A Kingdom of Nobodies
Pressed by the crowds, Jesus calls a gang of nobodies—and even a betrayer—to carry his kingdom work.
3:7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.
By now, Jesus’ fame is booming. Crowds pour in from every direction—Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan. They bring the sick, the oppressed, the desperate. The pressure is so intense that Jesus has a boat kept ready as a pulpit-cum-lifeboat, just in case the crowds crush him. It’s a striking glimpse of his humanity—the weight of need pressing on him, the constant effort to silence demons who keep blurting out his identity.
And in the middle of the chaos, he calls his disciples to himself and formally appoints twelve. With little more than a few weeks of following under their belt, these nobodies are commissioned to preach and drive out demons. No final exam, no certificate of completion—just, “If you’ve seen me do it, now you do it.” It’s both crazy and hilarious: if fishermen, tax collectors, and a handful of randos from the bargain bin can carry the kingdom, then maybe we’ve all got less excuse than we thought.
16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Mark lists the twelve by name—Simon (nicknamed Peter), James and John (nicknamed the Sons of Thunder), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot… and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Just like that, Mark drops the spoiler. No buildup, no dramatic foreshadowing—just flat honesty. The betrayer is in the twelve from the start.
It’s a sobering reminder: Jesus’ kingdom is not about collecting squeaky-clean heroes who change the world with their brilliance and strength. From the start, his team includes weakness, foolishness, and even betrayal. This Gospel is not about winners finding a winning Messiah. It’s about losers finding a Lord who refuses to give up on them—even when one of them hands him over to die.
Reflection Question
Where might you be disqualifying yourself from Jesus’ work, even though he seems perfectly willing to work through weakness, confusion, and unfinished faith?
