Mark 3:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, while navigating the persecution of the Pharisees for the time being, the Lord sought to forge an intimate connection with a select number of His disciples. To accomplish this, He withdrew one evening to a quiet mountain for prayer. It is uncertain what the Lord prayed for in this moment; however, one might speculate that as the Divine Mediator laid the groundwork for the New Testament Church, He sought His Father’s blessing upon His work, requesting fortitude in the face of evil (and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; I saw Satan fall from heaven. This Satan desires to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, Simon). The Son of Man may have turned to His heavenly Father for strength for the pivotal tasks ahead: for on the morrow, by the Father's will and pleasure, He was to draw close to Him the one who would become the instrument of His demise—Judas Iscariot.

The following morning, summoning His disciples to the mountain, He chose twelve to remain with Him consistently, so they could share the firsthand experiences of all they had seen, heard, and touched (Mk. 3:14). These individuals were, in a manner, the forefathers of the new and future twelve tribes of the new Israel (Rev. 21:14).

These twelve disciples were chosen to be Christ's closest confidants throughout His earthly ministry and to carry on His mission following His ascension into heaven. From this point on, He drew them so near that they became one community, one family, with Him as their leader. The names of the apostles remain consistent, with slight variations in the order among the Evangelists. Mark notes that when naming James and John, Christ referred to them as the sons of Thunder, a title possibly conferred during a specific incident showcasing their fervent spirit (as seen in Luke 9:54). Similarly, at Simon's mention, Mark indicates that Jesus bestowed upon him the name Peter, although this event likely occurred at a different time (John 1:42). Some apostles listed by the Evangelists are already familiar to us from their initial encounters with Christ (John 1:37 ff.) and their calls to discipleship (Matthew 4:18 ff., 9:9 ff., and parallels), including Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew), and Matthew the tax collector. The circumstances surrounding the calling of the other apostles remain unknown.

The remaining members of the twelve were chosen from a larger group of disciples. The Evangelist Matthew does not recount the selection of the twelve apostles but mentions their names when describing Jesus sending them to preach, identifying Matthew (himself) as a tax collector; conversely, Luke provides an account of the apostles’ selection, aligning with Mark’s narrative. There appears to be a slight discrepancy in the names between the Evangelists, which can be understood as an effort to differentiate between apostles with similar names. For instance, while Matthew and Mark refer to the second Simon as Simon the Cananite, Luke identifies him as Simon the Zealot. The terms Cananite and Zealot are interchangeable—Cananite being the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek term. This second Simon likely earned the title Zealot because he was previously associated with a Jewish political faction known for advocating for the autonomy of the Jewish people. The Apostle Levi is referred to by Matthew as Thaddeus; Mark likewise uses the name Thaddeus, while Luke calls him Judas of James. The presence of two apostles named Judas among the twelve is evidenced in the Gospel of John, where during the Last Supper, after Judas Iscariot departed, Judas—who was not Iscariot—asked Jesus, ‘Lord, why is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?’ (John 14:22). Consequently, Judas—not Iscariot—is identified by Luke as Judas of James, referring to the brother of James Alphaeus (Acts 1:13), Matthew as Levi nicknamed Thaddeus, and Mark simply as Thaddeus. The second Judas, Iscariot, derived his name from being from the town of Kerioth; Ish, meaning man, combined with Kerioth—the name of the town—forms the basis of the title. Nathanael is referred to in all three Gospels by his patronymic, Bartholomew, indicating he is the son of Pholomew.

Christ initiated this process (Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-16). During this time, the Savior was continually surrounded by the multitude, eager to absorb His divine teachings and partake in His miracles. After a period of preaching, the Savior withdrew into solitude, spending the night in prayer atop one of the mountains. Having grown up among the hills around Nazareth, He cherished this solitude, the crisp air, and the expansive sky that seemingly drew Him closer to His Heavenly Father. The specific mountain is unknown; perhaps it was one that offered a breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilee, that clear ‘eye of the Holy Land’ where the stars of the captivating southern sky twinkled at night. There, in profound communion with His Father, He prepared for the significant event of the following day. At dawn, Christ called forth His most dedicated followers, selecting twelve disciples, who from then on would no longer just be His followers but His apostles, the messengers entrusted with both receiving and disseminating the new teachings. He selected twelve to parallel the twelve patriarchs of the old covenant, thus establishing a lineage for the chosen people of the new covenant. All these selections were pure Israelites, not Gentiles or proselytes, signifying that the blessings of the new covenant would extend to the Gentiles through Abraham's descendants, rather than through the Levitical tribe or the Aaronic priesthood, as He was instituting a completely new priesthood.

