Be My Disciple

Mark 1:16-20 (NLT) The Gospel of Mark Be My Disciple Introduction: If it’s your first time joining us - Welcome! We are dedicating this year to deepening our discipleship to Jesus. We are taking this next season to teach through the Gospel of Mark, using it, as Christians have done for centuries, as a template to understand in a deeper way who Jesus is and what it means to be his disciples. Last week we did a bit of an introduction into the book of Mark showing how Mark is a book of deep mystery around the person of Jesus - calling us further up, and further in - in order to truly discover who Jesus is, in order to follow him in his kingdom mission. We said the challenge of mark is to let this Gospel be a guide to learn to stand before this mystery in silence, to acknowledge the limitations of our understanding, to think again, in order to draw us closer as true disciples as we wonder at the Mystery of our God in the face of Jesus Christ. Last week we ended our study looking at Jesus’ message as he preached throughout the region of Galilee - He said, “The time promised by God has come at last! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe in the Gospel.” A few things for recap from last week - When Jesus went about proclaiming the “good news” he was in fact undermining the claims of Caesar (The King of the Roman empire and the known world). Caesar claimed to be the Son of God who had brought peace to the world through his reign and the Pax Romana. This means then when hear Jesus say, the kingdom of God is here - that meant that Caesar’s claim is false and is doomed. The Prophets foretold that all kingdoms that have ruled on pain of death, with an iron fist, who have taken advantage of the poor, the weak and the marginalized would be dealt with when God’s kingdom came. All oppressors, the violent and predators would be judged and the weak, the poor, the outcast, the truly righteous people would finally be given vindicated and given justice, righteousness and peace. As we saw, Jesus went about telling or rather inviting any and all who would hear - to turn (Repent) from whatever they had been hoping in, living for or even wrong they had previously been doing (Their own plots to overthrow Rome, or whatever thing or means of redemption and rescue they were looking for) and to believe, to give their allegiance to him and join him in his kingdom mission. And we talked a bit about What that allegiance was last week. But I want to talk specifically this morning about how this allegiance plays out specifically in Mark’s Gospel. 1. The Calling of the First Disciples a. Directly following Jesus’ kingdom proclamation we have Jesus walking along the shore of Galilee and there he sees two men, Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew, throwing a net into the water, because they fished for a living. And Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people! And they left their nets at once and followed him.” The story continues with almost the exact same scenario happening with John and his brother James. Jesus calls, they respond leaving their nets, their father and servants, and follow Jesus. b. Directly following Jesus proclamation and invitation we find him inviting these four men to be his disciples. Now disciple is a very Christian word - but in layman terms it is a Student, Pupil, Intern, or apprentice, probably being the best word to describe a disciple. It’s one who learns through experience with a professional. c. And I would suggest to you that Mark is saying to the reader This is how you join Jesus’ kingdom mission, this is how you give him your allegiance - By becoming his disciple. d. Though we give Jesus many titles (The Christ or Messiah, Lord, Savior, King, and they are wonderful and fitting), Rabbi is a title for Jesus that the western Church seems to have forgotten, but it is one of the Gospels favorite ways to refer to Jesus and if we don’t have this as one of our titles and understandings of who Jesus is and was - we miss out on huge theme of Christianity. e. In the Gospels Jesus really had two messages and they went together - The kingdom of God is here, repent and believe; and follow me, or become my disciple. f. This word "disciple" in Hebrew is "talmidim.” There are different ways to translate it. Disciple is the most common. The way of a “talmidim” was not just to learn something from someone but to be an apprentice. In those days you didn’t follow many teachers or Rabbis - you had one, that you sought out - and the goal was to conform your life to your master or teacher in order to be like them. In fact Jesus says this in Luke 6:40 - “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” g. A Rabbi wasn’t just a teacher but an expert in the Law of Moses (the torah), they would travel from town, to village, to synagogue with their set of teachings or “Yoke,” as it was called. These Men had huge respect in the Jewish community.. Rabbi, literally meaning "My Master," which is the way a student would address a master of Torah. The way the Rabbi or teacher role worked in Israel was very similar and maybe even borrowed from the greek philosophers. A Rabbi would be sought out by a student and if you were good enough, and smart enough, the Rabbi would accept you, at which point you would basically turn your life over to your Rabbi - to become their apprentice or disciple. h. This worked in 3 movements: i. The disciple would be with their Rabbi - they lived life together, went everywhere together - watched him, listened to him took in his words and way of life.. ii. The disciple would become like their Rabbi - They would fully adopt the Rabbi’s way of life, the Rabbi’s Rhythm and practices - they would imitate the voice, the body language, the dress, the whole thing - it was taking on the identity of your Rabbi.. iii. Then lastly the disciple would do what their Rabbi did fully assimilate his life and person. Being a disciple ultimately meant to go with your Rabbi in an attitude of study, obedience, and imitation.. iv. Three goals of discipleship or apprenticeship: 1. Be with your Rabbi - Time spent with him, listening, watching, just doing life together.. 