Mark 3:13-19
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 8, 2018 Mark 3:13-19
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Then Jesus went up on a hillside and called to himself those whom he had decided on, and they approached him. He appointed the Twelve, whom he called apostles, to accompany him, to be sent out to preach, and to have the authority to drive out demons. He appointed the Twelve: Simon (whom he named Peter), Zebedee’s sons James and his brother John (whom he named Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
(Understanding the Passage) We know that Jesus had more than twelve close followers since later He would send out the 70. 70 would have been a small representative of the many people who believed He was the Messiah. However, Jesus chose 12 special disciples to represent Him officially and to travel with Him. John and Peter had been disciples before this, but evidently this was something new and different.
The definition of apostles is right here in this passage. 1. to accompany Him-The apostles were to be with Him full-time. They had no other job than to be with Jesus and go where He directed. 2. to be sent out to preach-they were to spread his message to others. They were His representatives to others. They were to tell the gospel to others. 3. to have the authority to drive out demons-the apostles could force fallen angels to leave. Thus, their only job was for Jesus. They were to communicate for Him to others. They were given special power.
NOTE: Much of the following information about the Apostles was taken from Easton’s Dictionary, but I don’t always trust this source of information, so remember to take it all with a grain of salt.
Simon (whom he named Peter)-“He was the son of Jona (Mat_16:17). His mother is nowhere named in Scripture. He had a younger brother called Andrew, who first brought him to Jesus (Joh_1:40-42). His native town was Bethsaida, on the western coast of the Sea of Galilee, to which also Philip belonged.” (Easton’s Dictionary).
Zebedee’s sons James and his brother John (whom he named Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder)-I think it is interesting that Jesus gives them a nickname together. Now, it could be that their father was thunderous, but I think it is because they together were thunderous. The key word is together. We always see James and John together. When their mother asks for special consideration for her sons, she asks for both of them. They seem to have had similar personalities in the thunderous department. Maybe, they argued and wrestled around together or were loud together. They were partners with Peter who is always seen as dominant, but maybe they were the emotional, shouters. They were known to be easily angered at one time. I think James may have led in the loudness, and John followed. Jesus never separated them. It was always James and John together. The same cannot be said for Andrew and Peter. F. F. Bruce’s commentary says that the nickname was not because of their tempers. “It is unlikely that James and John were called by Jesus Sons of Thunder because of their being quick-tempered, divinely given names always being bestowed with reference to some commendable characteristic. Perhaps the name related to their energy.” (pages 1160-1161)
James-“The son of Zebedee and Salome; an elder brother of John the apostle. He was one of the twelve. He was by trade a fisherman, in partnership with Peter” (Easton’s dictionary)
John-“The Apostle, brother of James the “Greater” (Mat_4:21; Mat_10:2; Mar_1:19; Mar_3:17; Mar_10:35). He was one, probably the younger, of the sons of Zebedee (Mat_4:21) and Salome (Mat_27:56; compare Mar_15:40), and was born at Bethsaida. His father was apparently a man of some wealth (compare Mar_1:20; Luk_5:3; Joh_19:27). He was doubtless trained in all that constituted the ordinary education of Jewish youth. When he grew up he followed the occupation of a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee. ” Easton’s Dictionary)
Andrew-“Manliness, a Greek name; one of the apostles of our Lord. He was of Bethsaida in Galilee (Joh_1:44), and was the brother of Simon Peter (Mat_4:18;” (Easton’s dictionary)
Philip-“One of the twelve apostles; a native of Bethsaida, “the city of Andrew and Peter” (Joh_1:44). He readily responded to the call of Jesus when first addressed to him (Joh_1:43), and forthwith brought Nathanael also to Jesus (Joh_1:45, Joh_1:46). He seems to have held a prominent place among the apostles (Mat_10:3; Mar_3:18; Joh_6:5-7; Joh_12:21, Joh_12:22; Joh_14:8, Joh_14:9; Act_1:13). Of his later life nothing is certainly known. He is said to have preached in Phrygia, and to have met his death at Hierapolis.” (Easton’s dictionary)
