Explain how this teaching about discipleship might affect the life of a Christian today
Explain how this teaching about discipleship might affect the life of a Christian today.
The idea of discipleship is still relevant in today's society, however due to change in the ideals of today's society its relevance and its affect is somewhat different. The society of today has begun to place less of an emphasis on religion; money and wealth have become increasingly important. Thus to live a life dedicated solely to Jesus and the Word of God is becoming more difficult. However this is not to say that the dedication of one's life does not occur in society today as a few Christians are inclined to undertake the call of the three-fold vow of obedience, poverty and chastity; thus becoming a monk or nun. Other Christian men may be more inclined to pledge his life to God and thus becomes a member of the priesthood.
In an ideal society where everyone lives a life dedicated to Jesus there would be little need for leaders, as all would be governed under the Pope and his representatives. However the ideal society (Kingdom of God) has yet to arrive and as such the need for leaders in government in society remains, thus it would be unreasonable to expect all to dedicate his whole life to God. As such one has to remember that discipleship does not necessarily mean the dedication of one's life to another, the call of discipleship consists of many different points. A disciple of Jesus is one who accepts the teaching of Jesus Christ, thus one does not necessarily devote his life per se, and can instead have a family, thus bringing more people into the Christian family.
To become a disciple of Christ and thus a devoted Christian has worryingly become increasingly unpopular. However for those Christians who do decide to follow the call of disciple St. Marks Gospel does teach a lot about the nature of discipleship (as discussed on Question 1). Jesus called the disciples to 'Come follow him', we learn from the story of Jesus calling the first disciples that faith and trust are important qualities, this holds true today. Although disciples are nowadays aware of the lifestyle and expectations required of them whereas the first disciples did not. The first disciples were unaware of the persecution and the disastrous implications involved in becoming a disciple. Jesus was aware of the persecution that was to befall on him, however the disciples did not however when the time came the majority (all of the twelve expect Judas Iscariot who betrayed him) were willing to follow his example.
The disciples were willing to suffer the fate of persecution and the Holy Spirit is responsible with providing the disciples with courage allowing them to thus become willing. Courage is a gift of the Holy Spirit, which still affects our lives as disciples of Jesus. In order to be a disciple of Jesus in the society of today one must be courageous and thus be brave to both defend others and live the life by the standards as set by Jesus. As today's society has begun to place a particular emphasis on both wealth and money courage has become an increasingly more important quality to possess.
A disciple must realise that power, wealth and greed have no importance if the disciple is unwilling to give up them in the name of Jesus and the Word of God. If a disciple possesses courage he/she will thus be willing to sacrifice any power and wealth in which they have. The idea of sacrifice is consistent and has remained an essential quality, which one must possess to become a fully pledged disciple eligible to live in the Kingdom of God. St. Marks Gospel provides today's Christians with three perfect examples showing the importance of the willingness to ...
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A disciple must realise that power, wealth and greed have no importance if the disciple is unwilling to give up them in the name of Jesus and the Word of God. If a disciple possesses courage he/she will thus be willing to sacrifice any power and wealth in which they have. The idea of sacrifice is consistent and has remained an essential quality, which one must possess to become a fully pledged disciple eligible to live in the Kingdom of God. St. Marks Gospel provides today's Christians with three perfect examples showing the importance of the willingness to sacrifice. The most obvious example showed by St. Mark is the fact that Jesus gave up his life for all, in order to free us from sin. The story of the Rich Young Man (Mk 10:19-27) also provides disciples that although one may follow the Ten Commandments if he is unwilling to relieve himself of his possessions then he is ultimately doomed. This story is extremely relevant for today's society due to the significant emphasis placed on money and its importance.
Finally the story of the Widow at the Treasury (12:41-44) shows that Jesus did not condemn the wealthy and their generosity to today's society. However, he recognised that giving to others, and thus God, out of poverty showed more of the qualities expected of disciples than giving out of wealth. This generosity shows the amount of commitment, which a Christian must possess in order to truly become a disciple. In this story Jesus showed that there is very little need to place such a great emphasis on material possessions as he would later enlighten his followers that in the Kingdom of God they would receive a hundred times as much as what they gave up in this present world.
Although the woman gave relatively little, in terms of money, compared to the wealthier people it is still recognised as a contribution, and every little contribution made is both recognised and precious to God. This occurs throughout the world today and the many charities (both Christian and non-Christian) agree with the motto, 'every little helps.' The fact that the woman was willing to give all she had to God showed her faith that God would provide for her; this is yet another quality that disciples must possess, dependency on God.
Disciples in today's society are expected to be completely dependent on God, however this is often a relatively hard aspect to undertake. In St. Marks Gospel Jesus said to the disciple that in order to enter the Kingdom of God one must embrace it like a child. The Kingdom of God began in the time of Jesus and as disciples we are expected to continue it legacy. However, due many influences in modern day society the Kingdom of God is in danger of becoming irrelevant for modern day Christians. People in the modern society are often reminded of the significance of material possessions in the world. As well as this due to the increase in medical technology citizens in the modern society are beginning to live longer and some feel the future life is unimportant. The main quality that disciples are expected to possess is love of God and love of neighbour. A study of St. Marks Gospel is expected to make a Christian contemplate the responsibilities that they possess as a witness in continuing the Kingdom of God.
