Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him. 

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.—Mark 3:7–19

Introduction: Summary of Mark 1:1–3:6

The book of Mark comes bursting out of the gate with four testimonies that Jesus is the Son of God: The author (Mark 1:1), the prophets (Mark 1:2), John the Baptist (Mark 1) and God the Father (Mark 1:10–11).

We must always connect the Son of God and the Gospel of God. Mark 1:1 connects the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. The good news of the gospel is not a random series of true statements or propositions. The gospel is not a mere proposition; it is about a person: Jesus. There would be no good news without Jesus. The good news is the story of salvation in Jesus. Remember that the name “Jesus” means “the Lord saves.”

Mark is saying, “This is where the good news begins”: Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. One commentator catches the super-charged meaning of the word “beginning” and all of its biblical overtones. “For Mark the introduction of Jesus is no less momentous than the creation of the world, for in Jesus a new creation is at hand” (James R. Edwards, Mark, p. 23). This is the awe-inspiring origin of the good news—the new beginning that dawns with the coming of Christ.

Then we witnessed the Son submit to the plan of the Father in the power of the Spirit to face Satan in the wilderness (vv. 12–13). We celebrated together the great Trinitarian Triumph over Satan in the temptation story. What an amazing introduction to this book!

Then we came to the body of the narrative. Most everyone divides Mark into two sections with Peter’s confession in chapter 8:27–30 as the watershed moment. The first half establishes that Jesus is the powerful Son of God with divine authority over everything. The second half establishes that he is the suffering servant come to give his life as a payment or ransom for sin. 

The body of Mark opens in Mark 1:14–15 with the good news of God’s reign (announced beforehand in Isaiah). Isaiah 40:9 is finally here: “Behold your God.” The first thing that Jesus does is call disciples as “fishers.” His authority was on display because he called and they followed. He has the power of the Creator to create what he calls for. “One begins to see that becoming a disciple of Jesus is more of a gift than an achievement” (Marshall, Faith as a Theme, 136). The second proof that he is God comes from the Old Testament background to this calling: “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 16:16).

Jesus demonstrated his authority all the way throughout the narrative. Jesus’ displays of authority lead to the response of the astonishment of the people. His authority is displayed in two areas: authority in teaching (1:21–22) and authority over demons (1:23–28). These displays of authority are seen in his healing ministry (1:29–34), and they all come back to support the point of his ministry: heralding the arrival of the good news of God’s reign (1:35–39).

Mark keeps drawing our attention to the impact this ministry has in attracting a crowd. He emphasizes this in connection to Jesus’ healing of a leper (1:40–45). His compassion and touch and power were on display. The connection to the Old Testament is important here because when Naaman the Syrian came to the king of Israel to be healed of leprosy, the king of Israel says, “am I God” that I can heal leprosy? (2 Kings 5:7).

Jesus is God. He heals the leper, but he also trades places with him. The leper was on the outskirts of society and, after Jesus heals him, Jesus goes to the outskirts—to the desolate places because the crowd grew so great because people were coming to him from every quarter (1:45).

Chapter 1 emphasized the crowds and the calling of the disciples. Chapter 2 moved to a series of five controversies featuring Jesus and the religious authorities of his day (Mark 2:1–3:6). The controversies kept building to a crescendo, and finally Jesus brought a challenge to the religious leaders and they responded by plotting his murder.

Now we begin a new sub-section in Mark. Mark moves away from the controversy with the religious leaders and returns again to focus on the size of the crowds (3:7–12) and the calling of the 12 disciples (3:13–19). Next week’s story will return to the conflict with the authorities (Mark 3:22–28) while making another point about discipleship (3:31–35).

Outline

1. The Crowd (3:7–12)
2. The Disciples (3:13–19)

1. The Crowd (vv. 7–9)

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him.

This summary is one that Mark returns to again and again. Jesus is at work. Mark sketches the extent of Jesus’ ministry and its geographical reach. People are coming from everywhere. They are coming from the Northwest part of Israel (Tyre and Sidon), they are coming from the Eastern part—the Transjordan (the Decapolis and areas beyond the Jordan). They are even coming from the South beyond Israel from the land of Idumea (ancient Edom, land of the descendants of Esau).

