Mark 3:13–19; 6:7–13, 30–32 · Delegate Authority
Jesus and the Twelve
He chose a small, mismatched group to be with him first, and then gave them his authority.
The story
Before choosing them, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12). In the morning he called his disciples and chose twelve.
“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
The list is striking. Fishermen. A tax collector who had worked for Rome. A Zealot, from a movement that wanted Rome overthrown. One who would betray him.
After a season with him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority. They went, preached, and healed. When they returned, they “told him all that they had done and taught.” He answered, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (Mark 6:30–31).
What the story teaches
He chose few. Crowds followed him. He invested deeply in twelve. A leader can address many and develop only a handful.
“With him” came before “sent out.” The first purpose was presence. They watched how he prayed, answered critics, and treated people before they were asked to do anything.
He built a team of opposites. A tax collector and a Zealot would have been enemies anywhere else. A shared mission held together people who shared nothing else.
He gave authority, not only assignments. They were sent with the power to act, not a script to recite and report on.
He listened to the whole report. They told him everything, and he let them.
He made them rest. After the debrief came the instruction to stop. Sending people out carries a duty to bring them back and let them recover.
Try this week
- Name the few people you are truly developing. If the list is longer than twelve, the list is not real.
- Before the next assignment you hand over, let that person watch you do the work once.
- After someone finishes a hard assignment, hear the full account, then give time to recover before the next one.
Read the ROAR issue Nobody becomes a leader in a classroom. Related study: Jesus and the Seventy-Two.
Sources
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001.
Passages studied: Mark 3:13–19; 6:7–13, 30–32; Luke 6:12–16.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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