In Mark 6:12-13, Jesus sends the twelve disciples to the nation of Israel. It would have been very exciting to be a part of that group. They preached the same message that John the Baptist and the Lord had preached. Jesus was the Christ. Those who believed in Him for it would receive eternal life. If the nation as a whole repented of its sins, the kingdom of God would come to that generation.

John and Jesus had preached to large crowds. So did the Twelve. They had the privilege of going to numerous Jewish cities with this good news.

But there was more. Through the power given to them by the Lord, they were able to do miracles. They cast out demons and healed many who were sick.

I do not doubt that many who heard them speak and saw them perform these miracles were impressed with these men. I am also confident that the Twelve had moments in which they were proud of their accomplishments. It would have been easy for them to conclude that they were successful disciples. The results spoke for themselves. How could one measure success other than by the presence and adoration of large crowds?

Such a view of success, however, can lead to a disastrous result. The disciple can feel that success is achieved when people are attracted to him. If a lot of people are impressed with his gifts and speaking ability, then he is doing well.

But that is not what makes a successful disciple. Even in Mark 6, we see how to measure such success. In v 30, the disciples return from their ministry to the nation. We don’t know how long they were on this preaching tour, but when they came to the Lord, they told Him all about it. Not surprisingly, they told him “what they had done…and taught.”

The true measure of what they had done comes in the next verses. In v 31, Mark records that a large crowd of people had come to hear Jesus. The disciples had told thousands of people that Jesus was the Christ. They performed the miracles they did because they were His ambassadors. The people were now coming to see the real thing.

Any pride the Twelve might have felt when they preached and healed people in the various cities was misplaced. The job of a disciple is not to impress people. It is to point people to Christ. When the crowds came to hear the One the disciples spoke about, He miraculously fed them. He showed them that He was their Shepherd (Mark 6:39-43). The Twelve were nothing without Him.

I wonder what the Twelve thought when the people came out to hear the Lord speak. Did they resent—just a little bit—that the focus was on Him? Or did they have the attitude of John the Baptist–“He must increase, and I must decrease”?

It would have been understandable if they felt a twinge of jealousy. But I am confident that such feelings passed as they gained spiritual maturity.

We can fall into the same trap. We can think we are successful followers of Christ when people are impressed with whatever we might accomplish. But the real measure of success is when we point people to Him.