What is Discipleship in the bible ? It is to follow Jesus teachings and continuously adopt a Jesus worldview in this life and eventually receive the reward of an eternity with Him in the afterlife.
Discipleship is a difficult undertaking, not to be taken lightly. Our Lord told us to count the cost of discipleship, lest we be the laughingstock of the community. Because of our fickle human nature, it will always be an uphill struggle, however, it is in this difficulty of struggle that we come to understand how much he endured for us when He willingly took up His cross of suffering.
The two great commandments, a love of God and a love of Neighbor encapsulates all His teachings on discipleship. We live in this world to learn to love God and to learn to love others. How well we excel in this objective is the determinant of where we go in death.
Kusller- Mother Mary, Luke 1:26-28
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Expectations and traits of discipleship
a) On Persecution (Matt 10:17-25)
They can expect tensions between themselves and the world in general, because of their devotion to our Lord. It happened with the early Christians and it has never changed; the way of the world is not the way of Jesus. Adherents are the troublemakers, spoilers of the party, those who don’t know their place and so on. They are the ones that see the reality of things through a Jesus world view which places justice at its pinnacle.
It is a disciple upholding righteousness that will always get him or her into trouble. They are inspired or propelled to speak for the poor and downtrodden. They are against behaviour that is injurious to the person or society at large. We have been instructed to speak for righteousness and what is correct and the Holy Spirit will give us the wherewithal to keep going, even when we think the odds are insurmountable.
b) On Fearing God more than people (Matt 10:26-33)
Adherents are asked to remember, that no matter the hardship of being an adherent, always remember that the extent of our lives on earth is a mere trifle compared to the notion of eternity. Our Lord demonstrated His power over death and He promises a place with Him, for as long as we live as His disciples. Life on earth is just the beginning.
The demons that met Him while He was on earth were always reverential and then fearful of what He was capable of doing to them (namely the destruction of their souls). Always remember that the Lord is on our side as Christians. If demons revere Him, how dare we not?
Adherents must be willing to take up their cross (a symbol of hardship and rejection) and follow Christ in His teachings on the narrow and harder path.
c) On Humility (Matt 19:1-5)
The apostles want to know how to become great in the Kingdom of heaven. Christ uses a child to reveal that humility is the quality that defines greatness in the Kingdom. It is often demonstrated by how we treat each other; the beatitude of meekness in the Sermon on the Mount comes to mind. Meekness in the dictionary is defined as submissiveness, but there are other more suitable adjectives such as patience, forbearance, gentleness, mildness, softness and so on. It is the condition where one actively seeks the other's good, even at the expense of personally losing out. Another name for such behaviour is love.
Warning for those who cause others to stumble (Matt 18:1-5)
The Lord warns of the dangers of causing others to stumble, especially the innocent and spiritually immature. We should never underestimate our influence on others for both good and bad. In everything that we do, we should attempt to edify each other.
Giovanni- He carries the cross, John 19:17-42
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St Paul in his writings encourages disciples to abstain from any activity that may lead another to stumble, even if they remain unaffected. We should be sensitive to our neighbour's needs, before our own in the Christian walk. If there is even the slightest possibility of offending or influencing another, due to behaviour they either frown upon or may lead them to compromise, avoid it purely out of respect for your neighbour.
d) On the father's care and protection (Matt 18:10-44)
We are told not to be self-righteous in our approach to our neighbours especially when they sin. God is extremely committed to restoring his struggling children. The parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, the prodigal son and so on show the magnanimity of our father and we are asked to act in like fashion.
A corollary to the above is the need to forgive each other (Matt 18: 21-35). Peter asks how many times one should forgive a neighbour. According to the Lord, we should do so infinitely. The parable of the unmerciful servant drives home the point.
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