There are some factors which modern day disciples need that they share with the original followers of Jesus. Faith is one of the most important of these. The disciples had to put their trust in God and Jesus, for example, in the Calming of the Storm. Here, Jesus saved their boat from a storm by ordering the storm to be calm. This event instilled great faith in the twelve. Nowadays, Christians must always trust in god and pay him due attention.
A story from Mark’s Gospel that teaches a lot about discipleship is that of the woman in the treasury. Although she gave only a small sum of money, it was all she had to live on, so a greater gift on the eyes of God. M.Keene tells us in his book “Issues and Beliefs” that this story shows that “Real Christian discipleship requires total commitment.” This commitment is possible to show in today’s world, although we are not expected to leave everything we own and live in poverty. A modern Christian can show true commitment by going to church regularly, donating to charities such as CAFOD and TROCAIRE and living a good Christian life.
Jesus taught his disciples to care for the sick and needy. This is a perfectly possible aim for modern Christians. Many people, such as doctors, nurses and social workers care for people in their daily work, but all Christians are able to care for others during their life.
One opinion expressed by some people is that to be a true disciple, you have to suffer and make sacrifices. This is most applicable to missionaries, who risk disease and hostility in foreign lands, but many people suffer ridicule and are mocked due to their faith, and this mental suffering is certainly not pleasant.
In Mark 10:15-16, The Twelve are told to “Welcome the Kingdom of god like a little child,” meaning to accept it freely and without question, as a small child does. This can be hard in the modern age, because of all the theories about scientific explanations of religious events, but the true disciple should remain faithful to God, and they will get their deserved reward.
It is very difficult to follow all the teaching of Jesus exactly in the world today, what with all the temptations and obstacles to faith, but maybe God would want people to do what they can, living a caring, loving life and having faith. It is through these qualities that modern Christians can be true disciples.