them down into three different groups of four disciples. Smaller teams within the bigger squad.

Just like we can break down our church body into smaller and smaller groups. Start with the large congregation then to small groups or Sunday school classes and eventually units of two to four close friends.

While their names are moved around a bit, these quartets are always listed in the same order. The first name in each subgroup is always the same. These would be leaders of of each foursome.

And with the First Pick in the Draft, Jesus Selects…

This demonstrates how God establishes different levels of leadership. Jesus is ultimately in charge but He’s also developing these men as future leaders for when He’s gone.

Okay, it’s time for Christ to announce His original team. I’m pretty sure there were no pyrotechnics, laser lights, or music for this one. On the other hand, that would be kinda cool, don’t you think?

Mark begins listing the Lord’s roster. “These are the twelve He chose: Simon (whom He named Peter)” (v16). At the top of every disciple/apostle list is the same name. Simon Peter. He’ll take the lead of team once Jesus returns to His Father.

Simon Peter

Simon’s new God-given handle is Peter (Gr. Πετρος/Petros) which describes a rock or stone. Jesus prophetically nicknames him Rocky, not for what he is now, but what he WILL be!

You may be familiar with Pete’s story. Christ slaps him with this new alias on the day they first met (Jn 1:42). Later in their relationship, we read why. Jesus promises to construct His church on the foundation of Rocky’s trust in Him (Mt 16:18).

But before that happens, we know Jesus is selecting a horribly flawed hothead as the one who will eventually take over leadership of the team. How flawed? Christ calls him “Satan” at least once (Mt 16:23; Mk 8:33)!

And if that’s not bad enough, this so-called Rocky will one day deny his Lord not once but three times at the worst possible moment (Mt 26:69-75; Mk 14:66-72; Lk 22:55-62; Jn 18:16-18, 25-27).

After His resurrection, Jesus personally reinstates Peter during a walk along the beach (Jn 21:15-19). It’s a powerful reminder of Christ’s power to restore us no matter how big a hole we dig ourselves.

This is a good place to remember that Mark’s bio of Jesus is actually Peter’s memoir of the Messiah. The very early church fathers unanimously credit John Mark and Rocky with collaborating and writing down this story of these amazing three-and-a-half years.

Jesus calls Simon in so He can send him out.

The Sons of Thunder

Next on this first foursome are Zeb’s two boys. “James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them ‘Sons of Thunder’)” (v17). Jesus drafted these two commercial fishermen right off their dad’s boat (Mk 1:19-20).

Time and time again, God is always coming up with new names for people. He rebrands Abram as Abraham (Gen 17:5) and his wife Sarai as Sarah (Gen 17:15). Jacob becomes Israel (Gen 32:28). As we already saw, Simon is known as Peter. And Saul the assassin transforms into Paul the apostle.

But let’s be honest. Has God ever given a cooler nickname that the “Sons of Thunder” (v17)? This come from a hybrid Greek/Aramaic word (Gr. Βοανηργες/Boanerges) which means sons of tumult. The Bedlam Brothers. The Turmoil Twins. I would be lying if I said the Sons of Thunder doesn’t sound like wrestling tag team.

Where did Jesus come up with this new label? These two have some rather…shall we say…intense and fiery personalities. John loses his ever-loving mind when he sees somebody else doing God’s work who’s not part of the Messiah’s team (Mk 9:38; Lk 9:49).

Another time, the Sons of Thunder plead with Jesus to nuke a couple of Samaritan villages when they don’t give the disciples the key to the city (Lk 9:54). Fortunately for those villagers, Christ tells the boys to calm down and they simply went to another town who welcomes them.

Zebedee’s boys certainly make their mark in Scripture. The older brother James has dubious honor of being the first apostle killed for his faith in Jesus. King Herod chops off his head as part of a royal crackdown on the church (Acts 12:1-2).

Conversely, his kid brother is the only apostle not murdered for following Christ. John is probably the youngest of the posse. He becomes known as Jesus’ best earthly buddy. When the Twelve hung out with the Lord the night before He dies, John isn’t just sitting right next to Christ but leaning against Him (Jn 13:25).

That explains why in his own bio of our Savior, John won’t mention his own name but describes himself as “the disciple Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). God uses John to write a huge chunk of the New Testament (The Gospel of John, 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, and Revelation).

Jesus calls the Sons of Thunder in so He can send them out.

