Mark's Gospel and the Nature of Discipleship

Mark's Gospel and the Nature of Discipleship

Mark’s gospel has many themes throughout it; one of the main themes is

discipleship. Disciple means “willing follower”. It is easy nowadays

to believe that disciple is just meant religiously, but in fact it can

be meant for many circumstances. For instance, these circumstances

could be anything from a fan following a football club to a citizen

following a government; they are both cases of discipleship. In

Mark’s Gospel, discipleship is meant about those who followed Jesus.

These 12 apostles were: Simon (aka Peter), James (son of Zebedee) and

his brother John (he named them Boanerges), Andrew, Phillip,

Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus,

Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. These apostles were anointed by

Jesus on a mountainside (3:13-19). It is believe 12 apostles were

chosen to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus called Galicans,

Fishermen, a zealot – freedom fighter and a tax collector. Mark

demonstrates that discipleship is for everyone not just the educated

and the rich. As long as one answers Jesus’ call and tries to live in

his way, they can be disciples. Jesus had many disciples but the 12

apostles were chosen to be his main companions. The duties they were

given from Jesus were to drive out demons, to heal the sick and to

preach the word of God (16:17-18).

When Jesus sent out the twelve, he told them not to bring any extra

food money or clothes (6:8-9). Disciples should be prepared to give

up everything to follow Jesus. This could be possessions or friends

and family. Disciples should put the needs of others before their

own. This is what Jesus’ apostles had to do. The story of the rich

young man shows the cost of discipleship (10:17-31).

Disciples have to have many qualities. These include:

· Courage - You have to have courage to pursue good and be willing to

suffer for the sake of the gospel. The disciples failed Jesus and ran