There are different ways in which the bible is interpreted: the fundamentalist way, the conservative way and the liberal way. The fundamentalists take every word in the bible literally. They feel that everything that was written was true and happened for sure. The conservatives believe that the bible is true but needs to be interpreted. This is because they think that most of the bible is metaphorical speak and can have hidden meanings. Liberals believe that the bible was written to convince people and that things in it may have been greatly exaggerated.
In Mark 8:34, Jesus told his disciples ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ Jesus meant ‘deny himself’ that people must act unselfishly and put others before them. Disciples must not be self absorbed, they must consider the needs of others first and try their best to help them. Throughout the gospel, we do see parts where the disciples lacked faith and understanding of Jesus’ ways. This shows that the disciples weren’t perfect and did not always understand everything that Jesus said; after all, they were only human. When Jesus said that the disciples must ‘take up their cross’ he meant that they would have to handle the problems that come with being a Christian, these included temptation and persecution. The disciples faced a lot of persecution, especially when Jesus died and they were out preaching. It was in fact life threatening to be a Christians at some points. Jesus told his disciples that the greatest gift they will receive will be eternal life.
A good example of being unselfish and putting others before them is the passage of the rich young man. (Mark 10: 17-25). A young rich man asked Jesus what he needed to do to gain eternal life. He told Jesus that he always followed the commandments all his life. Jesus however told the young man that he was lacking in one thing. He told him to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor and then to follow him. The young man told Jesus that he couldn’t do this, he didn’t want to give up his wealth so he left. Jesus then said that it would be easier for “a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.” Jesus meant that it is harder for rich to go to heaven because they are more consumed with material things and their wealth. Rich people would find it much harder to therefore commit themselves to God than a poorer person would.
Jesus spoke of a widow who gave two small copper coins to the temple; he compared this to a rich man who gave lots and lots of money. Jesus said that the widow’s donation meant more as she gave everything she had, where as the rich man still had plenty of money left. This story could have been a good example to Jesus’ disciples. It taught them to not be selfish and to give their all in what they were doing.
Mark’s gospel also speaks of how the disciples often failed in what they were doing because of their lack of faith. Some examples from the gospel which highlight this are ‘the calming of the storm’ (Mark 5: 35-41), ‘the feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6: 30-44), Jesus walks on water (Mark 6 45-52), Peter’s denial (Mark 14: 66-72). In all these passages the disciples doubt Jesus’ power and show lack of faith.
The statement “It is not possible to be a true disciple of Jesus in the modern world” does seem to make some sense to me. I think that in terms of what Jesus said what it takes to be a follower I do then think it is indeed not possible.
If we were to look at what Jesus asked and what he wanted from his own disciples then there isn’t many people who are true followers. The only people who then could be considered true disciples are those who are nuns, monks, priests etc. Christians today cannot be expected to do what the original disciples did, it’s impossible, society couldn’t work like that. Discipleship now days in the 21 century is very different than it was in the time of Jesus, 2000 years ago. Being a disciple at the time of Jesus required a lot more than it does today. Then you were expected to leave behind families and possessions to follow Jesus and help spread the word. Some Christians however feel they have a special calling and may become a priest, monk or nun so that they can dedicate their lives to God.
A lot of people may not devote their lives to God but still follow his rules and teachings. These people try to spread the word of God in their own way. They may do this by telling others about their faith and helping people. These people often take part in things going on in their church so that they feel they are doing their part in helping God’s community. The other people who become priests, nuns and monks etc, are much closer to the kind of disciples at the time of Jesus. These people give up everything they own to be nearer to God. They also take a vow of celibacy which means they cannot have families of partners. These people often spend a lot of time caring for those worse off than them and trying to help others with their own faith.
Jesus told his disciples they had to be prepared to ‘carry their cross’. In Jesus’ time this meant that the disciples were going to have to deal with persecution and possible execution. Today however this could mean being laughed at as there is not such a danger of life for being Christian (some countries however there is) and not giving in to temptation.
An example of a more modern day disciple who is very famous is Martin Luther King. He was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. King was famous for his work in the American civil rights movement. King’s methods in getting his message across were very peaceful, just as Jesus wanted. He could be considered a pacifist. Martin Luther King believed that people from all different races should be considered equal and gained followers as he preached around the United States. Tragically in March 1968 in Memphis Tennessee Martin Luther King was assassinated. Although Martin Luther King is not around any more, he definitely was an example to all other Christians and his work is something to be admired. I think it is important for Christians to have a more modern role model to look up to in their faith. Martin Luther King in my opinion is a very good one.
