The first time that Jesus’ followers are referred to as disciples is after the call of Levi when he was questioned about fasting. From Jesus’ response to this it was obvious that he was not interested in following the traditional ideals and theories used by previous rabbis, and that he was planning on changing the idea and meaning of discipleship. Although Jesus had many disciples and followers he called on twelve (Mk 3:13-19), ‘designating them apostles’, so ‘that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.’
An apostle refers to a person who is ‘sent’ to continue the mission of another, or to carry out his wishes. The range of backgrounds of the apostles again supports the universal/non-discriminatory ideal of discipleship. The various jobs of the apostles represent strong personality traits, for instance fishermen would have been hardworking, and zealots were extremists who were willing to use violence and tax collectors who were believed to be greedy individuals who were sympathetic to Rome. Obviously Jesus was aware of these qualities and despite the weaknesses and flaws of the individual he was able to use the positive qualities. This was not just in relation to the apostles and represents all those who are disciples of Jesus.
The apostles are particularly important for Jesus particularly as although they were first and foremost disciples of Jesus they were also his companions and as such they were his closest friends. Inside the apostles there were a group of individuals (Peter, James and his brother John) who were Jesus’ closest friends and shared with him his most intimate moments, including the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk 14:12-26), the Transfiguration (Mk 9:2-13) and the Raising of Jarius’ Daughter from the Dead (Mk 5:21-24, 35-43). Although Christians are personally unable to participate in the Transfiguration, Gethsemane etc… they too can share intimate moments with him, through the Sacraments.
Although the apostles of Jesus did accompany Jesus for much of his religious calling, he did send them out and gave them ‘authority over evil spirits’ (Mk 6:7). Jesus gave many instructions along with this in order to give a precise idea of how disciples spread the Word. When the disciples went out ‘they drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them’ (Mk 6:13). The disciples also went out and preached that ‘people should repent’ (Mk 6:12) for their sins; this was another important message of Jesus as he had ‘ “not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mk 2:17)’. The disciples also travelled in pairs; they did this for many reasons, to act as witnesses and companions for each other. The message of spreading God’s Kingdom was extremely important and was one of the main reasons why Jesus was sent from heaven; thus nothing could interfere with it. Due to the severity of the mission at hand Jesus told the disciples to travel lightly, thus this would speed up their journey. The disciples were expected to have faith (an important quality for disciples) in the generosity (another quality of discipleship) of people and faith in God to provide the subsistence required to travel on such a journey.
An important quality of discipleship is generosity, as we learn from the Widow at the Treasury (Mk 12:41-44) generosity is relative in that while the other people gave more money, the widow gave everything that she had. As mentioned this incident shows generosity but it also shows many other qualities of discipleship; sacrifice, commitment, dependence on God and faith that God will keep her safe. The other example that shows that generosity was when Jesus met with the Rich Young Man (Mk 10:17-27), in this incident we learn that Jesus instantly ‘loved him’. However the only quality that the man was lacking was generosity and willingness to sacrifice, as he was unable to give away all he had. The quality of Good Stewardship is evident in this incident as The Young Rich Man had a talent (wealth) but was unwilling to give it up. Discipleship is not supposed to be forced onto anyone and thus Christians are given a choice as to what path they was to take, thus they are left with a responsibility to act appropriately. This incident again shows generosity, sacrifice but also shows that there is more required of a disciple than merely following the Ten Commandments. These incidents show that there is a cost to discipleship, one that some are unwilling to pay.
Jesus taught the crowds about the Kingdom of God using parables, however Jesus explained the meaning to the disciples in the faith that they would carry on his message. Jesus used parables, or just told the disciples, as to what quality are required for discipleship. He taught them that as disciples they must serve others, ‘whoever wants to become great must be your servant, and whoever wants to become first must be servant to all.’ Jesus also told the disciples that in order to enter the Kingdom of God one must have childlike qualities, dependence on God, trust, and simplicity. Jesus was often seen talking to the poor members of society; poor people are often associated with vulnerability and are seen to be dependent on others to support them. Although disciples do not necessarily have to have this same type of vulnerability, a disciple must be spiritually vulnerable and dependent on God to provide the necessary support for them.
Discipleship is not easy and there are certain ‘costs’ of being a disciple. This supports the idea that disciples must be willing to make sacrifices, Jesus told the disciples that in order to be a disciple of Jesus one must ‘deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’ (Mk 8:34). In otherwords a disciple must be willing to put others before himself and be prepared to face suffering in the name of being a Christian. A disciple must also be willing to sacrifice his life as Jesus did on the cross. The disciples expected the Messiah would be a ‘David-like’ figure who would rid the Jews of the plight of the Romans, however the eventually learned that Jesus had not come to become King, and instead come to serve others. Jesus died in order to save the lives of others and provide people with the chance of salvation.
Although there are many sacrifices that one must be willing to make in the name of discipleship, there are, as expected certain rewards to it. We learn of the rewards of discipleship after Jesus met the Young Rich Man, when Peter asked who could be saved. Jesus told the disciples, ‘ “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age” ’ (Mk 10:29-30). This shows that although disciples must be generous, God too is also generous. The main reward of discipleship is ‘eternal life’; eternal life is shown to be possible through Jesus rising from the dead and is our faith that allows us to believe that we too will receive eternal life.
The apostles themselves found it difficult to life a completely pure life, due to this there are examples in the Gospel that show that the disciples lacked the required qualities of faith, courage and trust. We learn from St. Marks Gospel that Peter, thought to be the greatest disciple in that he was to become the leader of the Church, showed these lapses in judgement. Examples of Peter’s failure are when he (as well as James and John) fell asleep at the Garden of Gethsemane, when Peter denied Jesus in the courtyard. One of the greatest and most renowned failures of discipleship was when Judas betrayed Jesus to the authorities. The final time recorded in the Gospel that show the disciples lack of faith was at the Commission when Jesus rebuked all the remaining disciples for their lack of faith. In the Commission the disciples were then given orders on how they must spread the word.
In conclusion St. Marks Gospel provides Christians with the opportunity to learn about discipleship. Discipleship is a never-ending journey as there will always be another bridge to cross another obstacle to over-come and another aspect to learn about the life of Jesus. Overall St. Marks Gospel provides Christians with the qualities required for discipleship, as well as the nature of discipleship.