He Chose Twelve to Be With Him
Month 3: Come, Follow Me · Bible Story
Today's Scripture
Read together: Mark 3:13-19
13 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him. 14 He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach, 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
Memory Verse
“He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach,”— Mark 3:14 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 29-31
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Saul's last battle on Mount Gilboa closes his story.)The Heart of It
Crowds were pressing in from every direction. Sick people. Curious people. People who wanted a miracle and then wanted to go home. Out of all of them, Jesus went up a mountain and called for the ones He wanted (). He didn't take a vote. He didn't pick the most impressive resumes. He chose twelve ordinary men. Fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot. And He gave them a brand-new identity. Mark even tells us their old names and their new ones. Simon became Peter. James and John became the sons of thunder. Then Andrew, Philip, and the rest. Being chosen by Jesus changes who you are.
But notice why He chose them. Verse 14 gives the order, and the order matters. First, they were "to accompany Him." Second, they were "to be sent out to preach." Before they were workers, they were companions. Before they did one single thing for Jesus, they were simply with Jesus. They walked the dusty roads with Him. They ate around the fire with Him. They watched how He prayed and how He loved. That is still the shape of following Jesus today. He doesn't recruit us mainly for our usefulness. He calls us first into friendship with Himself, and the sending flows out of the being-with. Your family is invited up that same mountain.
Around the Table
Jesus picked twelve special friends to be close to Him. And He picks YOU to be His friend too!
Let's do it: Hold up all ten fingers, then two more. Count to twelve together. "Jesus chose twelve!"
Jesus chose the twelve to be with Him first, and to be sent out second. Why do you think being with Him came first?
Let's talk: What is one way you can spend time "with Jesus" this week?
Jesus chose unlikely men on purpose. Not scholars, not rulers. He even renamed Simon and called him Peter, which means "the rock." Being chosen by Jesus gives you a new identity.
Let's go deeper: If your truest name is "chosen by Jesus," how does that change what other people's opinions can do to you?
💬 Conversation Starter
When have you felt really happy to be picked for a team or a job? How might being picked by Jesus be even better than that?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Skeptics ask, "Why trust a movement started by a dozen nobodies?" But that's exactly the point. A made-up religion would invent heroic founders. It wouldn't name a despised tax collector and the man who would betray Jesus. The list is honest, and it isn't flattering. It reads like history, not legend.
For Dad · Go Deeper
quietly rebukes the way many of us father and lead. We measure our spiritual life by output. Did we do the devotion? Lead the prayer? Fix the behavior? But Jesus' first call to the Twelve was not a task. It was His company. Being "with Him" is the soil out of which all fruitful service grows (). If your discipleship of these kids becomes all sending and no being-with, all instruction and no companionship, you'll burn out, and so will they. The most pastoral thing you can do this week is let your children simply be near you while you are near Jesus. Pray out loud. Let them see you in the Word. Let them catch the aroma of a man who enjoys God. They will follow what they see far more than what they're told.
Draws on: Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, thank You for choosing ordinary people to be Your friends. Thank You for choosing us, too. Help our family to be with You first. And then help us go and do things for You. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus called me to be with Him first. Friendship comes before the assignment.