The interest in what Jesus is doing is phenomenal. I think Mark is trying to portray it as unparalleled. There are so many that even when he tries to withdraw he cannot get away. He needs to take measures like having a boat ready for him because otherwise this great crowd would become a crushing crowd. The next verses (10–12) will comment further on why the crowds are so large.

… for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. 

Verse 10 provides the reason for why the crowds had grown so large. They were so large “for” or because he had healed many with the result that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.

We know from the summary statements in Mark 1:14 and Mark 2:2 that Jesus has come to preach the good news of God’s reign. People are hearing his proclamation of the gospel, but Mark emphasizes that people are really attracted to his healing ministry.

The second part of the picture is that whenever Jesus comes into contact with demons it is no contest. He wins. He is stronger. There is barely even a struggle. They immediately fall down before him and confess his identity. There is such strong irony at work here. Those who are most opposed to his kingdom are the ones who most immediately fall before him. To know Jesus is to bow before him. What a picture! This is what will happen at his second coming with all humanity. One day, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Mark makes it clear that the demons do not gain power over him by confessing his identity. Jesus is stronger and he wants them to be silent. So they are.

Why does Jesus command the demons to be silent? First, Jesus does not want the demons to proclaim his name. He does not want to be seen to be in league with them in any way, shape, or form. His kingdom is as opposed to Satan’s kingdom as any opposition could ever be. The charge will come from the Scribes in chapter four that he casts out demons because he is in league with the demons. His response will show how foolish and hard-hearted they are.

The second reason is that this gospel aims to have people confess that Jesus is the Son of God. Mark opens this gospel that way (1:1) and the confession by the Roman centurion at the end (15:39) shows his intended audience (a Roman) making that very confession. People can only see his true identity and confess it by the power of the Holy Spirit. He does not want this confession coming from a demon using a body as a human puppet. He does not want his name confessed by an unclean spirit in a human body, but by the Holy Spirit.

Now it is time to contrast what is happening among the crowd with what Jesus is doing among the disciples.

2. The Disciples (vv. 13–19)

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 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. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

These verses show a different type of work that Jesus did. There was a deeper work that Jesus did called discipleship. This was Jesus’ special focus, his greater interest. He called to him those whom he desired (Mark 1:13) and they came to him. What great joy for believers! The ultimate explanation for coming to Jesus as a disciple is not that we first love him and desire him, but that he loves us and desires us and chooses us. Jesus made this explicit point to his disciples in John’s Gospel: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). If you are a follower of Jesus today, it is because Jesus desired to have you as a follower. Discipleship is a gift, not an achievement.

Don’t miss what discipleship is. The first aspect is life together. Before they do things together, they are together. They learn from being with Jesus. This is intensive—24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is Jesus’ fulltime work. There is also a unique empowerment that Jesus gives the disciples. They are sent out to continue what Jesus taught them and empowered them to do. They did two things. They preached and cast out demons.

The next verses tell us about who these 12 disciples were. We could have a whole sermon on mini-biographies of these disciples. What did they go on to do and where did they go and how did they die. That is obviously not Mark’s point here. The book I would recommend if you want to dig into the historical details here is by Bryan Litfin entitled After Acts.

I want to say something briefly about the number 12. It is not a coincidence. The number 12 represents the people of God as the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus is making a new start. He is the true Israelite, the promised Messiah and he is calling a true Israel to follow him. In this sense, I do not want to talk about a replacement for Israel because that would assume that God is done with Israel. All 12 of these disciples are Israelites, after all.

But it is saying something about the present state of Israel if Jesus is beginning anew with 12. Israel as a whole is disobedient and hard. Mark will make that point explicit in chapter 4. The rich root of the promises is still in effect, but as Paul will say in Romans 11, many Israelite branches are broken off because of unbelief. Only those Jews who believe are part of this tree—it is the connection to Jesus, faith in Jesus, that will mark those who are truly part of the people of God. And I believe—right in line with what Pastor John preached in Romans 11—that there is a future for ethnic Israel in which God will remove ethnic Israel’s widespread unbelief and many ethnic Jews will embrace their Messiah.