In His choice, the Savior certainly considered the spiritual attributes of those selected. He did not opt for the wealthy, the learned, or those in power, but rather the most humble individuals, whose worth was found in their undiluted souls and pure hearts, which provided fertile ground for the seed of the new Gospel. Christ recognized that spiritual renewal would arise from the lower classes (Matthew 11:25). He understood that the educated elite, including the rabbis and priests, burdened by their human knowledge, had distorted the understanding of heavenly matters and held biases against anything beyond their limited scholarship and rigid legalism. Thus, they could not even be anticipated to sympathize with, let alone propagate, the new spiritual message. In contrast, simple, uneducated individuals, free from the fallacies of rabbinical reasoning, possessed the directness of perception necessary to embrace the profound truths of God's Kingdom. Nevertheless, had a broader selection been made, some enlightened individuals might have qualified for apostleship in the new kingdom. In selecting individuals with good hearts, Christ did not dismiss those with enlightened minds; indeed, history acknowledges the significant role played by a learned intellect, such as that of Saul of Tarsus, who was later summoned to the apostleship by Christ Himself from His heavenly throne.

When appointing the apostles, He did not regard their former social standing or political beliefs; among them were a tax collector scorned by all, who had diminished his Levitical dignity, as well as a Zealot, who belonged to a faction vehemently opposed to Roman authority, committed to resisting until the foreign dominion was toppled. He also did not require celibacy from them, unlike the Roman Church, which insisted on abstinence from its clergy as a requisite for serving Christ. The Gospels make it clear that Peter, the foremost representative of the Apostles, was married and had a mother-in-law, and tradition holds that most of the other Apostles were also family men, excluding James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and Thomas. Their origins were largely rooted in the towns and villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee. At least seven of the twelve hailed from Capernaum or its vicinity, such as Bethsaida: Peter and his brother Andrew lived there, followed by James and John, sons of Zebedee; James the Lesser and Judas, often referred to as Thaddeus. Matthew, the tax collector, was also from Capernaum. Philip was from nearby Bethsaida. Nathanael, or Bartholomew, came from Cana, not far from Nazareth, and the other three, excluding one, presumably originated from nearby villages, though the Gospel does not specify their exact backgrounds (John 1:44, John 21:2). In terms of social standing, at least three of them—namely Matthew, who held a lucrative post as town tax collector, and the sons of Zebedee, prosperous fishermen with operations extending even to Jerusalem—were relatively financially stable; the others were simple fishermen, relying on the modest yield of their trade on their local waters. After the death and resurrection of his Master, Peter returned to fishing, and one Gospel account depicts him dragging his net, a vivid illustration of the fishermen destined to catch the best of the world in their nets. The apostles’ list is provided by all the evangelists except John; it appears in Acts as well. They list Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas, brother of James. The groups' leaders included Peter, Philip, and James the son of Alphaeus, with all concluding with the same name. Thus, this newly chosen assembly of twelve disciples had the profound honor of being the constant companions and friends of the God-man throughout His earthly ministry. They were the blessed ones to whom the Son of the living God disclosed His innermost being more than to any other, inspiring them with His fervor for the monumental task and preparing them through His conversations to be direct heirs and successors of His ministry. By being in His presence, they experienced the divinely perfect way of life. Through the trials and adversities they faced alongside Him, their commitment to their Divine Master was subjected to a refining fire, which ultimately purified them, fitting them for the monumental task to which they were called: to share the message of salvation and to continue the signs and wonders of their Lord as testaments of their Divine authority. All twelve apostles were chosen by Jesus Christ, but among them, three—Peter, James, and John—received the distinguished privilege of being in the closest circle of His chosen friends and followers. They alone witnessed significant moments such as the raising of Jairus' daughter, the transfiguration, and Christ's final prayer in Gethsemane.

Was the destiny of each individual chosen for His purpose not laid bare before Him—including the outcomes of their preaching, their perseverance in faith unto death, martyrdom, as well as the falling away from the faithful and the tragedy of betrayal?