10 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;1 4 Simon the Zealot,2 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Section Overview
Matthew 8–9 largely described the mighty deeds of Jesus as he traversed Galilee, proclaiming the kingdom, healing the sick, expelling demons, and raising the dead. The needs of the crowds have exceeded his capacity, since his incarnation limits him in space and time. The cause is great, the laborers few; therefore, the time to summon, train, and commission co-laborers has arrived. Jesus calls twelve disciples as his delegates, bestows authority to them over unclean spirits and diseases, and sends them out.
Section Outline
Response
This passage reveals essential traits of God’s call. First, God keeps his own counsel when he calls men to his service. Nothing sets these twelve apart as Israel’s best and brightest. They are not volunteers nor especially teachable or enthusiastic. There is no hint that Jesus issues an emotional appeal. There is no appeal to guilt or fears. He does not ask, “If you do not go, who will? And then what will happen to God’s mission?” God calls and then equips his leaders by placing them with Jesus, with whom they will watch and learn. Soon they speak and act as he speaks and acts.
There is nothing to explain the choice of these twelve except Jesus’ “choice and call.”161 The presence of twelve males does not prove the complementarian position on church leadership, but neither is it inconsequential, especially since the first missionaries and church planters of Acts were also male, as were Paul’s named traveling companions (Barnabas, Silas, Luke, Timothy, Titus, John Mark, Epaphras, Epaphroditus). Evangelical egalitarians deny that Jesus’ choice of male apostles sets a precedent.162 They say he is accommodating a culture that would not accept female apostles, leaders, or traveling companions. This argument forgets that Jesus often defied cultural conventions: he touched lepers, befriended prostitutes, and shattered sacred Sabbath traditions. After defying numerous cultural norms, why would he stop at gender roles? Besides, the egalitarian position logically entails a criticism of Jesus. They insist that the ordination of women is a moral issue, then assert that Jesus yielded to social convention when that moral issue was at stake. Evangelicals must ensure that their social teachings cohere with their theological convictions on the love and justice of Jesus.