Matt. 8:18-22
The Meaning and Content of Christian Discipleship
A disciple is a follower of a master. This is true but not all the truth about Christian discipleship. Long before the Jewish faith and before Jesus Christ, the concept of discipleship had been practiced among the sages. Many of the early philosophers learned under masters and some of them even dared to differ from their masters in new and interesting ways. This, for instance, is the difference between Aristotle and Plato. Plato was the master of Aristotle. Aristotle moved from Plato’s two-worldly or other-worldly views to a one-worldly view. But these followers were close to their masters and learned from them. In the Bible, this kind of learning from a master is shown in the lives of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha and, in fact, in the sons of the prophets. We all know, for example, that Elisha followed closely the ways of his master, Elijah and even asked for a double portion of the Spirit that was upon him. By the time of Jesus, the rabbis has developed this into a more formal tradition such that many rabbis had their disciples who were called the talmidim, But when Jesus came into the scene of Jewish history, he intended not only to continue the tradition before him but to show what ought to be the true meaning and content of discipleship and these are made plain in the differences he established in the discipleship understanding.
First of all, unlike the talmid of the rabbis who chose their masters, a disciple of Christ did not choose his master. The disciple was called by the master. The disciple was not even called carelessly but with prayers. And as is obvious from the New Testament, not all followers of Christ were disciples and, on some occasions, those who offered to follow Jesus were discouraged from the pursuit (e.g. Matt. 8:19-20). One of the first qualities of a disciple was that the person was called by the Master and enlisted into this task only by the Master.
May be, this is the understanding we need in order to properly reposition eldership and ministry. In the older days, it was permissible in our practice for elders to choose those that would be added to their number on Session. Many of us today would condemn this because of biases that were then and are now being introduced into this process, but the principle it upheld was that it followed the Biblical pattern of discipleship. If eldership and ministry are spiritual matters, no one should take them on without a calling from God, no matter how the church chooses to understand this calling by God. A disciple must be called and must not call their master.
And we must note that for Jesus’ disciples, they responded to the call without any compulsion. They gave themselves completely to the call. They trusted the heart of the Master and held back nothing for themselves – not their lives, their resources, their ways and their plans. They had no room for compromises, for half-measures. Often, we are told that they left “everything” and followed Jesus (Matt.9:9). This ‘leaving all’ included their sins and their unbelief. It spells out the place of repentance (metanoia) in the lives of these disciples. You cannot be a Christian disciple if you are ready to put in your all.
If the call is the first mark of a disciple, then the second mark is the ultimate concern of the disciple. For the talmid of the rabbis, the goal of being a talmid was to know the Law (the Torah). But for disciples of Jesus, it was Jesus very person. He does not call them to come and know what has been written about him but to “follow” him and be fishers of humankind (Matt.8:22), to “follow” him and leave the dead to bury their own dead (Matt. 4:22), to “be with him” and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority over demons (Mk. 3:14-15). He calls us to know him and to know his calling and ministry and to participate in them. The goal of the disciple is not the Bible as such but the one around whom the Bible centers. A true disciple, from Jesus’ point of view, must be one who can truly “be” with the master without being ashamed and without irritating the master by our falsehood and sins. Can your God keep company with you? Can you be counted on to be in the company of Jesus?
Thirdly, a disciple is one who enrolls with the aim of not graduating. Unlike the talmid of the rabbis, who enrolls to graduate at some point and to have his own talmidim, for Jesus’ disciples, discipleship was a life-long process. You never graduate from it. You never become a master because your master never abdicates his office as your teacher and guide. You never know enough to graduate. You may know quite a lot to mentor others, but you can only call them to be your imitator as you are Christ’s imitator (1 Cor. 11:1). Learning from Christ is a life-long reality.
Unlike the talmid of the rabbis, fourthly, a disciple of Jesus is more than a student; he is also a servant or bond slave of the master (Matt. 10:24). He is completely committed to obedience. The disciple of Christ is one who puts absolute trust in his master, a trust so absolute that the master’s word is the unquestionable authority. More than this, the disciple is also the master’s witness, who preaches his truths and radiates his authority and power (Mk. 3:1415; Matt. 28:18-20). Even when the master also serves the disciple (Mk. 10:45), this disciple’s obedience is never in question.
The disciple of Christ is made this unique by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the authority it conveyed on the disciples (Matt. 28:16ff.) and the empowerment of the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 21ff.). Through the life of the disciple, the teaching of the Lord is what is taken seriously, and this, not in part but in whole (“teaching them to do all that I have commanded you”). The life of the Holy Spirit in the believer is the key to effective discipleship. This is the beauty of Pentecost. The Christian life is not only a removal (of sins and evils) but also a bestowal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This is the meaning and content of Christian discipleship.