What Jesus teaches about discipleship in Mark's Gospel.
A disciple is someone who learns from another.
We can learn, from the call of the early disciples about the nature of discipleship itself that if we are going to be disciples of Jesus we need to leave everything behind and follow Jesus. .
In the opening chapter of the gospel, Jesus calls five men to be his disciples. The first four are called by the lakeside in Galilee. They were fishermen. Simon and Andrew, his brother were fishing while the other brothers, James and John, were mending their nets. Jesus told them to leave everything and follow him. He said to Simon and Andrew that they were to become fishers of men. The cost of discipleship means anyone who wishes to be a follower of Jesus must:- Leave self behind, he must take up his cross, and come with me.
To leave self behind does not just mean denying oneself. It does not mean going without certain pleasures in life like so many people do. To leave self behind means to put oneself last in all things, to have no care about one's life, position or esteem, and to have no desire for rights or privileges except that of belonging to God.
To take up the cross, People often equate the word 'cross' with a burden or anxiety. To 'take up the cross' was a frightening expression to the Christians of the first century and to many since in every age. For many Christians of Mark's day, their fate was to die for Christ. Discipleship means being prepared to follow Jesus to the point of death.
Come with me. This command of Jesus, for all people to come with him only makes sense when put in to context of the teaching that immediately comes before it. Jesus has just stated that he had to go through great pain and suffering, to be rejected by Jewish leaders, and to be put to death and to rise again. The invitation to travel along the same road. Discipleship can involve suffering, rejection and death. To those who respond, there will be a reward.
