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Religious Education: Coursework Essay on Discipleship

First Disciples

    Discipleship is usually thought of as following Jesus, being a preacher, teacher. Somebody who believes in something, or who believes in someone, and leaves everything behind them to try to make others believe the same is my personal definition of a disciple. In actual fact, the Old Testament word 'Talmid' is a 'learner', and more obviously in the New Testament, a 'Diskipolos' is a 'follower'. The other crucial area of discipleship is serving others. When a disciple is healing a person, he is serving them, as he serving Jesus and God.  So discipleship can be summed up; to follow, to learn, to preach, to believe, to serve. All factors are crucial to be a true disciple. But to be a disciple, you must be a Christian, 'one who belongs with Christ', 'Christ's one'. The disciples share Jesus' faith, and his freedom to rise above all immediate concerns.

    The disciples of Jesus received their 'call' from Jesus, and they responded with immediate willingness. Jesus called, and the disciples went to him. "Jesus said to them, come with me, and I will teach you to catch people. At once they left their nets and went with him". (Mark 1:17-18) In Mark Chapter Two, verse fourteen, Jesus tells Levi to "Follow me"; "Levi got up and followed him". The response to Jesus' calling is clearly that of a wanting to follow, to be with Jesus.  When Jesus chose the twelve disciples in 'Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles', all twelve were willing and went ahead to preach the word of Jesus Christ.

    Their mission was simple. To do as Jesus does. Jesus gave his disciples authority over evil spirits and ordered them to take as little as possible, to leave all behind and go ahead to preach and heal (Mark 6:7-11). The disciples had a very real mission, and Jesus told them when he chose them, "I will send you out to preach, and you will have authority to drive out demons" (Mark 3:14). And yes, the disciples did heal, they did preach and they did cast out evil. "The apostles returned and met with Jesus, and told him all they had done and taught" (Mark 6:30) and "They went out and preached that people should turn away from their sins. They drove out many demons, and rubbed olive oil on many sick people and healed them" (Mark 6:12-13). Both of these quotes show us that the disciples did the requested, they followed instructions and didn't do a bad job.

    However, their understanding of Jesus and his teachings wasn't very good at all. They understood neither the amazing powers Jesus possessed nor the wonders he could perform. Even though he "would explain everything to them", in situations such as The Calming of the Storm and when Jesus walked on water, they just didn't have the strength to believe or the depth to understand. When the boat was filling with water in the Calming of the Storm (Mark 4:35-41), the disciples awoke Jesus to say "Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?", Jesus said back to his disciples "Why are you frightened? Have you still no faith?" The story in Chapter 6, verses forty-nine to fifty is similar. "It's a ghost!", the disciples screamed when they saw Jesus walking on water. "They were all terrified when they saw him". This shows both a lack of trust, understanding and belief on the disciples part, even though everything was explained in great depth to them, they still couldn't get their heads around Jesus and his way of life.

    Obviously faith is the most important aspect of believing in Jesus and God, so when we read that both Peter and Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, we can conclude that faith wasn't always present on the disciples part. Peter said that he would never betray Jesus, "I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!", he said. When Jesus said to Peter, "I tell you that before the cock crows twice tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me". Peter answered strongly, "I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!" We then see that in Chapter 14 of Marks Gospel, Peter does deny Jesus when questioned about knowing Jesus. He said three times that he didn't know Jesus, and when he realised that he had done as Jesus had predicted, he "broke down and cried". There was just no dedication, commitment, FAITH, towards Jesus. "Have you still no faith?", Jesus asked his disciples in the Calming of the Storm.  Sadly, even after Jesus' death, the disciples still didn't believe. They didn't believe he had risen from the dead, or that he would rise from the dead. (Mark 16:12-13)

    When Mark wrote the gospel between AD65 and AD75, he did so for the Christians who were suffering persecution at the time. He wanted to reassure them that they weren't the only ones to experience suffering, and he wished to remind them and tell them about what Jesus went through. The Rich Man (Mark 10:17-29) is a parable that explains exactly how Mark placed so much importance on suffering in his gospel.  It explains the suffering that must occur to enter the kingdom of God. The rich man wanted to know what he must do to receive eternal life, and he was told that the commandments must be upheld. "Teacher", the man said, "ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments". The man thought he had passed the "interview", but he didn't like what was coming. "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me". This clearly didn't please the very rich man, and "gloom spread over his face, and he went away sad". This is the kind of suffering that Mark is talking about. I think the same for myself nowadays, I hate the idea of having to give up all of my luxuries and money.

