Mark 3:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Engaging in this work makes one an apostle, actively fulfilling the task entrusted by the Lord. If you find success in these efforts, then perhaps the Lord will designate you for a unique role - to rescue others once you have gained victory over your own struggles and to support those in temptation after you have endured trials of both good and evil. However, your primary responsibility is personal spiritual growth, as you have been chosen for this purpose; the remainder is under God's care. Those who humble themselves will be lifted up.

Thus, evading the persecution from the Pharisees for the time being, the Lord sought to establish a deeper bond with a few of His disciples. To achieve this, He intentionally withdrew to a quiet mountain one evening to pray.

What the Lord prayed about during this time remains a mystery, but it is reasonable to believe that as the Divine Mediator laid the groundwork for the Church of the New Testament, He sought His Father's blessing for His mission, requesting strength to confront the kingdom of darkness. The gates of hell would not prevail against this Church, and He had witnessed the fall of Satan from heaven: this adversary had requested to sift Peter like wheat, but the Lord prayed for him. Perhaps the Son of Man also asked His Heavenly Father for fortitude for the crucial challenge that lay ahead, for come morning, He would draw close to Him, through the Father's design and delight, the one who would lead to His death—Judas Iscariot.

In the morning, calling His disciples to Him on the mountain, He selected twelve to be with Him continually, so that they could testify to what they saw, heard, and touched. These disciples symbolized the leaders of the future twelve tribes of the new Israel.

These twelve disciples were now called to be Christ's closest associates during His earthly ministry and to continue His mission following His ascension. From this point onward, He drew them into a tight-knit community, a family, with Himself as the leader.

The names of the apostles are consistent among the Evangelists, with only minor variations in their order. Mark, when listing James and John, notes that Jesus assigned them the title Boanerges, meaning sons of Thunder. It is plausible that this designation occurred during a different event, reflecting the passion of James and John, possibly in connection with Luke 9:54. Additionally, at Simon's name, Mark states that Jesus renamed him Peter, which is recorded to have happened at another time (John 1:42). Some of the apostles mentioned by the Evangelists are already known 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, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Nathanael, and Matthew the tax collector. The accounts detailing the calls of the other apostles remain undisclosed.

The remainder were selected from a larger group of disciples at this time. While the Evangelist Matthew does not elaborate on the appointment of the twelve apostles, he mentions them by name when narrating Jesus' commissioning of them, identifying Matthew himself as a tax collector. In contrast, the Evangelist Luke details the selection of the apostles, aligning with Mark's account.

There exists a minor discrepancy among the Evangelists in naming some of the apostles, which can be attributed to their intention to distinguish between apostles sharing the same names. Accordingly, Matthew and Mark denote the second Simon as Simon the Cananite, while Luke refers to him as the Zealot. The term Zealot comes from Greek, and Cananite is its Hebrew equivalent; thus, both terms are clear in meaning. This second Simon likely earned the title Zealot due to his association with a Jewish political faction advocating for autonomy and independence prior to following Jesus. As for the Apostle Levi, Matthew notes that he was also called Thaddeus; Mark addresses him by this nickname as well, while Luke calls him Judas son of James. The Gospel of John confirms that there were two apostles named Judas. During the Last Supper, after Judas Iscariot had departed, the remaining disciples included Jesus and the eleven apostles. Judas, not Iscariot, inquired, "Lord, why is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?" (John 14:22). Therefore, this Judas, in contrast to the betrayer, is referred to by Luke as Judas son of James, which connects him to James Alphaeus (Acts 1:13), while Matthew names him Levi, with the nickname Thaddeus, and Mark simply calls him Thaddeus. The second Judas, Iscariot, received this name as he hailed from the town of Kerioth; "Iscariot" is thought to derive from the Hebrew words meaning "man of Kerioth." Finally, Apostle Nathanael is referred to by all three Evangelists as Bartholomew, indicating his lineage as the son of Pholomew.

