It is clear that Jesus’ notion of Discipleship was one of humility in the service of others in order to glorify God.
There are many different visions of what defines a good Disciple. Many people think that to be a Disciple of God, they must go to Mass once a week. In reality, you have to do a lot more than go to Mass to be a good Disciple. You must be kind, forgiving, loving towards God and others around you, live a simple life and most of all, follow the two most important commandments which are;
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.”
and
“Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
These two commandments are the foundations of what Jesus’ vision is of a good Disciple was.
Call of the Disciples
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus calls different types of people. He calls sinners, outcasts, tax collectors, the rich and the poor. Mark gives us a clear message that Discipleship was not limited to the chosen few. Jesus explained the Qualities of Discipleship to those he had chosen - qualities like love and faith. For example, in Chapter 5 (the story of the woman with the haemorrhage) Jesus said to the woman who touched his cloak, “My daughter, your faith has made you well.”
This illustrates clearly to Jesus’ followers that faith is one of the most important qualities for a Disciple.
When Jesus calls his Disciples in Ch 3 Verse13 he says;
“I have chosen you to be with me. I will also send you out to preach and you will have the authority to drive out demons.”
In the same way, modern Disciples must preach the Word of God and do what is right by helping the poor and curing the ill. They must proclaim God’s presence in their lives through their words and actions. If they do this, God will be happy with them. As Jesus says in Ch3 verse35 of Mark’s Gospel;
“Whoever does what God wants him to do is my brother, my sister, my mother.”
The message is clear - any good Christian or Disciple is a member of God’s family.
Jesus’ Disciples suffered much abuse and persecution and some were even killed for being Christians. Following Jesus Christ was not, and, is not an easy option. In the same way, modern day Disciples must put up with criticism and abuse, even from their own families and friends. In Ch 6 verse 4 Jesus warns his followers;
“Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own home town and by their relatives and family.”
It is evident, therefore, that Jesus recognised that Disciples would sometimes suffer derision, mockery and often worse from those closest to them, and by those who knew them best.
In Ch10 of Mark’s Gospel, when some people brought a child and asked Jesus to bless him, the Disciples scolded the people for wasting Jesus’ time. When Jesus saw this he was angry with his Disciples and said;
“Let the children come and do not stop them because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
It is apparent, therefore, that Jesus regarded children very highly and indeed felt that they were the way to true Discipleship. This view is further borne out in Ch9 verse 37 where Jesus also states that children were “model Disciples.”
Although all of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles were men, Jesus also regarded women as good Disciples. This is evident in Mark’s Gospel when he chooses Mary Magdalene as the first one He appears to after His resurrection;
“ After Jesus rose from death early on Sunday, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons.”
It is clear, therefore from a study of Mark’s Gospel that no one type of person is a typical Disciple. Any person no matter what his or her race, sex or age is can choose to live a life marked with the qualities of good Discipleship.
“After this, Jesus himself sent out through his disciples from the east to the west the sacred and ever-living message of eternal salvation.”
