Long-Haul Faith, Pt 6: Jesus
As far back as I can remember, my grandfather – we called him Fuzz – owned his own small trucking company. This company started with one truck and one driver, but it eventually grew to the point that he could not do all of the driving himself. At its height, he owned three trucks and hired two full-time drivers in addition to himself, and when he passed away, one of his drivers bought the company and hired more drivers.
By Mark 3, Jesus had attracted quite a crowd. After healing people and confronting the Pharisees, these people followed him to see what he would do next. In their eyes, he was some sort of circus act. Therefore, to escape the crowd for a bit, Jesus invited his earnest disciples to accompany him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. When they arrived, however, he found that the crowd had followed and expected him to perform yet again. After a harrowing day of teaching, we read in Mark 3:13-19:
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, to send them out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons. He appointed the Twelve: To Simon, he gave the name Peter; and to James the son of Zebedee, and to his brother John, he gave the name “Boanerges” (that is, “Sons of Thunder”); Andrew; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
Mark 3:13-19 CSB
Typically when I read this passage, I focus on the Twelve, trying to figure out who they were, what they brought to the table, and why Jesus picked them rather than others. Today, however, I want to suggest that Jesus in this passage did four things that are absolutely key to having a long-haul faith.
We must withdraw regularly.
The first of these is found immediately in verse 13. There, we catch up with Jesus at the end of a weeks-long stretch of nonstop ministry. He drove out demons, healed the sick and lame, claimed the right to forgive sin, and showed up the religious leaders of the day, and as a result, he had accomplished the first-century equivalent of going viral. Just as he was beginning to achieve the fame craved by so many, however, Jesus did the unthinkable: in Mark 3:7, he “departed with his disciples to the sea” of Galilee. Then, after he finished teaching the crowd that ambushed him, Jesus “went up the mountain” here in verse 13.
Put another way, Jesus walked away from what most people only dream of. Instead of putting on a show for the crowd in Capernaum so he could keep building his fanbase, he departed to the sea, and instead of playing to the adoring masses on the shore, he climbed a mountain to get away. Instead of pandering for more attention and fame, Jesus withdrew.
Astonishingly, this was neither the first nor the last time he would do this sort of thing. In Mark 1:9-11, Jesus went to be baptized and was identified by John the Baptist as “the lamb of God.” Immediately, people began to follow him, but in Mark 1:12, we read, “Immediately the Spirit drove [Jesus] into the wilderness.” That is, he withdrew. Similarly, in Mark 14:32, just before his arrest, Jesus took his disciples “to a place named Gethsemane” late at night. Indeed, Luke 5:16 reveals that Jesus “often withdrew to deserted places.”
Why would he do this? Matthew tells us that Jesus spent his time in the wilderness fasting, and Mark says that he and his disciples went to Gethsemane to pray. Luke also notes in Luke 5:16 that Jesus withdrew to deserted places to pray, and in his account of this scene from Mark 3, we are told that Jesus “went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12) before choosing his apostles. Mark, it seems, assumed his readers would understand: if Jesus went anywhere by himself, he would spend that time in prayer.
But again, why would he do this? Throughout the gospels, we see a pattern: Jesus regularly withdrew to pray at key moments in his life and ministry when there was zero margin for error, and he used the time to ensure he was absolutely clear on – and aligned with – the Father’s will. And if Jesus thought withdrawing regularly for a time of prayer was key for him to be aligned with the Father, and have a long-haul faith, then we had probably better do the same!
Indeed, there is a whole spiritual discipline called “solitude” where the believer intentionally withdraws from the noise, drama, and pressures of regular living so that they can focus on being in the presence of God, hearing from him, and aligning themselves with him. We must withdraw regularly, taking time to deliberately get alone with him and discover what he has to say to us.
We must choose our friends carefully.
There is a second key to be found in verse 13. At the bottom of the mountain, there were hundreds of people clamoring to be Jesus’ friends, and that certainly had an allure for Jesus. Remember, when Satan tempted him in the wilderness, both the second and third temptations would have produced adoring masses. There is something compelling about a throng of people chanting your name! It would have been easy for Jesus to go down to the crowd, raise his arms, teach them a few things, do a miracle or two, and hang out with his two thousand closest friends. Yet, Jesus withdrew from the crowd and then summoned only twelve.
Perhaps even more stunning, the twelve he picked were not even remarkable. There were fishermen, hotheads, doubters, a tax collector, at least one political dissident, a betrayer, and at least three that we know absolutely nothing about! Indeed, as the Life Application Study Bible observed, these men had no special faith, gifts or abilities, experience, or potential. They had only a resolve to obey Jesus.
Then again, perhaps that is the point. Often, we pick friends based on their looks, personality, money, car, clothes, etc. We are then surprised when, sooner or later, they flake out on us. Yet, Jesus picked those who were absolutely committed as the people he wanted by his side every day. Jesus was very careful when he chose who would be his friends, and if we are going to have a long-haul faith, we must be equally careful! We must choose our friends carefully.
