Explain the meaning of Discipleship for the first Christiansand Christians today.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Erin Shaw 11A

Explain the meaning of Discipleship for the first Christians

and Christians today.

The word ‘Disciple’ means one who learns, but there are many differences between disciples today and disciples 2000 years ago. Jesus choose 12 disciples. This is very significant as 12 is the Jewish number of perfection. They were; Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew (Levi), Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Patriot and Judas Iscariot. Jesus called them to leave their homes, families and jobs to follow him. They were called to be companions to Jesus, to preach and drive out evil spirits. They were sent out with just “a stick - no bread, no beggars bag and no money in your pockets.” They could, “wear sandals but not carry an extra shirt.” Mk6:8-9. The Disciples came from many different occupations and backgrounds. James and John were fishermen. They left their father and their boats to follow Jesus. But not all the Disciples were ’model citizens’ and none were senior members of the church. Among them were Matthew (Levi), a corrupt tax-collector, hated by many. Simon the patriot who was a Zealot, a terrorist who may have killed Romans in his fight to free the Jews, and last, but not least, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. This choice of Disciples shows us that the kingdom of God is open to everyone, not just the ’Modern Day Saints’, and that you don’t have to be perfect and sinless to inherit the Kingdom of God.

They all left family, friend and riches to follow Jesus. Their response was instantaneous and immediate. This was a great sacrifice to be asked of them and examples of these are shown in Marks Gospel:

“...‘sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me.’ At this the mans face fell and he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Mk10:21-22 “...A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Jesus called to his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others, for they have put in what they had to spare, but she put in all she had-she gave all she had to live on.’” Mk12:41-44 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Mk10:25 The disciples had to be prepared to give up everything for God. This was very demanding. Discipleship for the first Christians was much harder than it is today. Maybe because the Christian faith has changed so much since Jesus’ time or maybe because we are lazy and cut corners. Just going through the motions without actually making any of the sacrifices that discipleship demands. To be a true disciple you still have to live by the same rules set by Jesus some 200 years ago. A building is a building, no matter how grand, and a building that represents something is useless without spiritual beliefs behind it. To call yourself a true disciple, you must make real sacrifices, like the first disciples. Not just turn up to church every so often and putting your spare change in the collection, you must follow the example of the poor widow, who gave all she had.

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I believe that one of the most important aspects of discipleship should be incessant faith, whatever the situation you find yourself in. Archbishop Patrick Kelly most difficult time, was when a member of his family was dying, and in great pain. The family member, and Archbishop Kelly, both kept their faith, and Archbishop Kelly believes that this ’test’ has only made his faith stronger. These are the tests that really define the true nature of discipleship. The tests, in which you prove yourself and your faith, are the things that will build your character, and make your faith that little bit more solid. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your heart and with all your strength." Mk12:30 " Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mk10:14-15 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" Mk 8:34 "To leave self behind means to put oneself last in all things...discipleship involves a commitment that demands sacrifice..." (Robin Cooper)

Humans, by our nature, our very weak and all of us will fail at some time in our lives. The nature of true discipleship is an immensely gruelling way to live so many would not choose this way of life unless there was some sort of reward at the end of it. Christians believe that this is eternal life with God in heaven. “There were great joys and great sorrows attached to being a Christian. Their treasure was in heaven, and they could look forward to everlasting life, even if the Romans could destroy them in large numbers." (Anne Burke) Although we are all destined to fail at some point this is not an excuse to just give up. God is forgiving and this helps Christians to be able to continue towards leading a better life without thinking, “Right, that’s it, I’m going to hell, there’s no point trying any more.”

The challenge of discipleship is to strive to act like Jesus when he was on Earth. Jesus strived to live up to his values, at times he failed, at times he felt like giving up, but he didn’t. He carried on, regardless of the danger to his own life around every corner. The disciples, again, fail many times during Marks gospel; most notably in the garden of Gethsemane, when they all fell asleep several times, despite Jesus request that they stand guard, and before the crucifixion, when Peter, one of the first, denied that he even knew Jesus. “’Simon’ he said to Peter, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Mk14:37-38 “’You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,’... ‘I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about’” Mk14:67-68 “When Peter saw the suffering of Jesus, his courage and his faith in Jesus failed him, and he denied any knowledge of him.” (Ann Burke)

Throughout Jesus life, from Herod to Pilate, Jesus main enemy, or trouble, was the Roman Empire. Their religion was polytheistic; they had, among many others, a god of war, (Mars), a god of wine, (Bacchus), and a goddess of love, (Venus). They also believed that their Emperor, at the time Caesar, was a living God. So they perceived any person who was believed to be above the Emperor, a threat. This included Jesus, one of his titles being “King of the Jews.” He was seen as a rebel by the Roman Empire, and therefore, so were all of his followers. At the time of Jesus death, this number was sizeable, and as the early church grew, after the resurrection, the followers grew in number too. This was seen as a rebellion, by a new terrorist group, The Christians. Christianity was outlawed, and so the believers were forced to go underground. Literally. There were lots of underground tunnels and caves under Jerusalem and the surrounding area, and this is where services were held, and the church carried on growing. All of the people who attended these secret meetings, to tell or listen to the tales of Jesus Christ, were disciples. They were risking their lives to spread the good news. Many of them died at the hands of the Romans. Among these early martyrs, were some of the original 12. Stephen was viciously stoned to death after his great speech at the Sanhedrin (Acts 7), and Peter was crucified.

There are many examples of modern day disciples. Martin Luther King was a black Baptist in America. He sacrificed his life to challenge the injustice of his day, protesting for black rights in America. He shared his cause with violent terrorist groups such as The Black Power Movement, but he chose the Christian idea of pacifism to promote his cause. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the day after one of his most famous speeches; “...it doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountain-top...I just want to do Gods will.” Discrimination against Blacks is now confined to extremist minorities, and is also illegal. Oscar Romero was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador. The people of El Salvador had been, and sadly still are, in a state of extreme poverty, caused by the fact that in Oscar Romero’s Lifetime, 60% of El Salvador was owned by 14 families, that made up 2% of the population. They had a monopoly over the government, the police, the army, and the financial aid coming into the country. People who spoke up disappeared in the night, courtesy of the extreme right-wing death squads. Romero also spoke out, and he was assassinated in mass on 24th March 1980. His death brought the plight of El Salvador to the world.

In this essay I have outlined the basic meanings and duties of Discipleship both today and in Jesus’ time. I believe that for true Christians this has not changed but many receive a ‘watered down’ message and are not making the sacrifices that were demanded 200 years ago as today's society is too materialistic.

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