Explain the meaning of discipleship for the first disciples and Christians today.
Explain the meaning of discipleship for the first disciples and Christians today.
A disciple is one who follows and learns from a leader. A disciple is not just a follower but also a believer. Mark's picture of discipleship is a morbid one, which exposes the first disciples failure, misunderstanding and desertion of Jesus. Although the disciples failed, they were forgiven and took up again the challenges given to them by Jesus.
In the opening two chapters of the gospel, Jesus calls five men to be his disciples. The first four are called by the lakeside in Galilee. Incidentally all four are fishermen and are two sets of brothers. Simon and his brother Andrew were catching fish, while James and John were mending nets with their father. All four men respond positively to Jesus call. Their response is one of enthusiasm and impulse. Levi, a tax collector was also called by Jesus to be one of the first disciples. Again he too responds immediately to the calling, and drops everything to follow Jesus.
Jesus did not select the elite members of society to be his companions; instead he selected outcasts and everyday people. Mark shows us the supreme authority Jesus had to call men, in such a way that they responded immediately. Not every one however responded positively to Jesus' call, 'The Rich Young Man' is an example of such.
The young man boldly asked Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus reminded him of the importance of keeping the commandments, naming the most practical ones in a random order. The young man said he had been faithful to them since childhood. Jesus felt this man possessed the qualities of goodness and would make a good disciple. Like the fishermen giving up their boats, and Levi giving up his position as a tax collector, this man was expected to drop everything and follow Jesus. He was asked to give up his considerable wealth and give it to the poor. He was unable to fulfil the demand and went away disillusioned that he could not bring himself to do so. We can see here that Jesus' call is an invitation. Jesus does not force people to follow him. He extends his invitation to everyone and the individual has to make a choice.
Not everyone was expected to be a wandering preacher, however discipleship involved total commitment and demands would have to be made. Jesus emphasises the cost when he speaks to the large crowd and his immediate disciples. (Ch8: 34-38)
'Anyone who wishes to be a follower of mine,
must leave self behind; he must take up his cross
and come with me.'
What Jesus meant by 'leave self behind' was to put yourself last in all things. You were to have no care about your life, position or esteem, and to ...
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Not everyone was expected to be a wandering preacher, however discipleship involved total commitment and demands would have to be made. Jesus emphasises the cost when he speaks to the large crowd and his immediate disciples. (Ch8: 34-38)
'Anyone who wishes to be a follower of mine,
must leave self behind; he must take up his cross
and come with me.'
What Jesus meant by 'leave self behind' was to put yourself last in all things. You were to have no care about your life, position or esteem, and to have no desire for privileges except that belonging to God. For the first disciples this also meant leaving behind family, positions, possessions and security. ''To take up your cross'' meant to follow Jesus to the point of death. A follower of Jesus would have to follow him throughout his mission. This may mean going along the same path of suffering and rejection.
Jesus sent out the first disciples like an apostolic order today, to carry out missionary work. In (Ch6: 7-19) Jesus emphasises the strict conditions in which they were to conduct their mission, and the three objectives they had. They were to preach to the people about repentance and to love one another. They were given authority by Jesus to cast out demons and to heal the sick.
The first disciples were challenged to listen and understand Jesus' teachings, parables and questions. Obviously the first disciples were not infallible. They had their misunderstandings of Jesus' teachings and went through periods of fear, anxiety, and doubt. The first point that this break in response is evident is in the 'Calming of the Storm.' The disciples became distraught and lost faith in Jesus. He called them cowards and was disappointed in their lack of faith.
Faith is a key element in discipleship. Without faith you can't be a believer. You must believe in Jesus to conquer the barriers set before you. The period in which the first disciples lived was a very barbaric and oppressive one. Confrontations with the Jewish leaders were inevitable, as they didn't want Jesus to turn the people away from their beliefs and teachings.
