The Bible Book

200

E

arly in His ministry, Jesus

selects 12 disciples. This

is a step to securing His

legacy and has huge significance:

the 12 men He chooses will go

on to spread the word of Jesus and

build a new Israel: a new Church.

In the Ancient Near East, the

gathering of students, or “disciples,”

around a master teacher was an

established practice. At the time,

knowledge was largely imparted

via the spoken word, and the more

disciples that were amassed, the

farther that word would spread.

Jesus was aware of this, and the

selection of as many as a dozen

disciples gives an indication of the

intended scale of His ministry. In

Mark 1, Jesus is walking beside

the Sea of Galilee one day, when

He sees Simon (whom Jesus calls

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Mark 1:17

THEME

Jesus calls His disciples

for ministry

SETTING

c. 26–27 ce, Roman Judean

countryside, beside the Sea

of Galilee.

KEY FIGURES

Jesus The Messiah and Son

of God at the start of His

ministry in Galilee.

The 11 “good” disciples

These include (Simon) Peter,

Andrew, James, John,

Matthew (Levi), and Simon

the Zealot.

Judas Iscariot The disciple

who will betray Jesus.

“FOLLOW ME,”

JESUS SAID,

“... I WILL SEND

YOU OUT TO FISH

FOR PEOPLE”

MARK 1:17, THE CALLING OF THE DISCIPLES

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