There are a number of important of ideas in this quotation which need to be look at I think personal. Well the first point is:
Jesus said that those who wish to follow him must deny self, take up the cross and follow him. What did Jesus mean by this? What would his words have meant to his first twelve disciples and what do they mean for Christians today?
2 = Mark 8:34 – 8
Well to deny means that followers for Jesus should always put other people needs and problems before their own needs and problems. Disciples shouldn’t be concerned about social position, or have so much ambition that they need first in everything. Christian’s disciples should put their own needs and wishes last and help that need it.
Also to take up the cross is probably one of the most challenging commands of Jesus. Mark was writing his gospel at the time when many Christians were dying for their belief in Jesus. Crucifixion was a real possibility. There have been times since then, even to the present day, when Christians have even been persecuted for their own beliefs. Everyone tries to avoid suffering, but there are many come a time in a Christian’s life when suffering and persecution are in inevitable result of faith in Jesus Christ. True Christian discipleship means being prepared to accept this suffering, even if it leads to death!
As well to follow him means accepting the Christian way of life and treading in the footsteps of Jesus, following his example as closely as possible. Obedience to the will of God and putting others first instead of you may lead to suffering, as it did for Jesus. However, the invitation to ‘follow me ‘also holds the promise of sharing in Christ’s resurrected life.
Also Jesus said in this quotation that:
Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life foe me and the gospel will save it...
Jesus is speaking of those who do not follow him because they fear mockery or suffering. Others fear to declare their faith in public. Rather than saving their life, they actually risk losing eternal life. Those who remain faithful will share in the resurrection of Christ.
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
A person may dedicate their life to achieving wealth, power and comfort and, in doing so, neglect to follow the teachings of Jesus. What is the point of this? Such a person will lose everything in the end, and will not receive eternal life
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words…. The Son of Man will be ashamed of him.....
If a Christians is not prepared to publicly declare faith in Jesus, then Jesus will ashamed of that person on the Day of Judgement.
AO2
Explain how this teaching about discipleship might affect the life of a Christian today.
Many Christians today go out into the world to spread the news of the kingdom of God in much the same way as the twelve disciples. They are called missionaries. Although life has changed a great deal since the earliest day of Christianity, Jesus’ teachings are as relevant today as they were 2004 years ago. If a person feels called by God to preach the Christian message abroad or in their own country, they need to learn to trust in God and not to be weighed down by material worries. The belief that God will provide for all their basic needs through the generosity of others has been a real experience for many Christians. There are a number of Christian’s organizations which carry on the work of the disciple in the world today; these include Tear Fund, Christian Aid, TROCAIRE, and CAFOD. And various missionary societies.
The rewards of discipleship It is important to understand that being a Christian does not mean accepting a life of misery and constant suffering. Quite the opposite is true, as can be seen in words of Jesus in Mark 10: 28 – 31. Peter asked Jesus how he and the others disciples would be rewarded for following him.
Peter said to him “We have left everything to follow you!”
“I tell you the truth” jess replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mothers, or fathers or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields - and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life”
Jesus teaches that those who whole heartily decide to follow Christian way of life will be rewarded many times over. Christians feel that, by following the example of Jesus, their lives are enriched. A close relationship with God, and the fellowship that can within Church community, are among the rewards of discipleship. But the greatest reward of all Christians is Jesus promise of eternal life.
The mission to the modern world
Preaching
Jesus command that the good news be preached throughout the world has been taken up by many Christians. Some feel that they have vocation, that they have been called to spread the Christian faith as priests, ministers, nuns and monks. Others believe that they can serve Christ in their daily lives as laity, passing on the good news to those they meet.
Missionary work
Christian missionaries travel to teach about Jesus. They also give practical help to the communities in which they stay. This might include building schools and medical centres, helping those suffering from the effects of nature disasters and teaching new skill to developing communities.
Healing ministry
Many Christians feel compelled to spread the message of God’s love though caring for those are very sick and that in need of medical help all over the world.
Fighting injustice and Prejudice
Christians believe that it is their duty to put other people before themselves. They feel that it is right to help those who are suffering at the hand of others throughout the world. Christians can be found in such organizations as Amnesty International and Greenpeace.
