St. Mark 3: 7-19

Dec. 7, 2021

7But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

8And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

9And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.

10For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

11And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

12And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

13And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

14And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

15And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

16And Simon he surnamed Peter;

17And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

18And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

19And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

The infant Jesus, in his mother’s arms or on his dad’s shoulder, can be likened to a sign post; before He was on earth – the Old Testament. At His coming – the New Testament. He was in the Old Testament which always points to Him and of which He is the fulfillment, while being the New Testament. With one tiny hand He reaches back and with the other He presents the future. He is both at one time.

I suspect that the ordination of the twelve is a new representation of the twelve tribes of Israel, once separated in the Old Testament and whole in the New Testament. Even Revelation describes the twenty-four chairs around the throne of God upon which the leaders of the twelve tribes (the old) and the twelve apostles (the new) sit. (Rev. 4:4)

The holy Child in the manger will, in the fullness of time, say, “Behold I make all things new.” (Rev. 21:5). Advent; looking forward and looking back.

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