An Unlikely Team

By Dale Weckbacher

Scriptural text:  Mark 3:13-19

Mark 3:13-15

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles,^[a] to be with him, to send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and to have authority to^[b] drive out demons.

(CSB)

Mark 3:13 tells us Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those he wanted as His disciples.  Luke 6:12-13 offers the added detail of Jesus praying all night before summoning those He selected as His disciples.  The selection of the team of disciples who would lead the Church after Jesus’ ascension is an important decision and why Jesus spent the night in prayer, consulting with His heavenly Father.  Selection of a leadership team is a key step for any leader and especially so for Jesus the Son of God.  However, one would think Jesus would have selected some of the most prominent religious leaders of His time but instead, Jesus selects a dysfunctional group of unlikely characters. 

Jesus, however, does not look upon outward appearances but He looks at the heart and after a night of prayer with His Heavenly Father, selects this group who would later be spoken of as those who turned their world upside down (Acts 17:6).  For the Church to lead revival in our darkened culture, it is important to learn from the transformation process of this unlikely team as we are all unlikely candidates to lead such a revival.  The Twelve,

1)      Came when called (Mark 3:13) – Another individual that responded when called by the Lord was Samuel (1 Samuel 3).  The calling of God in our lives may not come in a manner we expect and may not have us doing what we would expect to do.  A biblical example is Moses, a man with a speech impediment who has an encounter with God at a burning bush and is asked to speak to Pharaoh, asking him to free the Israelite slaves (Exodus 4:10-12).  God’s response to Moses reminds us that if God calls us to do something, he will empower us to perform because He is the creator God.

2)      Represented a blank slate Jesus could teach – While Jesus could have selected disciples from among the religious leaders of His time, their theology had become flawed and their eyes were spiritually blinded, making it impossible for them to recognize Jesus as Messiah (John 12:37-41, Isaiah 53:1; 6:10).  While our logic views the Twelve Jesus selected as an unlikely team, selection of the religious leaders who were blind to who Jesus was is the actual unlikely team.  While the Twelve had their issues, as do we all, after spending time with the Lord and witnessing Jesus’ death and resurrection, they became powerful leaders. 

3)      Ministered not in their own strength or wisdom but under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit – In Jesus final instructions to the Twelve, he told them to wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and not immediately go out proclaiming the Gospel (Acts 1:4,8).   When ministering or sharing the Gospel, we are not battling a flesh and blood enemy but immense spiritual powers (Ephesians 6:12).  While knowledge of scripture and having sound theology and doctrine are important, they come alive when one ministers under the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Since all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, we all constitute an unlikely team of disciples and are incapable of leading the darkened culture in which we live into revival without God’s help.  However, if the church responds to its biblical calling (Matthew 28:19-20), experiences a mind transformation through study of God’s Word, and ministers under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, it can lead revival.  With God’s Word as our sword, and God’s Spirit within us, the unlikely Church can bring transformation to the darkened culture in which it lives.  The question we all must ask is are we obedient to the call, teachable, and willing to do what God has called us to do through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  The Church in the Book of Acts did and provides an example to follow.