Jesus lifts the burden of the law

Mark 3:13-19
by Brian Knitter

In this snippet of scripture, Jesus names his twelve disciples. Why
twelve? As we get into the Bible more and more, you will see a host of special
numbers (1, 3, 6, 7, 12, 40, etc). The Hebrews made symbolic use of numbers,
so the numbers themselves mean something. Knowledge of these special
numbers can enhance your understanding of the scripture. One (1) is God, or
unity; Three (3) is the trinity (Father, Son, Holy Ghost); Six (6) is “less than
perfect,” or evil; Seven (7) is “perfect,” or holy; Twelve (12) is the number of
tribes of Israel, God’s chosen people; Forty means (40) “a long time.”

So today, Jesus, being one with God, and part of the trinity, chooses twelve
who will represent His chosen people. Let’s meet the twelve:

Simon, whom Jesus named Peter (which means “the rock”)
James, son of Zebedee
John, son of Zebedee (both sons of Zebedee were known as the “sons of
thunder, perhaps because of their youth, zeal, and energy)
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew (the tax collector)
Thomas (the doubter)
James, son of Alphaeus
Thaddaeus (also named Judas)
Simon “the Zealot” (Zealots were fanatics against Rome)
Judas Iscariot (who eventually betrayed Jesus)

Peter, John and Matthew eventually write parts of the New Testament that we
see today. All eleven (Judas Iscariot. Being dead) go out in all directions to
preach the Good News after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Mark, whose Gospel
we’re in today, was not one of the twelve disciples, but may have been a follower
of Jesus, and was a follower of Peter. His Gospel is based on Peter’s account,
as told to him. There is a book of James in the New Testament, but it was
probably not written by either of the disciples named James, but by Jesus’ half-
brother James, who became the first official leader of the church after Jesus
ascended. Of the twelve disciples, only John died of old age. The rest were
martyred (killed in nasty ways) for their teaching of Jesus.