He went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve [whom he also named apostles] that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons: 16 [he appointed the twelve:] Simon, whom he named Peter; 17 James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, 19 and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Jesus goes up the mountain and then acts with purpose. In Mark, a mountain often signals a solemn, decisive moment—an act that discloses Jesus’ authority and sets the direction of his mission. Here it frames the appointment of the Twelve as foundational, echoing Israel’s defining moments on the mountain, but now with the disciples drawn close to Jesus. He summons “those whom he wanted,” and they come. Mark’s first emphasis is that this begins with Jesus’ choice, not with the men putting themselves forward. The call is personal and deliberate.
Mark then gives the reason for the appointment in a tight sequence. These men are chosen so that they “might be with him,” so that he “might send them forth to preach,” and so that they would have authority to drive out demons. Mark puts being with Jesus first. Before they do anything publicly, they are formed by proximity to him—his teaching, his priorities, his way of acting, and his obedience to the Father. Luke adds that Jesus spent the night in prayer before choosing them, which matches the seriousness of this moment and the mountain setting.
The number matters. Jesus appoints twelve, and Mark expects the reader to recognize the echo of Israel’s twelve tribes. This is not a random headcount. It signals restoration and re-gathering—God’s saving plan continuing in a new and decisive way in Jesus. God formed his people in the Old Testament and spoke in defining moments on a mountain. Mark’s mountain scene draws that memory forward while showing something new: these men are not kept at a distance. They are brought close. The goal is not to erase what God began with Israel, but to show God gathering his people around Jesus in a renewed and purified way, with a mission that will extend outward.
Mark’s list of names is not filler. It anchors the story in real persons and it shows that Jesus’ call is concrete. He does not appoint an anonymous group; he names men who will be known, remembered, and sent. Mark begins with Simon, whom Jesus names Peter, and he includes James and John with the nickname “Boanerges,” “sons of thunder.” The naming underlines that Jesus is not merely collecting followers. He is shaping a mission community and giving it structure. Matthew and Luke also preserve lists of the Twelve, which helps the reader see that this was a stable core group across the early Church’s memory.
The work they will do matches the work Jesus has already been doing. They will preach, and they will confront the powers that harm and enslave. Mark has repeatedly shown unclean spirits recognizing Jesus and Jesus silencing them; now he gives his chosen men authority to drive demons out. This is not power for display. It is power in service of liberation, truth, and the coming of God’s reign.
Mark ends the list with a shadow: Judas Iscariot, “who betrayed him.” Mark does not explain it here, but he makes sure the reader knows it from the start. The Twelve are a real beginning of a renewed people of God, and yet the story will include betrayal from within. Mark is preparing the reader to understand that Jesus’ mission will not be derailed by opposition or even by treachery. The call is genuine, the authority is real, and the path ahead will be costly.
Lord Jesus, you call whom you will. Draw me close to you, teach me to remain with you, and make my life faithful to the work you give. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Mark (Ignatius Press), p. 71.
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990), p. 604 (para. 22).
- John R. Donahue and Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Mark, in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, 3rd fully revised ed. (2020), p. 1250.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: St. Mark (Four Courts/Scepter), pp. 172-173.
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018), p. 985.
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