Mark 3:13-19

¹³ And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.

¹⁴ Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,

¹⁵ and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:

¹⁶ Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter,

¹⁷ James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;

¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;

¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

Also found in Luke 6:12-16.

The mountain (v.13) — The same one where the Lord gave the Sermon on the Mount.

Those He Himself wanted (v.13) — The Lord did the choosing, picking those He wanted. He did not ask for volunteers. This was probably a larger group from which He then chose the twelve.

appointed (v.14) = ordained, made. He made the twelve as a separate body.

be with Him (v.14) — tense indicated continuous action. They would remain with Him.

send them out (v.14) — The Greek word is apostello, so “apostle” means “one sent out,” and ambassador.

preach (v.14) = to make a public proclamation with gravity, formality, and authority.

power (v.15) — Not dunamis [from which we get “dynamite”], as in Romans 1:16, but exousia, “delegated authority.”

God did not put His supernatural power into the hands of the Twelve to be exercised by them. He delegated to them the authority to cast out demons in the sense that they would speak the word declaring the casting out, and God’s power (dunamis) would cast out the demons. The words “to heal sicknesses” are not in the [original] text. — Wuest, page 71.

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Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter (v.16) — The verb is “to place upon.” That is, He gave him an additional name to the one he already had. This is a direct reference to John 1:42, where our Lord first added this name which was to become descriptive of Simon’s character after the Holy Spirit had gotten control of him. — Wuest, page 71.

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sons of thunder (v.17) — The expression “sons of” is a Hebrew idiom in which the distinguishing characteristic of the individual or thing named is regarded as his parent. … The name Boanerges seems to have been intended as a title of honor. … It is justified by the impetuosity and zeal which characterized both the brothers … — Wuest, page 72.

Andrew (v.18) — The origin of the name was Greek, although it was used by the Jews. It means “manly.”

Philip (v.18) — Another Greek name, meaning “fond of horses.”

Matthew (v.18) = lit. “a gift of God”

Thomas (v.18) = lit. “a twin”

Thaddaeus (v.18) — called Judas in John 14:22

Simon the Cananite (v.18) — should be Simon the Canaanaean. He was also known as Simon the Zealot, one of the party who considered the presence of Rome in Israel as treason against Jehovah. They were fanatical about Jewish exclusiveness.

Iscariot (v.19) — Probably “the man of Kerioth,” his native town, located on the outscirts of Judah. He was the only one of the Twelve who was not from Galilee.

They went into a house (v.19) — Returns to a house after living in the mountains for a time, perhaps some days. The house was Peter’s, where the Lord lived when in this area.