Andrew

Rounding out the Lord’s first four is Andrew, Pete’s little brother. He’s yet another commercial fisherman Jesus turns into a fisher of men. He’s with Christ and the other three when they ask for our Savior’s take on the end times (Mk 13:3).

While he doesn’t quite get the ink that Peter, James, and John do, that doesn’t stop Andy from repeatedly bringing people to meet Jesus. His own brother Peter (Jn 1:40-41). A little boy with Lunchable (Jn 6:8-9). A group of Greeks during Passion Week (Jn 12:22).

Not a bad image. Known for introducing people to Jesus. Isn’t that all we’re really supposed to do? We can’t “save” anybody. That’s God’s job. It’s up to us to make the introduction and let Him take it from there. Andy gets that.

Jesus calls Andrew in so He can send him out.

Philip

We come to our second quartet of apostles, “Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas” (v18). Again, the NT authors always list Phil first, making him the leader of this particular foursome.

Phil’s name is Greek and means someone who loves horses. He’s from the same Galilean hometown of Bethsaida as Pete and Andy (Jn 1:43-44). When he realizes Jesus is the long promised Messiah, Phil brings his buddy Nathanael to meet Jesus (Jn 1:45).

Later we see the Lord having a little fun with Philip when He asks His disciple how in the world they’re going to come up with lunch for more than 5,000 people out in the country (Phil 6:5-7). When some Greek folks want to meet Christ during those last crazy days in Jerusalem, Phil is their go-to guy (Jn 12:21-22).

Jesus calls Philip in so He can send him out.

Bartholomew

Next up is Bartholomew. His name literally name literally means the “son of Tolmai.” This is the same guy John always calls him Nathanael. Like our author John Mark, he’s probably known by two names.

Bart is also from Galilee, specifically the village of Cana (Jn 21:2). Cana sound familiar? It should. That’s the location of the huge wedding reception that Jesus saved when it unexpectedly ran out of wine (Jn 2:1-11).

His introduction to Jesus is one for the books (Jn 1:45-51). When his friend Philip tells him about the Messiah who’s come from heaven to earth via Nazareth, Bart has serious doubts. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46).

Christ immediately recognizes Nathanael as a pulls-no-punches, calls-it-like-he-sees-it, and “a genuine son of Israel” (Jn 1:47). Bart’s more than a bit shocked that Jesus knows him so well with out ever meeting him before.

Our Savior doesn’t just see his heart, He saw the disciple also known as Nathanael when he was sitting in the shade long before they met. That cinches it for the kid from Cana. “Rabbi, You are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” (Jn 1:49).

Jesus goes on to tell him that he ain’t seen nothing yet! Before Bart and the rest of the boys are finished following Him, “You will all see heaven open and the angels of God going and down on the Son of Man, the One who is the stairway between heaven and earth” (Jn 1:51). Take that, Led Zeppelin.

Jesus calls Bartholomew in so He can send him out.

Matthew

Next we see Matthew. Mark introduced him by the name of Levi earlier in his Gospel (Mk 2:13-17). You got it. Another supernatural name change. Jesus plucked him out his tax collector’s booth to be part His team to change the world.

From the most hated people in the country to loved by God. Not a bad turnaround. The Holy Spirit will inspire Matt to write one of the most important documents in history, the Gospel that bears his name.

Once again, nobody is beyond the unlimited reach of grace. Jesus can use anybody. Seeing a trend here? Just want to make sure you’re still with me.

Jesus calls Matthew in so He can send him out.

Thomas

Christ’s next selection is Thomas. His name literally means the Twin. In his account of Christ, John goes out of the way to connect the dots for us on that very fact (Jn 11:16; 20:24; 21:2). As a matter of fact, everything we know about Tommy boy is over in John’s story of Jesus.

Tom’s the one who asks our Lord the question that elicits one of the most radical statements Jesus ever makes about Himself. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. If you had really known Me, you would know know who My Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!” (Jn 14:6-7).

Sadly Tom gets a bad rap for not being their for Jesus’ first spectacular appearance after His resurrection (Jn 20:24-28). Can you really blame him for wanting to see and touch the risen Lord for himself after all they’ve been through over the past few days?

When Jesus makes a surprise second appearance this time with His entire team in the room, Tom simply shouts, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28). He has no doubt that the resurrected Rabbi from Nazareth is God in the flesh.

Jesus calls Thomas in so He can send him out.

