Grace For Your Day April 29

In his Commentary on the Gospels, J. C. Ryle writes that:

Mark 3:13:19 is a passage of peculiar solemnity. Here is the record of the first ordination which ever took place in the church of Christ after the Lord told the disciples to “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (1:17). The Lord Jesus chooses and sends forth the twelve apostles. Here is an account of the first charge ever delivered to the newly ordained Chrisitan ministers. The Lord Jesus Himself delivers it. – Never was there so important an ordination or solemn a charge!

There are three lessons which stand out prominently on the face of this portion of Scripture. Let us take them in order.

We are taught, in the first place, that all ministers are not necessarily good men. We see our Lord choosing a Judas Iscariot to be one of His apostles. We cannot doubt that He who knew all hearts, knew well the characters of the men whom He chose. And He includes in the list of apostles one who was a traitor!

We shall do well to bear in mind this fact. The office of apostle did not confer the saving grace of the Holy Ghost. Ordained men are not necessarily converted. W are not to regard them as infallible, either in doctrine or in practice. We are not to make popes or idols of them, and insensibly put them in Christ’s place. We are to regard them as “men of like passions” with ourselves, liable to the same infirmities, and daily requiring the same grace. We are not to think it impossible for them to do very bad things, or to expect them to be above the reach of harm from flattery, covetousness, and the world… Above all, we ought to pray for them, that they may not be successors of Judas Iscariot, but of James and John…

We are taught, in the next place, that the great work of a minister of Christ is to do good. He is sent to “preach” – to proclaim glad tidings – and “cast out demons” or relieve those who are suffering and diminish their sorrow.

This is a high standard and a very peculiar one. Let it be well weighed and carefully examined. It is plain, for one thing, that the life of a faithful minister of Christ cannot be one of ease. He must be ready to spend body and mind, time and strength, in the work of His calling. Laziness and frivolity are bad enough in any profession, but worst of all in that of a watchman for souls.

It is plain that the position of the ministers of Christ is not that which ignorant people sometimes subscribe to them, and which they unhappily sometimes claim for themselves. They are not intended so much to rule as to serve. They are not intended to have dominion over the church as to supply its wants, and wait upon its members. Happy would it be for the cause of true religion, if these things were better understood! Half the diseases of Christianity have arisen from mistake notions about the minister’s office….

We are taught, in the last place, the nature of the office to which the apostles were ordained. They were to “be with Christ.”

Like the apostles, the faithful minister ought to keep up close communion with Christ. He should be “with Him.” His fellowship should be “with the Son” (1 John 1:3). He should abide in Him. He should be separate from the world, and daily sit, like Mary, at Jesus’ feet, and hear His Word. He should study Him, copy Him, drink into His Spirit, and walk in His steps. He should strive to be able to say, when he enters the pulpit, “that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you” (1 John 1:3).

J. C. Ryle is right because there are many lessons that we can learn from Jesus’ calling of the 12 disciples in Mark 3:13-19. It is a text that is rich in wisdom and insight because we have all grown so much as we have studied each of these men. Just by listing the names of Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the Son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot is to bring up so many wonderful Bible stories.

In order to discuss them this week during the sermon hour, I plan on doing a quick survey of each their lives in order to see how they relate to us today. I believe that we will discover that they were very ordinary men following an extraordinary Savior. There was nothing special about the disciples just like there is nothing special about you and me. The only thing that made them stand out is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please join us as we study that subject together this week at Grace Fellowship Church. The service will be at 9:30 on Sunday. The sermon will be recorded and then posted on our YouTube Channel for all those who cannot make it in person. May the Lord give you a great week and I look forward to seeing you then.

– Jeremy Cagle