    Mark continues to talk of the serious "Troubles and Persecutions"(Mark 13:3-13) disciples must suffer to follow Jesus. Jesus told his disciples to be "on guard", as his disciples would "be arrested and taken to court, beaten in the synagogues, and have to stand before rulers and kings to tell them the Good News". Not an easy life obviously. Jesus Christ, son of man, says that "For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it".

    To sum up this crucial analysing of Marks writing, he has put great importance on suffering into his gospel. They show just how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God, real sacrifices must be made, and Mark allows us to appreciate this. "The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priest and the teachers of the Law" (Mark 8:31-38)

    Discipleship, like everything in life, had positives and negatives. The costs of discipleship were the violence inflicted upon them, the taunts and non-believers they had to rise above, and the things they had to give up. The parable 'Jesus Speaks about his Suffering and Death' explains the very serious costs disciples must suffer to do what Jesus has asked them to do. "If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget self, carry his cross and follow me", Jesus said to his disciples. "Do people gain anything if they win the whole world but lose their life? Of course not!"

    The rewards of being a true disciple? "Look, we have left everything and followed you", Peter said to Jesus in 'The Rich Man', and Jesus responded; "Yes, and I tell you that anyone who leaves home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel, will receive much more in this present age. He will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields - and persecutions as well; and in the age to come he will receive eternal life". Following this, one of the most important things Jesus says in Marks Gospel in my opinion is here, "Many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first".

    What Jesus is saying is that regardless of the suffering, the torture, the lack of wealth, to have eternal life and to truly believe in him is all that matters. Leave your family behind, follow me, and you will still get what you need out of life, as will your family. That's how I interpret Jesus' words. His final words quoted above are very important, he is saying that those rich successful non-believers will die and go from first to last. Those who dedicate their lives to God and preach and heal will be last in life, but first in heaven. Although the disciples didn't understand and were afraid to ask, Jesus said "The Son of Man will be handed over to those who kill him. Three days later, however, he will rise to life". In my opinion, I think it means that like Jesus, any true disciple who suffers in life will too, rise again. (Mark 9:30-32)

    'Jesus Appears to the Eleven' (Mark 16:14-18) is a parable that displays Jesus showing some anger towards his disciples. "He scolded them, because they did not have faith and because they were too stubborn to believe those who had seen him alive". He then told them to go out and "preach the gospel to the whole human race". He said "Believers will be given the power to perform miracles; if they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be harmed; they will place their hands on sick people, who will get well". This is powerful, crucial text. It tells us about the power Jesus has, and how he took a firm attitude with his disciples at this time. Jesus was one who went around with his eyes open, he understood the world and he shows this in 'The Widow's Offering' (Mark 12:41-44), this parable tells us about the temple treasury. Many rich men dropped in lots of money, and a poor old widow put in "two little copper coins", worth about a penny. "I tell you this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. For the others put in what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, put in all she had - she gave all she had to live on". Why would she do that? Because she wanted to suffer, she wanted to sacrifice all she had to show her care and dedication for the Lord, the church.

    The greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-34)in relation to discipleship was said by Jesus when he was asked by a teacher of the Law who was trying to catch Jesus out. Jesus said "The most important one is this: 'Listen Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength'". That is the greatest commandment, and followed by "Love your neighbour as you love yourself", Jesus rightly says "There is no other commandment more important than these two". There clearly isn't. These are the key to a happy and caring life, if everybody in the world lived their lives by these commandments, what a lovely place the world would be! The disciples relate to these commandments, they preach them, and their God is the primary thing they praise and preach. The first rule of discipleship is this commandment, and as he was telling it to a teacher of the law, he was telling him how to live his life according to God. The disciples preached exactly this.

