jan 20 2006

Mk 3:13-19 Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: He appointed the Twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
The apostles are summoned by Jesus. He appointed them that they might be sent out to preach and have the authority to drive out demons. The summoning was from the mountain and they came to Jesus. There is a sense of knowing what will come in the future in this reading. The betrayal of Judas Iscariot is known when he is summoned and appointed. I am not sure what to think about this. I suppose that I could imagine Jesus seeing that this man was capable of betrayal but that he had the free will to also be loyal and not give in to the tendency or ability to do this. My theology means seeing life as foretold in the Scriptures but that we do what we do from choices with a free will that God gave us.

The apostles are able throught the calling and appointment to use the power of God to drive out demons. This is a special calling. There are many ways to interpret in our modern world what the Biblical demons might be. I would see them as damages from sins and psychological illnesses. This is a wide berth of conditions that might be demons.

I pray to be a light in what I do today and a healer.