Mark #4 - Get in the Game
Kevin Bennet
February 19, 2023

The Team

“And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”
(Mark 3:13–15, ESV)

This is a rich little story right here. And it is central to this gospel story, and it is central to understanding what exactly Jesus is up to. And what he’s up to is this:

Jesus is forming a new team.

Jesus calls the people in Mark 3. Jesus is acting in place of God. And Jesus is forming a new team. And that term “Called.” Jesus, “Called,” can also be translated as “Invited.” Jesus is “inviting” these guys to join His team.

“And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”
(Mark 3:14–15, ESV)

Here’s the invitation. This is what this team will do:

1. Be with Him

Jesus is the initiator and sustainer of this team. Being with Jesus is the first responsibility of the disciple. Abiding. Being connected to Him and learning from His Way of Life.

2. Extend His mission

Jesus is preaching. Jesus is casting out demons. And that’s exactly what he appoints these apostles (which means “sent ones”) to do. They are to extend His mission. In other words, do the things that He does. Practice His way of life.

“Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.””
(Mark 3:20–21, ESV)

Genetics don’t get you on the team! Genetics are irrelevant. Disciples of Jesus can come from any family in the world.

  • This is encouraging to us, of course cause most of us are not Jewish, but also because many of us come from families we’re not always proud of. Families with cycles of pain and trauma. Families without faith.

  • This gospel is good news because the invitation of Jesus to join His team, to become His disciple, overcomes the very real cycles of sin in our families, the genetics that give us our skin color, our physical and mental gifts or disabilities, our height, our gender. The invitation of Jesus to join His team doesn’t erase those things but rather seeks to use them for the Glory of God!

“And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.””
(Mark 3:22, ESV)

This is Mark’s way of saying not only is genetics irrelevant to who joins team Jesus, but so is religious and social status. The people you would expect to recognize Jesus for who He is, the King of the Jews, are the ones accusing Him of being powered by demons!

Jesus responds to this accusation by simply saying two things:

  • First: if I’m working for Satan, and I’m casting demons out, then Satan is attacking himself, and that means his kingdom is destroying itself.

  • Second: If I’m empowered by the Holy Spirit, and I am, and you accuse me of working for Satan, then you are blaspheming, or disgracing, the witness of the Holy Spirit about who I am, and you won’t get the forgiveness found in me.

The Game

“But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.”
(Mark 3:27, ESV)

In this one line parable Jesus says there is a Strong man (Satan). And Jesus has launched a mission to go into his house, bind him up, and then plunder his stuff. Jesus is saying that this world is Satan’s house. It’s his kingdom. But it’s actually not really. It’s actually God’s Kingdom.

Jesus is inviting us to get in the trenches, to get sweaty and bloody, to willingly enter into painful places and dark places in this world, to be willing to get hurt, to be willing to CARE.

The beauty of that is while it involves suffering, while it involves pain, it’s the adventure of a lifetime. And it’s the ONLY path to a life of eternal meaning, which is exactly what we were made to have. THAT’S what Jesus is up to.

Get in the Game

“And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.””
(Mark 3:33–35, ESV)

Jesus is saying; you want to be on my team? You want to go from fan to follower? All are welcome, regardless of genetics or social or religious status. There is only one requirement: that they do the will of God.

“And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”
(Mark 3:14–15, ESV)

What is the will of God for those who would join the New Team that He is forming?

  • Be with Jesus
  • Extend the mission of Jesus

Jesus is forming a new team, a team that is working to reclaim ground from Satan’s kingdom in this world, and he’s asking you to get in the game by being with Jesus and extending His mission in this world.