At that time, the Savior consistently drew a crowd eager to hear His divine message and witness His miraculous acts. fatigued from preaching, He secluded Himself for prayer on a mountain. Growing up amidst the mountains surrounding Nazareth, He cherished their tranquility, fresh air, and expansive skies, which seemingly drew Him nearer to His Heavenly Father. The exact mountain remains unclear; it may have offered a breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilee, that clear "eye of the Holy Land," where, at night, the stars glitter magnificently in the southern sky. In that sacred communion with His Father, He readied Himself for the significant events of the following day. At dawn, Christ gathered His most devoted followers and selected twelve disciples, who would henceforth transform from mere followers into apostles—messengers who would not only accept but also disseminate the new teaching. By choosing twelve, He paralleled the twelve patriarchs of the old covenant, ensuring that the new covenant's people would also have their spiritual forebears. All chosen were pure Israelites, not Gentiles or converts, as it was through the lineage of Abraham that the new covenant's blessings would reach the Gentiles, and not arising from the tribe of Levi or the Aaronic priesthood since Christ was establishing a wholly new priestly order. In His selection, the Savior certainly considered the spiritual attributes of the individuals chosen. He did not opt for the affluent, the learned, or the powerful, but rather for ordinary men whose dignity stemmed from their unblemished souls and pure hearts, ideal for cultivating the new gospel. Christ understood that true spiritual rejuvenation would emerge from the humble (Matthew 11:25). He recognized that the educated classes—the rabbis and priests, enamored with their human wisdom—had distorted the heavenly understanding and fostered biases against anything transcending their narrow learning and lifeless legalism, making them unsuited to empathize with the new spiritual doctrine, let alone serve as bearers and proclaimers of the Divine truths of the new revelation. In contrast, simple, unrefined individuals, untouched by the soulless intricacies of rabbinical debate, were free from misconceptions and could thus grasp the profound truths of God's Kingdom. Yet, had the selection been broader, it’s possible that some more enlightened members of society might have qualified for apostolic roles within the new kingdom. While prioritizing sincere hearts, Christ did not dismiss the value of intellectual capability; history recognizes that a brilliant and learned mind, such as Paul of Tarsus—who was called into apostleship by Christ from His heavenly domain—played a crucial role in the spread of Christianity. In appointing the apostles, He paid no heed to their prior social standings or political affiliations; for among them were a reviled tax collector, who had compromised his Levitical status, and a zealot, known for his fierce opposition to Roman rule, who felt it was his duty to fight against the Gentile oppression. Furthermore, He did not impose celibacy as a requirement, unlike the Roman Church, which mandated celibacy for its clergy. The Gospels reveal that Simon Peter was married, having a wife and mother-in-law, while tradition suggests that most of the other apostles also had families, with the exception of the sons of Zebedee and Thomas. Most of these apostles hailed from the towns and villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee, with at least seven of them coming from Capernaum or its vicinity, such as Peter and his brother Andrew, the sons of Zebedee, James and John, the sons of Alphaeus—James the less and Judas, also referred to as Thaddaeus, meaning brave. Matthew was also from Capernaum where he worked as a tax collector, while Philip originated from the fishing village of Bethsaida nearby. Nathanael or Bartholomew came from Cana, close to Nazareth, with the remaining apostles likely from nearby areas as well, although the Scripture does not specify their origins (John 1:44; John 21:2). Regarding their economic standing, at least three of them, Matthew—the town's tax collector—and the brothers James and John, established fishermen who even supplied fish to Jerusalem, were relatively secure financially, while the others were simple fishermen relying on their labor at the lake. After the death and resurrection of his Lord, Peter returned to fishing, as depicted in a well-known Gospel image of him casting his net—symbolic of these fishermen's mission to capture the world's souls for Christ. The names of the apostles are listed by all evangelists, with John instead being found in the book of Acts. They are named as follows: Simon Peter Andrew James son of Zebedee John son of Zebedee Philip Bartholomew Thomas Matthew James son of Alphaeus Thaddeus Simon the Zealot Judas son of James. Leading these groups were Peter, Philip, and James the son of Alphaeus, with each list concluding with the same names. This newly appointed group of twelve disciples had the unparalleled privilege of being the constant attendants and friends of the God-man throughout His earthly ministry. These fortunate individuals were the ones to whom the Son of the living God disclosed His spirit more intimately than to anyone else, instilling in them through shared experiences His fervor for the divine mission and equipping them to become direct successors of His ministry. By consistently witnessing His life and teachings, they gained profound insights into the divine perfection of life. The challenges and opposition they faced alongside Him refined their commitment to their Divine Master, purifying their aspirations and preparing them for the monumental task ahead—spreading the message of salvation and bearing witness to the miraculous acts of their Lord as affirmation of their Divine authority. While all twelve apostles were chosen by Jesus Christ, three—Peter, James, and John—were esteemed with the honor of being part of the closest circle of His intimate friends and followers, present during pivotal events such as the resurrection of Jairus' daughter, the transfiguration, and the fervent prayer in Gethsemane.