On the contrary, even though there is a cost involved, there can also be rewards. These will not be earthly rewards, as in life discipleship will cost, but will be the reward of eternal life. Jesus says that anyone who has given up something important for the Gospel will get all the more in eternal life – “many who are first will be last, and the last first” (1029-31). This shows Christians that though the nature of discipleship is hard in life; in eternal life a disciple can be rewarded.
Having said that, discipleship should never be undertaken solely in order to gain a reward, but without expectation of a reward. The idea of servitude and humility is an essential part of discipleship. Jesus explains this to James and John when they make the request to be seated at His right and left hand in glory (1035-45). Jesus asks them whether they are willing to drink from His cup and be baptised with His baptism, asking if they are willing to die with Him. They agreed, but Jesus said that those places were already decided. He then went onto explain to the disciples that the ideas of authority are wrong, and that those who would be great would be the servants. In this, Jesus asks the disciples to follow His example, and be a servant, for the benefit of all people, without thinking of rewards.
Mark’s Gospel also teaches that a disciple does not have to be perfect, that errors and weaknesses will be forgiven. The disciples show weakness at several points in the Gospel. A key example is at the arrest of Jesus. The Gospel recalls how, at the time of the arrest, all the disciples “deserted him and fled” (1450), showing a lack of commitment to Jesus. Following this, Peter, who only followed Jesus to the High Priest’s house at a distance, denied he knew Jesus three times. This happened after Jesus predicted the events (1427-31), yet Peter insisted he would not deny Him. He still did, and when he realised, he was very upset (1466-72). However, he was forgiven and went on to lead the early Church. There are other incidents in which the disciples show a lack of faith, for example, the incident of the calming of the storm, when the disciples were afraid of a storm, until Jesus calmed it (435-41). These all show that another issue of discipleship examined in Mark’s Gospel is that of forgiveness of mistakes and weaknesses.
Finally, in the closing passage of the Gospel, the disciples are reminded once again of their mission. They are sent out to preach the good news of repentance (1615-16). This shows that discipleship did not end with Jesus’ Ascension; but must continue on until He comes again. It also arguably makes discipleship the most important part of Christianity, according to Mark’s Gospel, as it is the final issue to appear.
In summary, a study of Mark’s Gospel reveals discipleship to be a necessity of Christianity; one of the most important factors. It explains the nature of being called to discipleship, the idea of mission in discipleship, the costs and rewards involved, the ideas of service and humility, the forgiveness of weakness in disciples and the idea that it must continue right until the second coming of Jesus.
B – Explain how this teaching about discipleship might affect the life of a Christian today.
Undoubtedly, the description of the nature of discipleship in Mark’s Gospel was meant to be read at the time of the early Church, about two thousand years ago. However, much of the teaching involved is still very relevant to Christians today, though it may affect a Christian in a different way.
The first part of the nature of discipleship explored in Mark’s Gospel is that of being called to discipleship. This idea can still affect the life of a Christian today, in a variety of ways. A Christian may feel called by God through prayer and thought, which, though they may not offer a direct response from God, they can often lead to dramatic changes in the direction of one’s life. Another way some feel called is through experience: for example, if a family has suffered a loss, one may feel called to turn to God and to discipleship. There are more extreme ways of being called, even today, many people believe that they have had visions or dreams of calling for God.
However a person is called to discipleship, it is up to them to respond. Some will ignore the call and live their life their way, others will respond positively, accepting the call. There are several different areas to which disciples will feel called. There are some more obvious examples, such as monks and nuns, who get called to their way of life, and missionaries, who feel called to spend a large proportion of their life directly doing a disciple’s work. There are many jobs which are vocational – somebody could feel called to a particular job, not for the money or the benefits, but as they feel that they are doing God’s work. Priesthood is the obvious example of a vocation, but other examples include teachers, doctors and other medical professionals, and nurses and others whose job it is to care for people. As well as these vocational jobs, many can feel called to other non-vocational things, such as other jobs or volunteer work.
Mark’s Gospel talks of the disciples being sent out with a mission, which is still the case with modern discipleship. This can either be in the local community or in the wider world, of which both are equally essential for discipleship. Local community work involves anything undertaken to help that community. It could be collecting for a charity, helping with a youth group or working in a charity shop, amongst other things. One example in this area is St. George’s Crypt in Leeds, where a bed and a meal are offered nightly to those requiring it. It is run by a mixture of staff and volunteers, who feel that this is their mission from God.
In the wider world, the greatest example of Christians being sent out on a mission is with missionaries. These people will spread out across the world; they will help those in need whilst preaching God’s message. They have literally been sent out of where they live to continue the disciples’ mission and, as a result, the Christian church is growing as more missionaries go out.
As missionaries demonstrate, the most important part of discipleship is still, as it was when Mark wrote his Gospel, to teach and preach the message of God. Disciples of Christ have an obligation to speak out against what they view as cases of injustice or troubles in society. There are several current examples of this, such as the Roman Catholic Church speaking out against adoption by homosexual couples. As they believe that this is wrong, they feel that it is their duty to speak out against it. As part of this, a Christian disciple should always put others before themselves; helping those in need in any way they can. This can involve speaking – for example by raising awareness of poverty in the developing world.
Sometimes speaking out can incur a cost. This could be on the extreme level of Christianity being banned in certain countries, often upon penalty of death. This is why Jesus’ teaching to “leave self behind, take up the cross and follow me” is still relevant. In some countries it still may be necessary to die for Jesus. However, in the UK, this is much less likely: what is more likely is that a Christian disciple will have to “leave self behind”, sacrificing some popularity for their faith. A Christian should trust God to help them though this.
As well as these abstract sacrifices, Mark’s Gospel also teaches that a disciple should give up all their possessions. It is arguable whether this is relevant today. There are some people who still believe in this, such as monks and nuns, however, the majority of Christians do not, but are aware of the responsibilities that their possessions give them. They believe that wherever and whenever it is practical and possible, a disciple should serve in some way. This could be through a monetary donation, for example through the process of tithing – when ten percent of one’s income is given away. There are also other ways in which a disciple could give up something for God. It could be through giving up of time, for example to volunteer for an organisation; or through using skills in aid of God’s work. A Christian still today should never seek rewards for this charity; it should always be done with humility.
Having said that a disciple should not seek rewards in discipleship, it is taught in Mark’s Gospel that discipleship is rewarded, and the same is true in many ways today. Christianity is the biggest religion in the world, with over two billion followers; therefore support from other Christians is always available. Also, the belief in eternal life is still prominent in Christianity, so there is the promise of something better after the short-term earthly life – eternal life with God.
The weaknesses of the disciples are also examined in Mark’s Gospel. As the disciples had weaknesses in the early Church, so Christians today have weaknesses. But this should encourage modern disciples – as the early disciples were forgiven for their errors, so disciples today will be forgiven.
In summary, the vast majority of the teaching about discipleship in Mark’s Gospel is still very relevant today. Disciples are still called to discipleship, they are still sent out on a mission, they still have to teach and preach, they still have to show humility, there are still promises of rewards and disciples are still forgiven for their human errors. Some of the teaching is interpreted in a slightly different way: for example, many Christians do not believe it necessary to give away all their possessions, but to deal with their possessions responsibly. For Christians, discipleship must still continue, throughout the ages of Christianity, until Jesus comes again in glory.