“She gave all she had to live on.” (Mark 12: 41-44)
What this means is that true discipleship is not something that can be done in a half-hearted way. You have to give all you have in the service of God and other people.
Jesus thought that life would be made difficult for those who believed he was the Messiah sent by God so he warned he disciples the cost of discipleship. He said,
“If you want to come with me, he must deny self, take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8: 34-38)
The first part of this “If you want to come with me” means that you have free will. You have to want to come and have to come to love God yourself: he can’t do all the work therefore Jesus calls them but following him is an option. The next part of what Jesus says, “Deny self” means that disciples should put others before themselves and they should put their own needs and wishes last. Finally the last part, “Take up his cross and follow me” means they should be prepared to accept suffering. Jesus taught his first disciples to stand up for themselves and unlike today Christians were killed for their beliefs. Jesus wanted his disciples to take pride in their beliefs even if it meant dying.
In Mark 3: 13-19, Jesus calls his disciples “apostles” which means “one who is sent on a mission.” Later on in Mark 6:7-13, he tells them in more detail what their mission is. Jesus sent his apostles out in pairs and the three main missions he gave them were to:-
- Drive out evil spirits
- Preach
- Heal the sick
“They drove out demons” (Mark 6: 7-13)
This is what the Essenes believed would bring about the Kingdom of God- by defeating evil.
The only two items the apostles were allowed to bring were sandals and a stick- not even a beggar’s bag because they had to have 100% focus on the mission and have complete trust in God.
After his resurrection, Jesus again gave his disciples their mission. He urges them to preach the Gospel, saying whoever believes will be saved, but whoever does not will be condemned. And in Jesus’ name they will,
“Drive out demons; they will speak new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hand; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place there hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16: 14-18)
This is called the Commission. The commission is an order given by Jesus after the resurrection that his disciples were to go and preach to the whole world. When Jesus says “They will pick up snakes” he means the disciples should have faith in God and he will look after them. This gives Christians today comfort because they know if they trust God then he will give them guidance and look after them.
Discipleship doesn’t just have costs but it also has rewards. Jesus tells his disciples the rewards of discipleship when Peter questions him. Peter said to Jesus,
“We have left everything to follow you.”
Jesus says to him,
“He will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields and persecutions as well; and in age to come he will receive eternal life.” (Mark 10:28-31)
This shows that Jesus’ disciples will be rewarded eternal life for the good they create in the world even if they face persecution. What Christians today can learn from this is that true discipleship can lead to the greatest reward for all Christians is Jesus’ promise of eternal life.
Peter who was the spokesman for the disciples promised Jesus that he would never deny knowing him and he was prepared to die for him. What Peter says is,
“Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Mark 14: 26-31)
But when Peter followed Jesus to the trial at Sanhedrin we discover the most dramatic example of the disciples failing their duty to Jesus. People questioned Peter about Jesus and Peter swore to them,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” (Mark14:66-72)
Peter has denied knowing Jesus even though he promised to Jesus he wouldn’t. He would also rather save himself than to admit knowing Jesus and risk persecution. Peter’s story is seen as an example of how to deal with the times of anxiety and despair. Peter did not give into his despair. He picked himself up and became a leading figure in the Church after the Resurrection of Jesus. What is also very important was that God forgave Peter for denying Jesus.
After studying all the aspects of the nature of discipleship, I have learnt that to be a disciple you don’t have to be perfect and as we already know they can be ordinary people just like Jesus’ disciples. I also have learnt that there are many costs and rewards of discipleship. Many Christians today preach the news of the Kingdom of God. They are called Missionaries. Missionaries are people who take the teachings of their religion to other people usually to different countries. There are also three other ways to fulfil God’s mission apart from Missionary work including:-
- Preaching – e.g. priests
- Healing- e.g. doctors
- Fighting injustice and prejudice- e.g. Greenpeace
In conclusion, a study of Mark’s Gospel can tell many things about the nature of discipleship and many people today can obey the Commission which Jesus gave to the apostles.