Disciples Today

    Following Jesus today is practically harder than it used to be, but modern day disciples clearly exist, they are Christians. Christians try to see Jesus in other people and they follow Jesus' example and teachings. An everyday Christian would try to see the good in everybody, try to forgive others when hurt or unhappy, apologise for wrong done, and stand up for what is wrong. Caring for the poor, sharing wealth, putting others before themselves and trying not to be prejudiced or racist are all important for a Christian to live their life by. Other more religious engagements should also be kept; celebrating the Eucharist, taking marriage seriously, spending time with God and speaking with him in prayer.

    Some of the stories in Mark's Gospel can be used to present day realities. For example, Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft founder, gives one million pounds every year to charity. As a family, we'll fill envelopes that come through the door asking for charity, as we will run a stall at a Leukaemia Research Fund Summer fayre. Then if you think of a homeless person giving the tiny amount they possess to charity, it is just totally different. Who is giving more? Is a million pounds more than an envelope full of coppers? No it's not. The poor person who has next to nothing and who is giving that small amount is giving the most. This modern day scenario can seen in Marks Gospel, it is like "The Widow's Offering", where many rich men give much to the temple treasury, and a poor old widow gives two copper coins. Similarities can also be seen in parables such as "The Rich Man", where a rich man has to leave his riches behind to follow Jesus and receive eternal life, and so he doesn't. Likewise, today, a millionaire is less likely to become a monk than a poor man would. Many thousands of people get together frequently to raise money for the poor, or to celebrate the achievements of the less privileged. In my mind, scenarios like this can be in some way connected to "The Feeding of the Five-Thousand", as, from very little bread and fish, there was enough to feed five thousand people. Likewise, with nothing to start with, much money, or much happiness occurs as results in my examples above.

    In our everyday lives as children, adults, workers and families we can, of course, communicate with God; we can listen and respond to the call of Jesus even today. Through church, prayer, priests, and by fulfilling the sacraments we can be at one with God at any time. To get the call to become a modern day disciple is something I haven't experienced, but to get such a call would be to have such a strong faith that you want to drop everything to follow it. Nowadays, to do as the first disciples did today, monasteries with monks, and nunneries with nuns allow people who wish to dedicate their lives to God to go and do so. Going into the priesthood is an option that allows you to be more of a disciple, to spread the word, to preach, to teach, to learn from others. What it means to become the above is much admired, it is totally awesome, incredible.

    Monks and Nuns spend their lives dedicated day and night to God, and I think this is the closest you can get to God, but I also think that in terms of DISCIPLES today, priests are more in that league, as they are 'in touch' with the people, they have the task of getting people to think about religion, and they have to survive getting mocked, being shunned. They have to also give up many of what we would call "life essentials" to do these things, like the disciples had to. These are called Evangelical Counsels nowadays and consist of poverty, chastity and obedience. The poverty meaning no luxuries and no money, chastity meaning no sexual relationship or loving relationship with the opposite sex whatsoever, and obedience being total dedication to God. It is most impressive. Priests, for practicality can only take two of the three, as poverty would mean mobility and living would be hard.

    Disciples today can put into practise the "Greatest Commandment". This is that of "Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength", and the second part being "Love your neighbour as you love yourself". Of course modern day disciples like monks and nuns can do this. They spend their entire lives loving God, worshipping God with all their strength. They don't have jobs to go to, families to look after, houses to run. It is much harder for Christians to put into practise this commandment, though loving the Lord, yourself and your neighbour is obviously a good aim and something everybody should try to do. Although loving God with all your mind, soul and strength isn't possible for Christians all of the time, taking a certain amount of time a day or a week to dedicate to God would be making great use of such a commandment. To "take up and carry the cross" you need to live your life according to God and treat him as another human being, as a companion.

    To be a modern day disciple, you need to, as the first disciples did, suffer. There are costs and rewards, and the costs of dropping everything to follow your faith as a monk would do, that means suffering occurs in the form of no luxuries, no entertainment, no communications, no sex, no relationships with the opposite sex, and total obedience. But then reflecting that, the satisfaction a monk must get from what he does must simply overcome all the things we experience on a daily basis. Priests also experience suffering, having to handle with non-believers attitudes, mocking and shunning, as well as the vows of chastity and obedience.    