James, Son of Alphaeus

We now arrive at the final four. “James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeus, Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Him)” (v18-19). Honestly, we don’t know much about these guys EXCEPT for…well…you know who.

James is the second Jimmy on the list one of a long list of dudes by the same name in the NT. Mark tells us his dad is Alphaeus. That means there’s a decent chance he’s Matthew’s brother (Mk 2:14) but we don’t know for us.

Interestingly, the other three times we see him mentioned in the Bible when it’s not a roster of the Twelve, the writers mention his mom (Mt 27:56; Mk 15:40; 16:1). She’s clearly a follower of Jesus and a friend of Mary Magdalene.

The bummer for this particular Jim is that he wears the particularly unfortunate name of James the Less throughout history. But the truth is anytime you’ve got the Son of God in your life, less is always more.

Jesus calls James in so He can send him out.

Thaddaeus

Meet Thaddaeus. There’s nobody in the Bible who has more aliases than this guy. The King Jimmy Bible adds the nugget “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus” (Mt 10:3 KJV). But wait, there’s more.

Dr. Luke calls him “Judas, son of James” (Lk 6:16; Acts 1:13). John goes a step further by calling him “Judas (not Judas Iscariot)” (Jn 14:22). Considering all that went down, you gotta figure he appreciated being called anything BUT Judas. I’m pretty sure I would be good with any of the other three names.

Jesus calls Thaddaeus in so He can send him out.

Simon the Zealot

Disciple number eleven is Simon the zealot. Yup, that’s right. A second Simon. The title “zealot” doesn’t so much describe his passion but his politics. In First Century Israel, Zealots or  Cananaeans are members of a Jewish nationalist sect finding for independence from Rome.

Picture a member of the Tea Party. The presence of both Simon and Matthew would have been interesting and awkward. One is a super patriot. The other is a super sellout. But Jesus has this way of knocking down walls that separate us when He calls into His kingdom.

Jesus calls Simon the Zealot in so He can send him out.

Judas Iscariot

Which brings us to you-know-who. “Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Him)” (v19). Talk about a name that will go down in infamy. This guy is right up there, or better yet, DOWN there with John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Charles Manson.

Did you realize that Iscariot isn’t so much his last name? It’s actually his hometown. In the same way that Mary Magdalene is really Mary from Magdala, Judas is from the southern Judean village of Kerioth. That makes him the only disciple Jesus chose who is NOT from Galilee.

It sure seems clear that Christ knew exactly what Judas was going to do from the jump. If not, He certainly knew it in the hours just before it all went down (Jn 13:21-27). SPOILER ALERT!! All four Gospel writers go out of their way say Judas will betray Jesus when they first mention him (Mt 10:4; Mk 3:19; Lk 6:16; Jn 6:71).

Do we really need to go into detail about his crime against Christ? He gives the Lord’s enemies the desperately needed intel to arrest Him in the dark of night away from the Passover crowds. How? With a kiss. For how much? Thirty pieces of silver.

Saul of Tarsus

After Judas’ betrayal and suicide, the other, the other eleven replace Judas with Matthias (Acts 1:26). Interestingly, the resurrected Jesus has somebody else in mind. He selects Saul of Tarsus for that open slot on the roster (Acts 9:1-16).

Think about this for a moment. Judas Iscariot’s sub is a REAL killer, not just a snitch who sells Christ out for silver coins. The man from Tarsus admits that he “violently persecuted God’s church” (Gal 1:13). He goes on describe himself as the worst sinner of all time (1Tim 1:15)!

Despite it all, Jesus transforms the assassin Saul into the Apostle Paul. Once again, nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is too far gone for God to save and use. Not Saul. Not you. Not me.

Jesus calls Saul in so He can send him out.

Two Thousand Years Later

There you have it. Jesus’ picks in His expansion draft. The original Dirty Dozen. But He didn’t stop there. While Christ may no longer be coaching up capital “A” Apostles, He’s certainly still brings followers close for a special assignment.

That’s where we come in. As disciples, we get close to our Savior. We spend time with Him. Bask in His presence. Learn His message of grace. But we don’t stay there. That doesn’t happen until the other side of eternity.

Until then, He has an assignment for us. Shine His light and spread His salt wherever we go. Christ commands us to be disciple-making disciples (Mt 28:18-20).

Jesus calls us in so that He can send us out.

©2017

Jay Jennings