Application: Discipleship and the Demonic Today

How do we apply these truths today? Here is how I would state the main point:

Jesus broad ministry drew large crowds, but his deeper and lasting work was to call 12 disciples as the true Israel.

We must learn the same lesson. Some churches have a crowd mentality that views ministry success according to the size of the crowd. This approach is a mile wide and an inch deep. This crowd did not know Jesus’ true identity. They were not following him and confessing him as Lord.

At Bethlehem, we aim to have a discipleship mentality—we want as many people as possible to go as deep as possible with Jesus. We aim to be disciples who make disciples. That is our commission: the quality of discipleship, not the quantity of the crowd.

But notice secondly the direct relationship between discipleship and the demonic. Jesus gave the disciples authority to cast out demons. This is a normal part of discipleship. It is not weird, oddball, out of the ordinary, never-discussed discipleship training. It is normal. We are in a war. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. There are a couple of big ditches I want to steer clear of right at the start. In the left ditch, there are people who underestimate the influence of the devil (or even his existence—they see him nowhere). In the right ditch, there are people who overestimate the influence of the devil (they see him everywhere and blame him for everything). This is not something to keep secret or hidden for fear that it may scare people. No, this is an opportunity to celebrate the all-encompassing authority of Jesus. There is no question as to who is stronger. Greater is he who is in us, than that which is in the world.

Some of you have heard about what happened at Jr. High Camp. Some people encouraged me that this story needs to be told more widely. If it would further the needs of discipleship, then I am willing to share. What God did at Jr. High Camp was phenomenal. No one can take credit for it. It was a genuine work of God. He did a deep work of repentance and confession of sin and salvation and renewal. Perhaps the most unexpected part of God’s work was the direct spiritual warfare that we witnessed.

I was unaware of what had happened in previous Jr. High retreats. One Jr. High girl would start coughing or having respiratory issues, usually when we would be singing praise songs or the preaching would start. It would become so bad sometimes that she would have to be taken out. The first time it happened she was taken to the ER because they assumed it was a physical issue. Later it became clear that this was actually a demonic issue. The parents were aware of the problem and the Downtown Campus elders had prayed with the family.

I was unaware of this backstory when I was preaching on Monday night and I heard someone screaming from outside the chapel. When I asked about the screaming later, I was told about this larger backdrop of what had happened in the past. As the leadership discussed this issue later, we became burdened with the thought that this is the kind of demonic opposition that will not come out apart from prayer and fasting. So we decided to fast from the Tuesday night meal that came before the next evening worship service. Some of us, including the girl’s mom, decided to fast for the rest of the camp or until this demonic issue was resolved. My prayer was that when we came to the finale feast on Friday night we would have much to celebrate.

The rest of the week was a deeply stirring work of God and we continued to pray for deliverance for this young woman. After the final evening worship service, I noticed that some of the leaders had led her to another room to pray for her so I joined them. I watched as Ben Katterson was talking to her and saying, “You say that you know you are on this part of the Bridge diagram—cut off from Christ and eternal life, but you want to go to heaven. Why don’t you just confess your sins and embrace Jesus as Lord? She went totally limp. It became very evident that this moment called for confrontation. Ben spoke in a commanding voice and we joined in calling for the demon to leave in Jesus’ name. The Gospel of Mark says that a demon leaves with a loud voice (Mark 1:26), and we heard the loud shriek. It is something you never forget.

After the demons were cast out, her eyes became clear. With tears she said that she was free. She said that she loved Jesus and that he was Lord. We prayed over her with tears of joy. We asked that she would be forever free from demonic oppression. We prayed that the joy of the Lord would be her strength. I cannot put into words the night-and-day difference I saw. She began to laugh and hug and celebrate her freedom. We witnessed that Jesus is stronger. If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. She and her mom testified to what Jesus did on Friday night before all the Jr. Highers and their parents. She will be baptized on August 13 at the 9am service. Bethlehem, celebrate that our Savior is stronger. This is his victory—he gets the praise.