    The costs for everyday Christians would simply be lost time, but I am positive that what you get from prayer and Eucharist and charity are certainly worth it. The rewards are clear, the satisfaction from helping others, changing others lives, communicating with God, preaching to your parish, worshipping with your fellow monks in your monastery. All of the above are high points of the different aspects of modern day discipleship. Eternal life, happiness and a faith. If you are as determined, dedicated and committed enough, you can have all three of those wonders. Just follow Jesus' example, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, The Lord our God is the only Lord".

Evaluation

    The term "true" disciple is somewhat unclear in it's meaning. I certainly wouldn't describe a true disciple as perfect; nobody is perfect other than God. I would consider a true disciple to be committed, dedicated, willing to help others and wanting to share in Jesus' faith and expectations.  A true disciple wouldn't have to be struggling, doubtful, unhappy or in anyway negative. Of course people like Mother Teresa are true modern day disciples, she gave up absolutely everything to do what she could to help those in poverty, she thought that was the right thing to do, she followed Gods' message, that is why she was a true disciple.

    Another example of a true disciple is a friend of my family, John Kirkby. He left his highly paid financial advisor job to start a charity, 'Christians against Poverty'. He 'saw the light' and since then he has given EVERYTHING possible to those in need, and he has such a strong belief that the Lord will provide that last Christmas, without a home and with a pregnant wife and children, he still genuinely believed that everything would be alright because God would ensure no harm would come to them. That is true discipleship, to have a faith like this is truly admirable.

   I think a true Christian disciple would take the form of regularly attending church, participating in the sacraments, reconciliation for example, and caring for others at all times. Helping others, charity, standing up for what is right, forgiving, seeking good in all, and happiness are all factors for being a Christian disciple. I think that perfection isn't necessary, nobody should try and live a "perfect" life. Everybody makes mistakes, it is part of life, but nothing in particular "qualifies" anybody to be a Christian disciple. Being a genuinely good person, and a believer would class you as a Christian disciple in my opinion.

    Although I know that others disagree, and say that there are things that have to be sustained before the term "Christian disciple" can apply. Celebrating the Eucharist every week is vital for such a title apparently, though I would suggest that it only contributes to the fact that dedication is involved. Of course we have to remember that many dislike worshipping the lord with crowds of others, which is why the House Church Movement exists. This is a movement that allows people to worship God in their own homes, and it models itself on the life and worship of the New Testament.

    Working for justice and peace is very important, if nobody did so; we'd all be in very serious trouble. True disciples would certainly stand up to wrongdoing and speak out against injustice. Campaigning for peace and justice can be on different levels, global, national, and local. Some would say that true disciples are only people like Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, because they have stood up against injustice, have had a huge effect and are known famously to this day, and always will be. But I don't think that to be a true disciple you need to make big waves by campaigning for big global issues, but what I do think is that if an issue that concerned a true disciple arose, then he/she would certainly have the confidence to stand and say "Hey, that's wrong", and do something about it.

    Those trying to follow Jesus in this "materialistic, consumer orientated secular world" are going to find it harder to than it would have been back in the days of the first disciples. Obsessed with material objects, luxuries, being concerned solely with buying and selling these material objects in this non-spiritual all-commercial worldly world is what most people live their lives by. Clearly this is a setback for those wanting to spend their lives on more traditional matters, but again, to be a true disciple is to rise above this, and make the effort to overcome the problems and setbacks to achieve goals. Others would say that fitting such a lifestyle into this secular world would be the answer, and perhaps it has to be in a way, but having all this modern technology shouldn't prevent, or even reduce the chances and time for prayer, communication, etc. Unfortunately however, because of all the way in which our world now runs, there are fewer genuine Christians, but the positive outlook we can make about this is that these Christians are strong, in their beliefs and in their morals.

   To conclude, I would say that yes, it is possible to be a true disciple in the modern day. It is nowhere near the same to what the first disciples were like, but the same principles are involved, love, faith, care, willingness, commitment. Understanding is vital too, and even though the disciples of Jesus didn't quite master this area, we today can, we can understand the bible, and what Jesus told us, we can go to church and communicate with both God, priests, monks and nuns. To be a true disciple is to be true.

Bibliography

I have used the following reference material for some of the content in my essay:

·        Dimensions of Christianity - Sister Anne Burke

·        Mark's Gospel

·        Reference Sheets

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