Bartholomew-“Son of Tolmai, one of the twelve apostles (Mat_10:3; Act_1:13); generally supposed to have been the same as Nathanael. In the synoptic gospels Philip and Bartholomew are always mentioned together, while Nathanael is never mentioned; in the fourth gospel, on the other hand, Philip and Nathanael are similarly mentioned together, but nothing is said of Bartholomew. He was one of the disciples to whom our Lord appeared at the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (Joh_21:2). He was also a witness of the Ascension (Act_1:4, Act_1:12, Act_1:13). He was an “Israelite indeed” (Joh_1:47). (Easton’s dictionary)
Matthew-“Gift of God, a common Jewish name after the Exile. He was the son of Alphaeus, and was a publican or tax-gatherer at Capernaum. On one occasion Jesus, coming up from the side of the lake, passed the custom-house where Matthew was seated, and said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew arose and followed him, and became his disciple (Mat_9:9). Formerly the name by which he was known was Levi (Mar_2:14; Luk_5:27); he now changed it, possibly in grateful memory of his call, to Matthew. The same day on which Jesus called him he made a “great feast” (Luk_5:29), a farewell feast, to which he invited Jesus and his disciples, and probably also many of old associates. He was afterwards selected as one of the twelve (Luk_6:15). His name does not occur again in the Gospel history except in the lists of the apostles. The last notice of him is in Act_1:13. The time and manner of his death are unknown. (Easton’s dictionary)
Thomas-“Twin, one of the twelve (Mat_10:3; Mar_3:18, etc.). He was also called Didymus (Joh_11:16; Joh_20:24), which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name. All we know regarding him is recorded in the fourth Gospel (Joh_11:15, Joh_11:16; Joh_14:4, Joh_14:5; Joh_20:24, Joh_20:25, Joh_20:26-29). From the circumstance that in the lists of the apostles he is always mentioned along with Matthew, who was the son of Alphaeus (Mar_3:18), and that these two are always followed by James, who was also the son of Alphaeus, it has been supposed that these three, Matthew, Thomas, and James, were brothers. (Easton’s dictionary)
James son of Alphaeus- “(probably identical with Clopas of Joh_19:25 RV), styled ‘the Little’ (not ‘the Less’), probably on account of the shortness of his stature, to distinguish him from the other Apostle James, the son of Zebedee. His mother was Mary, one of the devoted women who stood by the Cross and visited the Sepulchre. He had a brother Joses, who was apparently a believer. See Mar_15:40, Joh_19:25, Mar_16:1.”
“Tradition says that he had been a tax-gatherer, and it is very possible that his father Alphæus was the same person as Alphæus the father of Levi the tax-gatherer (Mar_2:14), afterwards Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist. If these identifications he admitted, that family was indeed highly favoured. It gave to the Kingdom of heaven a father, a mother, and three sons, of whom two were Apostles.” (Hastings dictionary)
Thaddeus-“Breast, the name of one of the apostles (Mar_3:18), called ‘Lebbaeus’ in Mat_10:3, and in Luk_6:16, ‘Judas the brother of James;’ while John (Joh_14:22), probably referring to the same person, speaks of ‘Judas, not Iscariot.” (Easton’s dictionary)
Simon the Cananaean-“One of the twelve apostles, called the Canaanite (Mat_10:4; Mar_3:18). This word ‘Canaanite’ does not mean a native of Canaan, but is derived from the Syriac word Kanean or Kaneniah, which was the name of a Jewish sect. The Revised Version has ‘Cananaean;’ marg., ‘or Zealot’ He is also called ‘Zelotes’ (Luk_6:15; Act_1:13; R.V., ‘the Zealot’), because previous to his call to the apostleship he had been a member of the fanatical sect of the Zealots. There is no record regarding him.” (Easton’s dictionary)
Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him-“One of the Twelve, son of Simon Iscariot (Joh_6:71; Joh_13:26 RV). Iscariot (more correctly Iscarioth) means ‘the man of Kerioth.’ Kerioth was a town in the south of Judæa, and Judas was the only one of the Twelve who was not a Galilæan. He had an aptitude for business, and acted as treasurer of the Apostle-band (Joh_12:6; Joh_13:29). (Hastings dictionary)”
(Revelation of God) Jesus is not a control-freak. He delegates authority. Jesus also gives us the tools and training necessary to serve Him, as He did the twelve disciples. Although God loves us all equally, He does not treat us identically. He gives each person jobs according to abilities and faith.
(Application) My application for myself is that although God has not given me the job of apostle, He has given me the job of follower. I need to use my abilities to serve Him in whatever capacity that He asks of me, and I need to trust Him that He will provide everything that I need to successfully complete the tasks that He has set before me.
(Prayer) I want to always follow You loyally. You took twelve fallible humans and made them into effective witnesses of Your love. Please help me to be an effective witness for You also.