On top of this a study of St. Mark’s Gospel can tell us about the vocations disciples receive. A prominent example comes in Mark 1:16-20. Disciples are still called today but not in such an obvious way. Priests, nuns, Brothers etc have all received vocations from God. The proof of these peoples discipleship is the commitment to god and sacrifices they make to be a disciple of Christianity. Even though the sacrifices of today’s disciples are not as steep as the disciples of two thousand years ago they still have made vows of celibacy – to abstain from sex, poverty and loyalty to God. On top of this a study of Mark’s Gospel can also tell Christians that the nature of discipleship is self-denial and it is imperative to put others needs before your own. This is demonstrated in The Rich Young Man and in Mark 12:41-44 where the poor widow donates a substantially lower amount than the other people but since she donated all she had, Jesus stated she had given the most, symbolically. This does not mean that the true meaning of discipleship is poverty but it showed that she love God as well as highlighting her kindness. This was a quality Jesus felt was necessary in his disciples. Furthermore, when this woman gave up all she had she had put all her faith on God to provide for her. Jesus wanted all his disciples to have similar faith in God.
Another necessary component of disciple is sacrifice. This is also displayed in The Widow’s offering but also in mark 8:31-38(Cost Of Discipleship) Jesus tells his disciples that to be a true Christian Disciple they must deny self meaning (forget self) which means that discipleship involves putting the needs of others above your own and forgetting about social positions or material possessions. To sum it up disciples had to be willing to do three things:
Forget self – they must forget their own interests ( work, security, family, friends, ambitions etc.
Carry One’s Cross – they must be willing to suffer, face rejection, be insulted and if necessary face death.
Follow Jesus – they must be willing to following Jesus no matter the consequences. They must be loyal to Jesus no matter how hard the times
These requirements of the first disciples might seem quite diverse from the requirements of today’s disciples but they are actually very closely linked. For disciples today must carry their cross – representing the ups and downs of modern lives and forgetting self can be linked to donating money to Third World charities such as Trocaire .
Marks Gospel can also teach modern day Christians that being a true disciple involves serving not only Christ but also humankind which can be linked with self denial. In Jesus’ ministry he taught the disciples of the importance of servitude. An example of this was when told his disciples “whoever wants to be first must place himself last and be the servant of all” This means that a quality of a disciple is being a humble servant. With his ministry Jesus brought a new idea of servitude and to be a true Christian Disciple you must accept this and live accordingly.
Any person who wishes to become a true Christian Disciple is unable to do so without having complete faith in Jesus, God and Mark – without this, even becoming a Christian is impossible.
This is shown in The Widow’s offering where Jesus admired the faith the woman had that God would provide her. This text combined with the Rich Young Man really emphasise the importance of faith in becoming a true Christian disciple. The rich young man could not become a disciple for he had no faith in what Jesus said about receiving all his riches in heaven.
This backs up my earlier point that having faith means believing in the power of God and his love and never doubting him or his motives. Another example of such faith comes in the story about the woman with the haemorrhage who had tried all of her life to get doctors to cure her but to no success and yet she believed that one touch of Jesus’ cloak would heal her, which it did. After she was well again Jesus told her that “your faith has healed you”, highlighting the importance of faith not only for this woman but also for all Christians. For without faith, nothing is possible.
But for me one of the most significant parts of the gospel is the inconsequentiality of perfection but what goes in hand with this is repentance and forgiveness. All disciples are allowed to make mistakes. One of the very best examples of this is Jesus’ disciple Peter who denied Jesus 3 times at his death. But after making such a mistake Christians should repent subsequently and be truly sorry for what they have done. Since Peter immediately repented his sins when he heard the cock crow for the third time, he was immediately forgiven by Jesus since he was truly sorry and honestly sought repentance. Peter is an example to all Christian disciples as he demonstrates that no matter what wrongs we have committed, as long as we truly repent and attempt to put things right we will be rewarded with forgiveness.
In conclusion a study of St. Mark’s Gospel teaches us the true nature of discipleship; the necessary characteristics include commitment, self-denial, sacrifice, servitude, faith and the ability to repent any possible sins. Only by gaining all of these characteristics and introducing them into your daily lifestyle can true Christian discipleship be achieved.