In order to continue the Kingdom of God a disciple must retain disciple-like qualities as the Kingdom of God is based entirely on these qualities. Disciples should possess all the qualities mentioned above, as well as be willing to show mercy and forgiveness to others. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is one of the best examples available to all disciples in order to realise the extent to which they must forgive others. On the cross Jesus died in order to forgive the sins of those who persecuted him, ironically his persecutors committed the greatest sin that was ever to be committed by persecuting Jesus. In dying on the cross Jesus is also showed courage to accept suffering for justice. Jesus was aware that he would undoubtedly suffer this fate as it was God's will and he realised that his Jesus radical new opinions would prove unpopular with many religious leaders. Thus disciples are also expected to be willing to 'carry his cross', like Jesus was willing to.
Disciples are expected to be content with him/herself, and thus have pride, although this does not mean arrogance. Also a disciple must possess the characteristic of happiness and peace with him/herself. Assuming a disciple contains this they will thus be able to recognise others (as well as their own) uniqueness. God feels this uniqueness as he, as disciples should, recognises the individual's talent, skill and opportunities. God presents the characteristics, which provide the foundations, to us in the hope that we use these qualities to live life as a disciple, thus benefiting others all the while remaining child-like in our dependence on God.
Disciples are provided with the foundations of individuality from birth, however they are expected to contribute to the wellbeing of the community when they become responsible enough to take responsibility for their actions. Disciples begin their campaign of Christian learning from an early age through Baptism when they are initiated into the Christian community. As initiation takes place at a young the child is introduced to the way in which he/she is expected to live his/her life as a disciple. At Confirmation the members of the Church are called to become fully-fledged members of the Christian church. It thus becomes their responsibility to behave and act like a Christian.
During the sacraments a Christian is introduced to and experiences both the fruits and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The sacraments are an essential way in which a Christians can build a closer relationship with God. Prayer is another essential action, which a disciple must carryout to increase their relationship with God. Jesus himself often prayed during periods of doubt (Garden of Gethsemane - 14:32-42), and after he carried out an energy-draining miracle (After feeding of the Five Thousand - 6:45-46). Obviously St. Mark provides us with other occasions in which the disciples are given examples through Jesus' (and the apostles) actions of how to be a disciple of Jesus. In fact Jesus' life is the ultimate example of how a Christian should live his/her life.
In order to add clarification as to how one should live their life, after the resurrection Jesus came to the apostles and gave orders as to how a disciples life, (The Commission - 16:14-18). Jesus told them that they must spread the Good News of Christ; this is still relevant and can be represented by many ways by the modern disciple. For instance a disciple can spread the Good News by becoming a priest, by having children and thus raising them as Christians, or by becoming a teacher who exclusively teaches in religious matters, these are but many of the ways used by modern disciples to spread the Good News. In the Commission Jesus encouraged Christians to 'drive out demons' and heal the sick. Throughout the world today there are doctors who try and provide a service to try to heal illnesses, many of these would not become a doctor due to the money in which they would be paid, but instead out of the shear goodness of the heart.
The aim of the Commission was to show disciples that all had an individual mission, one that would continue Jesus' work. It would be unreasonable to expect a Christian to be able to carry out all of Jesus' suggestions so instead many disciples chose to pick a few of the suggestions made by him and dedicate part of their life to achieving this aim.
The other incident, which occurs in St. Marks Gospel where a modern disciple can learn what he/she can do in order to become a disciple of Jesus is when Jesus sends out the twelve (6:7-13). In this incident disciples are again told that an important part of discipleship is to preach the Word of Jesus. This incident also deals with the idea of repentance of sins, as well as the importance of give God priority in one's life. This incident also supports the idea that Christians must be dependent on both God and the generosity of others as the apostles were sent out with few possessions. This also gives aid to the fact that material possessions where not important compared to living a Christian life.
Many disciples in today's society tend to travel on pilgrimages with little in terms of material possessions to follow the example set by the twelve apostles. Others dedicate their entire life to missionaries, again with little in terms of material possessions, e.g. Mother Theresa. Charities such as Trocaire and the St. Vincent de Paul are also proof that disciples are continuously working as instructed by Jesus in the Commission as well as when he sent out the twelve.
Obviously the cost of discipleship in modern times in rarely thought of as persecution, however disciples do still suffer consequences due to being a disciple. For instance to be a committed disciple of Jesus a Christian must follow the example set by him, as a 'servant' instead of as a 'Gentile Lord'. Thus true disciples must not be worried about the position of power or their social status and instead always think about the lives and wellbeing of others.
In conclusion the interpretation as to how discipleship affects modern day Christians ranges from every individual. Many Christians take it upon themselves to carry out missionary work for part of their life, this missionary work may include visiting areas of extreme poverty, or caring for children who are unable to care for themselves or have been abused earlier in their life. Other Christians may heal the sick, i.e. become a doctor or nurse, why others obviously pledge their life to Jesus and God by being ordained into the priesthood. Finally other disciples chose to raise a family, and raise their children as Christians thus they themselves spread the word of God. All of these lifestyles have originated from St. Marks Gospel and its teaching of discipleship. Overall the teaching of discipleship in St. Marks Gospel affects the everyday life of disciple and the choices in which they may be forced to make.
