Chapter # 3 Paragraph # 3 Study # 2
October 15, 2019
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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⁽¹¹³⁾

Thesis:   Mark's record is of "the beginning of the preparation of the disciples for their participation in Jesus' calling".

Introduction:   In our study of 1:38 ⁽⁰⁶⁴⁾ we noted that Jesus "came forth" to preach in the other towns in Galilee. This declaration of His "purpose" is not the "bottom line" either in Jesus' own "calling" by the Father, or in Jesus' "calling" of the disciples, but it is very close: "preaching" is the notification to others of Who Jesus is, What He did, and Why He did it. It is not the "bottom line", but it is the only way people can come to grips with the Truth so that they may respond.

The paragraph we are currently considering is the "response" concept when seen in the light of what it should be. There are two other "responses", but they are not in a legitimate harmony with Truth.

This evening we are going to look into Mark's record of what Jesus did and what the response was.

• I. He Summoned Them "For Himself".
  • A. The "summons" is rooted in the critical term used in the New Testament regarding the "call" of God.
    • 1. The "call" is always a "summons" to come to God for Life.
    • 2. But, this "call" is somewhat limited in its impact: many are "called", but few are "chosen" (a truth declared twice by Jesus in Matthew 20:16 and 22:14).
  • B. This "summons" is identified as an expression of something Jesus wanted.
    • 1. When a verb is put into what is called the form of "the middle voice", it indicates that the one doing the action of the verb is doing it for his own purposes.
    • 2. This particular form is used only twice by Mark (3:13 and 6:7) and these two uses are deliberate so that the readers can see a key aspect of Mark's "literary design".
      • a. In 3:13 He called them so that He might "send them forth to preach" and in 6:7 He sent them forth to preach.
      • b. These two uses form a kind of "book-ends" that define a boundary within Mark's structure so that we might see the material from 3:13 to 6:7 as the record of the main issues in the "that they might be with Him" section in which He is "schooling" them so that they might be able to go forth to preach with accuracy and understanding.
        • 1) The physical location of His summons "on the mountain" indicates that He is preparing them to go forth to preach the key issues of the "Kingdom" of which He is King [see notes of the immediately previous study ⁽¹¹²⁾].
        • 2) The "summons" is His own; it is not a call for "volunteers".
    • 3. This "summons" is an intensified form of the root word for a "calling".
      • a. This "intensity" is indicated by the addition of the preposition "to" to the verb as a prefix.
      • b. Then, just in case we miss it, it is reinforced six words later (in the Greek text) by the same preposition in the record of the response (they came "to" Him).
        • 1) This record of how people respond to being "strongly called" is not necessary.
          • a) Mark used the word involved here in nine places in his record.
          • b) In 3:23; 6:7; 7:14; 8:1 and 34; 10:42; 12:43; and 15:44 the verb is used and the response of "coming to Him" is simply assumed, not stated.
        • 2) That those whom He wanted are recorded as "coming to Him" is highly significant in that it does not leave the issue up to "assumption" and it indicates a certain level of strength to the "summons" itself.
          • a) This "summons" got the desired result.
          • b) In respect to the will of Jesus, this "call" (intensified) was sufficiently rooted in the power and authority of Jesus to produce what the call signified (the "summoned" were "chosen").
    • 4. This "summons" is directly declared to be of "those whom Jesus wanted".
      • a. The term used is (thelo) and it has the sense of "wanting", not "determining".
        • 1) It is the expression of a "desire" rather than an "intention", but, given sufficient support from the resources of the one "desiring", it can be an "intention".
        • 2) There is a specific word for "determined intention".
        • 3) For this cause, the focus is upon what Jesus "wanted", not what He "determined".
      • b. The tense is "imperfect", revealing a historical narrative that has a past tense, on-going, impact ("He was wanting" rather than "He wanted").
        • 1) It keeps the focus on "what is going on in the focal issues of the story".
        • 2) "He is calling for Himself those He was wanting".
• II. They Came.
  • A. They were not overtly "constrained" by anything noticeable within themselves other than their own desires.
  • B. But, this is an outworking of Paul's principle in Philippians 2:13 that the bottom line in the "wishes" of God is whether, or not, He places the "wants" and "actions" within us.

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This is article #114.
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