Disciple and Discipleship-I (Introduction)
John
8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the
world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will
have the light that leads to life.”
Who is a disciple? A disciple is
by definition a follower and student of a mentor, teacher. He listens to the
master’s teachings, accepts them and changes his life in conformation with it.
In India
(Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsi, Punjab is an organization headed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who claims to
have more than 60 million followers worldwide. He had admirers among the top
political leaders of the country. He was accused of murder and convicted of
rape. In 2017 a special CBI court in the city of Panchkula,
Haryana found him guilty of raping two Dera sadhvis (female
followers). Subsequently, the special CBI court sentenced Singh for a
period of 20-year prison term.)
Christianity attaches great significance
to disciples and discipleship. Making disciples of people was the last and
greatest commission of Jesus. A
disciple in the Biblical days was different from being a student in the modern
sense. A disciple in the ancient world not only listened to his master but actively
imitated both the life and teaching of the master. It was a deliberate apprenticeship which made
disciple a living copy of the master.
Jesus chose His disciples 1. to be with Him
to receive his instructions,2.to learn
the nature of His teachings, 3. to be witnesses to his resurrection, 4. and to spread
His gospel around the globe. Jesus chose His disciples quite early during His
ministry so that they would receive maximum exposure to His work.
The time of His first miracle performed at
the Cana wedding was the ‘launching’ of His
ministry; He already had recruited five of the disciple whom he recruited with
the promise He will make them “fishers of men”. John 2:11 says “This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee
was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in Him”. It can be assumed that the number of
His disciples started growing after that.
The word ‘disciple’ is found in the Bible
only in the Gospels and Acts and has several applications. Thus the disciples
of John the Baptist; also of the Pharisees who sent their disciples to “trap”
regarding paying tax (Mathew 22:16); those who confronted Jesus in John
9 claimed, “we are Moses’ disciples” (John 9:28). But its most common use
was to designate the followers of Jesus. It is the only name for Christ's
followers in the Gospels. In the Acts, after the death and ascension of
Jesus, all those who confessed Him as the Messiah, were called disciples. The
name ’Christians’ was later applied to the disciples, mostly in derision. The
disciple of Christ
today may be
described as “one who believes Jesus’
doctrines rests upon His sacrifice, internalizes His spirit, and imitates His
example.”
In the Old Testament, the word is not found,
but the idea is there; e.g. the difference between teacher and scholar among
David's singers. Among the prophets, there were masters and disciples. Elisha
was considered Elijah’s disciple and later on, Elisha himself had a school of disciples.
The
New Testament records many followers of Jesus during his ministry.
In addition to the Twelve Apostles, there is a group of seventy-two
people who are sent out in pairs to prepare the way for Jesus to preach about
the Kingdom and heal the sick (Luke 10:1). The number of the disciples was always
fluctuating. Many left Him disgruntled because even as He was all the time
talking about the coming Kingdom, He was not making any military or political moves.
Many left because they thought His teachings were too harsh for them to follow.
There
were many women among Jesus’ disciples. Chief among them are Martha, Mary and
Mary Magdalene. It is notable that Jesus appeared first to His female disciples
after the resurrection. Acts 1:14 says the number of disciples (after His death and
resurrection) was about 120. this included Mary, mother of Jesus.
* * *
The
following is s summary of what Jesus expects in His disciples. More will be
discussed in the following chapters.
1.
Love one another
Jesus referred to his own example to teach
His disciples about discipleship from the Gospel of
John 13:34-35: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone
will know that you are my disciples if you have a love for one another”. Through
our fellowship, we are witnesses to Christ. Acts 2:46, 47 With one accord they continued to meet daily
in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their
meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the
favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved.
2. Be transformed
The Gospels, Acts, and Epistles urge
disciples to be imitators of Jesus
Christ. Being imitators requires obedience demonstrated by their moral
behavior. Christian theology teaches that discipleship
requires the disciples to be transformed and be different from the ways of the world
and live the way Jesus lived. Every Christian should strive to become like Christ.
The Apostle Paul stressed
transformation as a qualification for discipleship when he wrote that disciples
must "not be conformed to this world" but must "be transformed
by the renewing of their minds" so that they "may discern what is
the good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2) Therefore,
a disciple is not someone who listens to the teachings or one who merely alters
his behavior in conformity with the teachings of Jesus Christ, but seeks a fundamental shift toward
the ethics of Jesus Christ in every way, including complete devotion to God.
Many of Pauline Epistles advise: "be imitators of God"
(Ephesians 5:1). He also says "be imitators of me, as I am of
Christ"(1Corinth 11:1).
3.
The Great Commission
Throughout the history of Christian
practice, preaching the Gospel has been an important of the religion. In
Matthew, at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, when calling his earliest
disciples Simon Peter and Andrew, he says to them, "Follow me and I will
make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).
Then, at the very end of his ministry, Jesus institutes the Great
Commission, commanding all present to "go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20a). Jesus had incorporated this practice
into the very definition of being a disciple and experiencing discipleship.
4.
Family and wealth
Jesus called on the disciples to give up
their wealth and their familial ties. In His society, family was the
individual's source of identity, so renouncing it would mean becoming virtually
nobody. In Luke 9:58-62,
Jesus used a ‘hyperbolic metaphor’ to stress the importance of this,
and another in Luke 14:26:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be
my disciple."
5.
Witnessing
It is said ‘one good testimony’ is better
than 100 messages. We, every day hear witnesses of people during church
services, evangelical meetings, on the television, etc. People witness what God had done to them, how he had answered their prayers, how God had
changed them etc. Testimonies can be communicated orally or let others see your
lifestyle and realize you are a Christian. When the Pharisees saw the courage
of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they
were astonished and they took note that these men “had been with Jesus”. (Acts
4:13)
6.
Humility
Humility is an essential and fundamental
quality of a Christian. Humans are basically proud and self-righteous. St. Paul
See Solomon’s prayer in 1Kings 8,
Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2Chron 20. Also Philippians 2:6-8
Galatians 6:3 says “For
if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself”. In Luke 17:10 Jesus
exhorted us to say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only our duty”. He
made an example of humility by washing the disciples’ feet.
7.
Prayer
The act of prayer teaches us -- who as human
beings are naturally proud and arrogant -- our unworthiness. If God gave us
favors without requiring us to pray for them we should never know how poor we
are, but when we go to God with a list of our wants, we reveal our poverty –
our emptiness. While it is a confirmation of divine wealth the healthiest state
of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the
Lord for our needs. We must be always poor in self and rich in Jesus.
Prayers must adore God and creates a humble
heart in us. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so
for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labor of prayer.
Prayer equips us to stand against Satan. Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses
which routs the Amalekites; it is the arrow shot by Joash from the chamber of
Elisha. It is Jacob’s all-night wrestle with the stranger. Prayer converts
human weakness into divine strength, turns human foolishness into heavenly
wisdom, and gives the peace of God to troubled humans. More has been achieved through
prayers than the world would ever know!
Joshua stopped the sun and moon in their
tracts through prayers. Nehemiah was successful in building Jerusalem
Jesus prayed all the time, prayed with sighs and tears. He called us to
pray incessantly. We have a model in John 17 of His prayer when He prayed for
His disciples, and for all believers for all times. At Gethsemane
His prayer was so intense that His sweat turned into blood and wet the ground
Matthew 29:36). He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” But
Father denied His request and Jesus received the cup with all its dark, ugly
contents and drank it deeply, dregs and all. Emboldened by this prayer, He went
on courageously to embrace the cross.
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