Jesus’ commission to the modern church
Jesus disciples in every generation are told to:
- ‘ go into the world and preach the good news’
- ‘ baptize believers’
- ‘drive out demons’
- place your hands on sick people’
The life of a modern Christian
Mother Teresa Calcutta
Mother Teresa was born Agnes Bojaxhiu in 1910. She grew up the youngest of three children in Skopje, Macedonia.
When she was 18 years old, she decided to become a nun and joined the Sister of Our Lady of Loreto in Ireland. When she entered the convent in Dublin she chose the name of Sister Teresa. By becoming a nun, she had made the decision to give up all her possessions, her family and her friends, and dedicate her life to the service of God. In the same year, Teresa was sent to another convent owned by her order in Darjeeling, India. It was here that she continued her training as a nun.
A year later, in 1929, she was sent to Calcutta in India to teach as a school for girls. Although she was happy with her life and duties, Teresa was shocked by the poverty and the disease which surrounded her school. Then, on a long train journey to Darjeeling in 1946, she felt that she was being called by God to change the direction of her life:
I realised that I had the call to take care of the sick and the drying, the hungry, the naked, the homeless – to be God’s Love in action to the poorest of the poor.
The Missionaries of Charity
This was a milestone in Sister Teresa’s life. She asked permission to leave the Loreto order and to establish permission from Pope Pius XII and went into the streets of Calcutta with a few of her friends. Her only possession was a white sari with a blue stripes.
In 1952 Mother Teresa and her follow Missionaries of Charity began the work for which they have been famous ever since. Mother Teresa described how she managed to acquire her first centre for the desperately ill in Calcutta:
I found a woman lying in the gutter in the middle of Calcutta. She was half eaten up by rats and ants. I took her to the hospital, but they couldn’t do anything for her. They only took her because I refused to go home unless something was done for her. After they cared for her, I went straight to the town hall and asked for a place where I could take these people, because that I found more people dying in the street. The employee of health services brought me to a Hindu temple. The building was empty and he asked me if I wanted it. I was glad with the offer for many reasons, but especially because it was the centre of prayer for Hindus.
The temple was renamed Nirmal Hriday, meaning ‘Pure Heart’. It became a home for the sick and dying of Calcutta. Mother Teresa and her follow nuns gathered desperately ill people off the streets and brought them to Nirmal Hriday so that they could either be healed, or spend their last days surrounded by comfort and love. Since that time, more that 42000 people from Calcutta have been taken to Nirmal Hriday.
Work throughout the world
Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity have founded many centres throughout the world to help lessen people’s suffering. These include:
- Orphanages for babies and young children, who have been found in the streets or have been brought to the centres from hospitals.
- Care settlements for those suffering from leprosy. Lepers are shunned by society in India; they are not allowed to work and many are evicted from their homes by their families. Mother Teresa had villages built where lepers could live and be cared for in peace.
- Houses for alcoholics, drugs addicts, those suffering from AIDS and the homeless.
- Soup kitchens for the homeless in many large cities around the world.
- Rehabilitation houses for men and woman released from prison.
- Many houses around the world where the Missionaries of Charity care for the dying. Their patients may have no one else to look after them, or they may not be able to afford medical treatment.
Mother Teresa once said:
It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.
Her words echo the theme of an incident in Mark’s Gospel which we have covered in this section on discipleship.
Mother Teresa dedicated her life to the service of God and of people in need. She saw all people as children of God treated them as such. For Mother Teresa, the Christian emphasis on love was all – important. It was the foundation of her life and work. She once explained the work of the Missionaries of Charity:
We want to bring the joy and love of God to the people. We want to bring them God himself, who give them this love through us. At the same time we loved God and show him out love by serving him in his people. We are not another organization of the Social Service; we have to be more, to give more – we have to give ourselves.
AO3
‘It is too difficult to be a true disciple of Jesus in the modern world’ do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that you have considered more than one point of view.
It is hard to be a very true disciple but it not impossible to be one either.
The hard points of being a disciple are:
- Lots of responsible
- There is loads of money, drugs, etc in the world to be a true disciple to God and other people.
- A person not believing in Jesus is here with us, so noone hardly believes that he lived.
- There is too many celebrates making false Gods to everyone in the world.
It is not possible to be a disciple but it would very hard to be a one because you would have give up your job and serve people and share the Good News about God to old people or very ill people, so u would have to be a priest or a nun to be a true disciple.