Explain the meaning of discipleship for the first disciples

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Explain the meaning of discipleship for the first disciples

The dictionary definition of a disciple is, “A person who professes to receive instructions from another; a person who follows or believes in the doctrine of another; a follower” (Collins Dictionary). In this case the disciples are following Jesus but people such as pop stars and other celebrities can also have disciples.

The Gospel contains many stories that illustrate this point. The first of these I should mention is the Calling Stories. Jesus called the first of his disciples while they were mending their nets at the Lakeside (Mk 1:14-20), these disciples where Andrew, Simon, James and John. Jesus told Simon and Andrew that they were to be “fishers of men”. This can be interpreted as, like a fisher fishes for fish, they too were sent out to “fish” for men to become followers of Jesus. The Calling of Levi (Mk 2:13-17) points out to us that even sinners and outcasts can become followers of Christ if that is what they truly want. As a tax collector Levi was a public enemy and the fact that he was called by Jesus shocked many people, Jesus intended his calling to teach the other disciples to overcome their prejudices about social outcasts and also to show us that sinners can repent. The calling stories all demonstrate one major quality involved in discipleship, that is sacrifice and the ability to leave everything behind. All these men left their jobs, families and friends to follow Jesus. It is important to notice that they don’t question who this man was to what he intends to do, they just drop everything to follow him instinctively. This is known as a “calling” where you know automatically that you are meant for a life of devotion to God, regardless of all costs.

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Jesus chose twelve disciples, he wanted them to “be with him” and help him in his work. The number of disciples he chose is also relevant; twelve is a special number for Jews. It represents the twelve sons of Jacob who then became the twelve tribes of Israel. They were the founders of the Jewish faith and the disciples were also to become the founders of a new people, that is Christianity. The Disciples were sent out in pairs, perhaps as a safety precaution but most probably for companionship. Jesus lay out three tasks for them: a) to cast out ...

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