The Community of Jesus

In the passage we are exploring this morning Mark is revealing Jesus beginning to form his new community. He is beginning by forming a new leadership community, the apostles. Later, at the close of the chapter he will continue with the theme of the new family by asking the question, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” (Mark 3:33). Even though the apostles have a foundational role that we do not repeat as theirs was a unique role in the history of redemption, there are three aspects of community that we learn here for our own discipleship. The first is that Jesus’ community has a communal identity. It is significant that Jesus goes up on the mountain to begin to form his new community. He is deliberately alluding to the twelve tribes of Israel from the Old Testament. So Jesus is here beginning to form a people for himself, a people with a communal identity. Second, he gives them a new relationship. We will review under this point the significance of his naming them. And third, this community has a missional vocation, or participates in the mission of Jesus. We also, do not have our own mission, but participate in the mission of Jesus.

Having a missional vocation is living sent. And Jesus lived sent. Galatians 4:4-7 tells us that “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” And he was sent for us. God sent Jesus to redeem us and to bring us to ourselves. And, as we will explore in the text we find ourselves when we lose ourselves for him and for the gospel.