Discipleship Defined

Saturday, 14th November 2009

My church is currently going through the book of Mark as a series to understand what is meant by discipleship.

When I was a youth growing up (and even in my earlier years as a Christian), discipleship was not really a "user-friendly" word, if you get my drift. It conjured up images of someone who had to read 6 chapters a day, pray 2 hours a day, fast twice a week, etc etc. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, a picture of a Pharisee would come to mind.

Which I now realise is actually not that far off. As a result of Jesus giving these folks names like "a brood of vipers", or "whitewash tombs", we get this idea that Pharisees are a bunch of religious hypocrites. But their intentions were actual noble ones.

The word Pharisee comes from the Hebrew פרושים perushim from פרוש parush, meaning "set apart". God had called Israel to be set apart from the other idol-worshipping nations, and here were people within the nation of Israel who wanted to be set apart unto Him. They would study the Laws of Moses under the tutelage of a Rabbi. And that is why Saul took pride in pursuing this path. When he dragged the early Christians and put them into prison, he really believed he was doing God a favour. He really believed he was doing God's will. And shudder of shudders, he really believed he was being a disciple!

So I really thank God for opening my eyes last week, and helping me to see discipleship in the correct perspective. Ps Reuben preached a sermon entitled "The Whole Equation" whereby he defined discipleship as basically becoming more and more Christ-like as a result of spending more and more time with Him and looking to Jesus as our model.

I don't know about you, but when I see discipleship in this new dimension, it becomes desirable and pleasurable. It is no longer about a set of do's and dont's but about enjoying Him and getting to know Him more. It is no longer being a Martha, rushing about here and there trying to please God. Rather, it is about being a Mary, simply sitting at His feet and enjoying Him.

So does it mean we become lazy and do nothing? Certainly not! In due time, God will place us at the right place at the right time to do His good pleasure, just like He placed Mary at the right place at the right time. She had chosen the good part and that was not taken away from her. While several women had failed to anoint Jesus on Easter Sunday morning because His tomb was already empty, Mary was the only one who succeeded the week before. We read this in Jn 12:1-8

John 12
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
1Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.
3Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,
5"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages."
6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.
8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

So while the other womenfolk were at the wrong place at the wrong time, Mary was at the right place at the right time as far as anointing the Lord was concerned. Likewise, we the modern-day Mary will also be placed by God at the right place at the right time to do His good pleasure.

By the way, you can listen to Ps Reuben's sermon entitled "The Whole Equation" at the link below:

http://www.box.net/shared/k9q2036s1f