The first disciples had begun to show a closed mind attitude and failed to see the bigger picture in regards to the concepts of Messisahship and the kingdom of God. Jesus was human also, and Mark makes it clear to us on several occasions that Jesus' patients were wearing thin! He would not speak to them without using 'parables' (a parable is a story with a hidden moral. The meaning is not explained, it is left to the listener to work out. The events and characters are based on everyday life.) One of the most difficult parables for the disciples to decipher was 'The Parable of the Sower' (Ch4: 1-9). The parable shows the different ways people respond to the message of God. The parable is full of symbolism and it is worthwhile to look at the allegoric explanation.
The Sower represents God who sows the message in the form of seeds. Everyone receives the message, but the parable portrays the four responses to the message through the surroundings it is sown. The unresponsive hearer is represented by the seed sown on the path. Satan, represented by the birds comes and takes the message away, giving the person no chance to respond. The seed sown in thin soil represents the shallow hearer. This listener is not persistent enough and withers away when there is sight of trouble. The worldly hearer is only interested in worldly pleasures and is represented by the seed sown among the brambles. The responsive hearer is represented by the seed sown in the fertile soil. This person lives a life of faith and depth.
Another difficulty the disciples faced was to understand the concept of messiah-ship. Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah (Ch8: 27-30). Although he declares this he fails to understand the sort of messiah Jesus is to be. He can't accept that Jesus is to be a suffering Messiah. He strongly rebukes Jesus, which shows his misunderstanding of Jesus' role. Jesus makes this known to Peter when he rebukes him:
'Away with you Satan, you
Think as men do not as God thinks.'
When Jesus makes his second prediction of his suffering messiah role and resurrection, Mark tells us that the disciples did not understand, and were too afraid to ask.
The Kingdom of God is another concept that the disciples failed to understand. They could not accept the idea that the kingdom of God was not an earthly kingdom, but a religious idea. It was a place of fulfilment. A person belongs to God's kingdom when he accepts his message and rule.
The parable of the mustard seed was used by Jesus to explain the Kingdom of God. (Ch4: 30-34). It is a very basic story with a simple meaning, which the disciples failed to understand. The parable shows the growth of God's Kingdom. Although the kingdom starts off small, like the seed, it grows into something much bigger, like the tree. We seek refuge in this kingdom just as the birds did. This parable must have offered some hope and consolation to the disciples when they felt the task they were undertaking was too difficult.
As well as misunderstanding, the twelve went through a period of failure and desertion. They were only human, and at times the challenge of discipleship seemed too much for them. Judas was the first to desert Jesus. He betrayed Jesus to the chief priests in exchange for money. He later realised the error of his ways, and full of remorse and despair took his own life. The three disciples closest to Jesus also failed and deserted him. Peter, James and John fell asleep three times in the garden of Gethsemane when they were meant to keep vigil. Jesus prayed alone to his father for strength and courage to take on this burden of suffering.
(Ch14: 50)
'Then all the disciples left him and ran away.'
Although Peter did not desert Jesus at this point he later denied him three times in the high priest's courtyard to save himself from the same fate as Jesus.
I swear I am telling the truth.
May God punish me if I'm not!
I don't know the man you're talking about.'
The women, Mary of Mandela and her companions also failed to deliver the message of Jesus' resurrection, with joy and enthusiasm. The only thing I can gather from this is the fear and distress expressed. They were unable to deliver the message and fled from the tomb.
All seems lost in the regard of discipleship, but all is not lost. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the eleven existing disciples. They had enclosed themselves in, and were in a state of depression. Jesus scolded them for their lack of faith and their stubbornness to accept the resurrection. Jesus gave the disciples the commission to:
'Go throughout the whole world
and preach the gospel to the human race.
Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved ;
Whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Believers are given the power to perform miracles .
They will drive out demons in my name;
They will speak strange tounges;
They will place their hands on sick people
And they will get well.'
Jesus is still their leader and they are still his disciples despite their failings.
I have portrayed the extreme challenge of discipleship, but discipleship although demanding has its rewards. Although there are no materialistic rewards for discipleship, it has many deep emotional satisfactions, which are greater than possessions. The satisfaction of knowing that you have fulfilled God's wishes is priceless. Going along the difficult road of discipleship has the greatest reward of any, eternal life in paradise in the kingdom of God.
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