I went to bed rejoicing and praying, but with the strong sense that the Lord was going to do more. I went to bed at 11pm and the prayer on my lips was that the Lord would bring more out of the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son. I didn’t have to wait long to see that prayer answered. Around 1:30am, Ben Katterson woke me up and said “Pastor, we need you.” There has been another attack. He said another Jr. High girl in a cabin had gone stiff and just froze right in front of the other girls in her cabin. Some of the other girls were very frightened, but Satan’s work seemed to backfire because Ben went into the cabin and told them that they didn’t need to be afraid if they belonged to Jesus. Some of them said that they didn’t, and Ben was able to lead them to rest in Christ. The other girl was taken to the nurse’s room—she looked like she was hyperventilating. Her hands kept going back and forth, and I asked what was going on and she said, “they are trying to grab me and pull me in, I don’t want to go.” We prayed again, commanding the demons to leave in Jesus’ name. Once again, we witnessed God’s perfect peace wash over that place and everything became calm and free. The joy was tangible.

At this point some of the pastoral team decided to stay awake and pray through the night. We went around to each cabin and prayed for people in the cabins—many by name. What a joy to work with these Jr. High pastors, Bethlehem. They know the kids by name, they know the situations and the pain and what needs prayer—where Jesus needs to enter and bring peace. Many of the counselors were also gathered in the front of the camp and were praying fervently. My estimate of the counselors that go to camp and care for our kids just skyrocketed throughout the week. The Lord is raising up a generation of young people who love the Lord and want to follow him more than anything else. I think the time that I had in prayer between 4-5am as the Sun came up was one of the most profound prayer times I have ever had.

It’s necessary to share a few principles of spiritual warfare at this point. In my experience in ministering to those who have direct demonic influence and oppression, there is always a gateway. There is usually a background in the occult. When I was in Louisiana, it was usually a background in Vodoo or Druid, or witchcraft. I have seen it happen when people have just wanted more spiritual experiences, but they are not discerning or distinguishing about what kind of spiritual experience. I have seen early childhood trauma be a playground for the demonic. I have seen sins like pornography or even unrestrained anger be a gateway. This should not be a surprise because Ephesians 4:26 says that we should not let the sun go down on our anger or we will give the devil a foothold in our lives.

That is my warning to you Bethlehem. Shut any open doors in your lives that are allowing unclean, filthy things into your life. Satan is like a roaring lion on the prowl looking for someone to devour, always looking for an opening or a foothold. This also relates directly to discipleship.

Conclusion

My favorite part of Jr. High Camp may have been the way that the Holy Spirit seemed to be the choir conductor on that Thursday night of spiritual warfare. At one point when the pastors were praying, we spontaneously broke out into the song “Stronger.” We later learned that at the same time, the Jr. High counselors started singing the same song at what seemed to be the exact same time. Later we heard that there were a group of guys in the bathroom praying and they started singing that same song—at what we think was the same time. Imagine the picture. In three different parts of the camp, there was a song rising up like surround sound for Satan—proclaiming that Jesus is stronger and that the camp and the victory belongs to him. Let us proclaim it again as an entire church—confessing our faith and celebrating our Lord’s victory over sin, and Satan, and death and hell. 

Sermon Discussion Questions

Outline

• The Size of the Crowd (vv. 7–9)
• The Work of Jesus (vv. 10–12)
• The Work of Discipleship (vv. 13–19)

Main Point: Jesus’ broad ministry drew large crowds, but his deeper and lasting work was to call 12 disciples as the True Israel.

Discussion Questions

• Why were such large crowds following Jesus?
• Why did Jesus spend so much time healing and casting out demons? How did those actions reinforce the good news of God’s reign entering into this fallen world?
• What do the verses about the calling of the disciples (vv. 13–19) teach us about how Jesus viewed discipleship?

Application Questions

• What were your views of spiritual warfare prior to hearing this sermon? Did any of your views, thoughts, or attitudes about it change? Discuss.
• If Satan prowls around and looks for a gateway or an opening, are there any gateways in your life that need to be closed? Consider sharing these areas with the group. Ask for prayer and accountability.
• In this sermon, which truths about discipleship landed on you? Are you being personally discipled? Are you personally discipling others?
• In this message, which truths landed on you that you need to share with others in your life? How can you share these truths? Devote it to prayer!

Prayer Focus 

Pray for a grace to be a disciple of Christ and to make disciples who follow Jesus.