Introduction

This study of discipleship in the opening chapters of Mark's gospel has discerned an intimate connection between Jesus' own earthly mission and his call to “come after me.” The pattern established in the initial call to discipleship (Mk. 1:16–20) and developed in the appointing of the Twelve (Mk. 3:13–19) balances two complementary thrusts: both remaining in Jesus' presence and being sent out by him as agents of God's coming rule. Moreover, even when Mark's Jesus does arrest his breathless pace to instruct those who are “with him” (Mk. 4:1–34), the second evangelist shapes traditional material so as to depict Jesus' followers as stewards of the μυστήριον …τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ. As a result, their being in Jesus' presence prepares the disciples to carry forward the practice of Jesus' own gospel enterprise, a deft move that in turn extends Jesus' sowing activity to the Markan community seeking to live out their own discipleship calling in the post-resurrection age.

As it recounts Jesus' sending out of the Twelve, Mk. 6:7–13 only continues, and etches more indelibly, the lines of continuity between Jesus' and the disciples' display of the “gospel,” which is God's encroaching dominion. As we shall see, Mark carefully situates this successful discipleship venture at the precise narrative point where Jesus' own efforts have yielded patchy results (Mk. 6:5–6). In many respects, Mark's portrait of discipleship reaches its climax in this passage, as the Twelve enact with striking effectiveness their role as authorized agents of Jesus' eschatological mission.