2. Become like your Rabbi - Practice his way of life, his rhythms, his teachings. 3. Do what your Rabbi does - he sent them out to preach and to cast out demons… (at war with the kingdom of darkness) 2. Jesus OUR Teacher a. Here in our passage, as I already mentioned - mark mentions the call to Jesus disciples as a way to invite us into the story as well. Will we respond to Jesus message, and offer? In Mark 8:34, Mark again uses a literary device to engage the reader he distinguishes the disciples from the crowd. Jesus calls the disciples and the crowd to himself and talks about the cost of discipleship - Mark does this to get reader to ask - who am I? Am I among the disciples, the students, am I an apprentice of Jesus or just another face in the crowd, just an observer? We might think - well I’m a Christian. Did you know that the Bible only uses the term Christian 3 times and it was used in a derogatory way? It was something the crowd said mockingly about disciples of Jesus. In Contrast, the New Testament uses the word disciple 269 times to speak of Jesus’ people. Just let that settle in for a moment.. Sadly in our time you can be a Christian and not be a disciple of Jesus, you can be a christian without any intention of becoming like Jesus… Discipleship to Jesus, especially in the American church is optional. b. This is so typical of our American consumer mentality - We see Jesus as an option among many teachings and ways of life The idea of becoming like Jesus - comes in conflict with our American message of being ourselves; being true to ourselves, of being unique, of being authentic, of expressing our freedoms. c. But what we are doing is lessening Jesus’ call and demands but when we do that we lessen it’s potency as well. d. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? - Mark 8:34-37 e. Discipleship or Apprenticeship to Jesus is the only real way to follow him - every other way, every lesser way is untrue, and will not lead to life either in this life or the life to come… Even this morning - this might be the very thing you are missing - you know about Jesus, you believe in Jesus, but you have followed at a distance, thinking that this is enough. Jesus calls you to be his disciple. f. Maybe for some of you the idea of a discipline or discipleship or apprenticeship, whatever you call it, has the smell of constraint and losing your freedom. We are living in a cultural moment that tells us that our freedom is the most important thing about us, about life. Your freedom to choose, to express yourself, to seek your best interest, even to end your own life. Freedom is important to being human, but that’s not all there is to being human. So the question that we need to ask ourselves is: Is the life that we are living, the narrative that we are following, giving us true freedom; is it giving us a freedom that also has meaning and purpose, quality and fullness? Or rather is it a so-called freedom that is actually a slave-master masquerading as a liberator? Our Culture is “drowning in ‘freedoms,’ but thirsting for meaning.” -Mark Sayers, Reappearing Church g. When Jesus calls us to be his disciples he says that there is a cost involved - we must take up our cross and follow him – but he promises in doing so, that we will truly live. In another portion of scripture Jesus tells us to take on his “yoke,” that is: his way of life, his teaching his person and his mission, and he says - we will find rest for our souls. Jesus as you Rabbi, and King, will restrict your freedom - the freedoms that destroy you, that destroy others, that make the world a miserable place, and in exchange he will give you true freedom and ultimate meaning. h. Yes, in becoming a disciple of anyone or anything - which we all are; everyone of us are subscribing to some narrative of the good life - In doing so, we lose and restrict our freedoms; the question is will we lose the right freedoms and will we find true meaning and purpose in that Discipleship? 3. The Call of the Disciple a. So here is the call of all disciples of Jesus: i. Be with Jesus ii. Become Like Jesus iii. Do what Jesus did iv. That’s it. That’s the program - whether you’re brand new to following Jesus or you’ve been doing it your whole life. b. Be with Jesus i. An awareness and connection to Jesus the person - I think that this is a piece of Christianity that has been lost in recent years. And maybe it’s because we have tended to see the world in fixed, scientific, rational way - we speak of Jesus as an ideal, we speak of imitation of Christ, the way of Jesus, we might go so far to speak of him as the reigning king of heaven. And maybe that’s just it - we speak about Jesus - so he becomes an ideal, but we don’t speak to Jesus as a living person. We have not practiced and engaged the living presence of Jesus. As Christians we are prioritizing time to being with Jesus. This is the grandest offer of Christianity - we get Jesus we get to be with Jesus. ii. Practice time alone with Jesus. Thinking about his person, talking to him as a friend and confidant, a counselor and guide - a friend who journeys with you along the way of life. 1. I’ve mentioned before, but this is something that I have finally begun to practice as a Christian - to just be with Jesus - talking to him while on a walk, sitting with him on my porch, bringing him into my pains and struggles - It’s bringing his presence into the routine of your daily life. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing - to practice his presence. Cultivate that spirit of his presence - to walk with him, to talk with him - to be with Jesus. 2. Common practices for doing this include, silence and solitude, prayer, fasting, sabbath, and studying of scripture. c. Become like Jesus - Practice the way of Jesus i. I believe that the Sermon on the Mount is the most important teaching of Jesus for disciples, for God’s people. It is where we learn the way of Jesus, the way of the kingdom of God. It’s how we practice the way of Jesus the Rabbi. Jesus, in his sermon says, "Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven… and then as Jesus brings this sermon to a close he says, - “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” ii. The teachings of Jesus contained in the sermon on the mount are not just to be heard, or learned like we often do in modern school, they are to be practiced, they are to be applied, they are to be lived out! 1. We must understand that “practicing the way of Jesus” is not about trying it’s about training training to become who he has redeemed and called us to be. The way of Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, the character of Christ is the gymnasium for the disciple of Jesus - by practicing the way of Jesus, we do what Paul exhorted Timothy to do "to train for godliness." This is how we grow in character to become more like Jesus, through practicing his way of Life - by practicing forgiveness, non-retaliation, meekness, peacefulness, mercy, sincerity, purity, fidelity, fasting, prayer, simplicity, love of God, love of neighbor and our enemy. Practicing grace, finding your identity in Jesus and his mission, practicing the spiritual disciplines, finding your place in a community of Jesus followers… 2. “Jesus does not call us to do what he did, but to be as he was, permeated with love. Then the doing of what he did and said becomes the natural expression of who we are in him.” - Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy iii. That’s the idea of apprenticeship - to practice the way of Jesus so that it becomes a part of who we are - that’s how character is formed. d. Do what Jesus Did. i. “And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.” - Mark 3:13-15 ii. It’s interesting to note that this is exactly what Jesus is described as doing in Mark 1:21-28 - announcing the kingdom of God and casting out Demons. It’s the idea that I mentioned before - Jesus said iii. “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” iv. Disciples are called to do what Jesus did. What did Jesus do? He alerted people to the presence of the kingdom of God, with both his words and his deeds. 1. “Preach the gospel; Teach the way of Jesus; Heal the sick; Cast out demons; Do justice; Eat and drink with those who are far from God; Pray and prophesy; Stand up against religious hypocrisy and pride; Speak truth to political power” - John Mark Comer 2. That is what Jesus did. Again, Jesus alerted people to the power and presence of the kingdom of God everywhere he went - Jesus invites us as his disciples and apprentices to join him in this kingdom mission. e. Your goal, my goal is to learn how to do all that - it’s a life long journey... and it takes your whole person - Your life goal as a christian is to live as an apprentice of Jesus of Nazareth. i. As we practice being with Jesus more will be revealed to us about the person and majesty of Jesus which will increase our transformation and our imitation of Jesus. This is clearly seen in the Gospel of Mark as the disciples spend time with Jesus more and more of the person of Jesus, who he really is, in all his majesty and divinity, is revealed to them. May the Lord do the same for us. 4. Closing: Jesus invitation to everyone of us this morning is to follow him - whether this is the first time you are hearing this or it’s an echo of a call you heard long ago.. a. Jesus is not like any other Rabbi or teacher i. The Rabbi who calls us with Grace, not by our Works or Worthiness (Seeks us out, not because we are special, great or holy, but because he is good) Other Rabbis were sought out - but not Jesus - he is the one seeking, and calling.. ii. The Rabbi who will make us become like him giving us his Spirit iii. The Rabbi who brings us into his kingdom mission: Proclaiming Kingdom and enacting Kingdom 1. But even more, Jesus is… iv. The Rabbi who is Christ, the Messiah: Anointed King v. The Rabbi who is Prophet, filled with Spirit without measure vi. The Rabbi who is Priest, Mediator between God and Mankind vii.The Rabbi who is God in Flesh b. Follow Jesus for the rest of your life, as a disciple, in these simple ways: i. Be with him ii. Become like him iii. Do what he did… for the rest of your life. (Practicingtheway.org, a great place to start with some good structure and more teaching) iv. This is what it means to “believe in Jesus,” to give him our allegiance, to respond to his kingdom announcement. It is to be his disciple. 1. “The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.” Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus's Essential Teachings on Discipleship