Mark's gospel lesson today begins where it left off in 6:13 by picking up the story of the disciples' missionary journey. Sent out by Jesus with the authority to cast out demons, heal the sick, and proclaim messages of repentance, the returning Twelve in verse 30 have been transformed.

Only here in Mark's gospel are Jesus' disciples referred to as "the apostles." In part, the term reflects the role the Twelve had been given in 6:7, as those "sent out" or "missionaries." Yet it is also true that by the time Mark's gospel was compiled, the term "apostle" had taken on a special, technical definition which identified the uniquely chosen first twelve disciples of Jesus. Certainly, for Mark's readers, the term "apostle" denotes one who operated in the name of another. An apostle claimed the auth…