Now, that is not to say that we must look only for friends who will obey us. No, we must surround ourselves with people who will obey Jesus, who are just as committed to their faith as we are to ours, who will push us to follow ever closer and call us out when we fall back. Neither is it to say that we should shut everyone else out. Remember, Jesus did not always avoid crowds. He became known for eating with tax collectors and sinners, and if we are going to fulfill the Great Commission, then we must be deliberate about forging relationships with people who are not yet obeying Jesus.
Rather, it is to say that we must pick people that we want to rub off on us and speak into our lives, and we must give those people – and those only – unrestricted access to who we are and what we’re doing.
We must focus.
A third key to a long-haul faith is found in verses 14-15, where we learn two important things. First, we learn that Jesus appointed twelve. That is, Jesus focused on a much smaller group of people than the massive crowd that met him at the foot of the mountain. Second, we learn that Jesus was clear about his intentions for these twelve. He called them apostles and gave them three things to do. First, he appointed them to be with him, to hang out, soak in his teachings, and absorb his character and actions. Second, he was going to send them out to preach. And third, he would give them authority to drive out demons. In short, he intended for them to become just like him!
The specificity here is interesting. Jesus could have invited a hundred people to hang out or given these twelve a whole laundry list of things to do. Instead, he appointed twelve and gave them three things to do, and in doing so, Jesus demonstrated a laser-like focus that was essential to both his and his disciples’ long-haul faith.
The importance of focus is clearly demonstrated in the Methodist revival of the 18th century. By all accounts, George Whitefield was a dynamic speaker. Huge crowds of people came to hear him, and he went on preaching tours of both England and America. Yet, most people today have never heard of him. Instead, they are familiar with John Wesley because, while Whitefield was preaching to massive crowds, Wesley was crisscrossing England building bands of three people, classes of twelve, and societies of fifty or more. The sole purpose of each of these groups was to help its members grow more like Jesus. Eventually, these groups would spawn hospitals, schools, orphanages, pharmacies, and myriad other ministries, but it all started with these groups!
Jesus focused on just a few people and things, and so must we. We must focus. It means not seeking the massive crowds or allowing our attentions and efforts to become so divided that we never really accomplish anything. It means concentrating on just a few people and prioritizing our pursuit of Jesus.
We can be multiplied.
Finally, in verses 16-19, Jesus appointed twelve men as his apostles. These were to be Jesus’ official representatives, charged with carrying out the ministry that he started, and that is exactly what they would do. Impetuous Simon would become rock-solid Peter and lead the Church in its earliest days before being crucified – upside down – for his faith. James son of Zebedee would become a bold witness until the day he was beheaded for his faith in Acts 6. John would become a great evangelist and bishop of Ephesus. Because of his bold faith, he would be tarred, feathered, and exiled to the island of Patmos. He would also cap off the New Testament by writing the fourth gospel, three pastoral letters, and the book of Revelation. In fact, except for Judas Iscariot, all twelve of these apostles became fearless witnesses, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus with power. Largely because of their work, by the end of the book of Acts, the Church of Jesus Christ would include thousands of people spanning the entire known world.
Because Jesus was deliberate about withdrawing regularly instead of pandering to the crowd, careful in choosing his friends, and focused in his efforts, his work was eventually multiplied many times over. Indeed, Jesus never traveled farther than Jesus, but within fifty years of his resurrection and ascension, news of him spread as far as Rome. He focused his attention on 12 guys, and by Pentecost, there were only about 120 people gathered in the upper room. Yet, in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit rushed upon them, and 3,000 were saved on Pentecost. By Acts 4, the number climbed to 5,000, and by 300 AD, an estimated 10% of the population of the Roman Empire placed their faith in Jesus. Today, there are more than 2 billion Christians on every continent of the world!
Yes, Jesus’ work was multiplied many times over, and I would submit that ours can be, too. We can be multiplied, and here is how. Pray for one person – just one person – that you can minister to and tell about Jesus. When that person puts their faith in him, then there are two. Then both of you pray for one person each – just one person – that you can minister to and tell about Jesus. When those people put their faith in him, that is four. The four become eight, then sixteen, thirty-two, and sixty-four. By the time you’ve personally helped twelve people come to the Lord, between you and all your friends, you will have helped to faith more people than were saved at Pentecost!
Like Jesus, we must focus on making disciples who will make more disciples because then, and only then, can we be multiplied.
Conclusion
Jesus was never interested in fame or drawing a crowd because he knew that, if that was his focus, then his life would be little more than a flash in a pan: as soon as he was gone, he would begin to fade from people’s memories. Therefore, he withdrew regularly from the spotlights and the crowds. He chose very carefully the people he would allow to hang out with him. And he remained focused on the select group of people and the task of helping them become just like him.
He did all of this because he knew that, if he could help others become just like him, then they would make more people who were just like him, who would make more people who were just like him, who would make more people who were just like him, and so forth. Together, they would change the world, and that, my friend, is how we can do the same.