Mark 3:18, commentary and pictures

Mark 3:18 names Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite as eight of the twelve whom Jesus chose, called, ordained and set apart to the apostolate, to sacred gospel work and the gospel ministry. The calling took place beneath sheltering trees, beneath the trees on a mountainside a little distance from, or near, the Sea of Galilee. That same mountainside was also the place where the sermon on the mount was given.

The fields and hills were His favorite resorts, and much of His teaching was given under the open sky rather than in the temple or the synagogues. He loved the scenes of nature, and to Him each quiet retreat was a sacred temple, and He chose to teach in the fields and groves not for this reason only, for no synagogue could have received the throngs that followed Him and He had no costly sanctuary at command. For this ordination He led the disciples away from the confusion of the city to the quiet retreat He loved in the fields and hills, in harmony with the lessons of self-abnegation He desired to teach them. The sacred experiences of that day were forever linked in their minds with the beauty of mountain and vale and sea.

The step was the first in organizing and laying the foundation of the church, of the Christian church, that after His departure and death was to be His representative on earth and continue His work. Those set apart were to stay with Jesus, learn from Him, witness His works, and be prepared to teach and work as He did, entrusted with evangelistic work with power to heal the sick and cast out devils. Judas also was given a place among the twelve and entrusted in the same way, though he did not fully surrender himself to Christ. The choice of men of diverse characters shows the work was not meant to depend on one person, since each could supply what another lacked and their different qualities could blend together toward a shared purpose. After their ordination Jesus taught them on the mountain, where His sermon set out the principles of His kingdom of divine grace rather than the earthly glory and political freedom the people expected.