Abstract
The Cost of Discipleship
We all have turning points in our lives. Sometimes they are chosen by us and sometimes, they just happen. The ending of Chapter 8 in Mark is a key turning point in the Gospel. The passage begins with Jesus asking his disciples who he is and leads into him foretelling his suffering and leads into pointing out that this is the vocation of all who follow Christ. Writing about a Kempis’
This emphasis in the Gospels is sadly lacking from much preaching and Christian teaching today. Our marketing and success driven culture does not find this view of Discipleship attractive. Some years ago I attended a day conference on “Church Growth” where the speaker spent most of his time pointing to the passages in the gospels which were about growth like the parables of the sower and the mustard seed and the story of the miraculous draught of fishes. Someone in the group did not agree with this emphasis and when asked what the main theme of the Gospels was (expecting the answer “growth”) kept on saying “Suffering”. He was right. It is a gospel trapped in the world of self-fulfilment, management and marketing, which emphasises growth. It is the same sort of Gospel, which believes in a God who blesses his faithful with success and wealth. What Jesus promises us in the world is “Tribulation” (John 16 v.33).
The first reading from Proverbs calls us to listen to the voice of wisdom. Listening rather than speaking seems to lie at the heart of faith. Those who neglect wisdom will be greedy and selfish. Wisdom offers another way where we have to reject the way of others and avoid complacency.
Psalm 19 seems to be two psalms put together. The first is verses 1-6 which praises the wonders of creation. The second half (v. 7-14) shows that goodness is based on the law. Observing the law leads to inner freedom and this leads the psalmist to pray that his life and thoughts may be acceptable God.
In the Epistle of James we see what is acceptable to God. Our nature needs to be tamed to the will of God. Teachers need to be careful about what they say. The tongue is a dangerous part of the body, it can control the whole body. If uncontrolled it can be like a brushwood fire and so it has to be tamed. Our lives and our words need to be consistent with each other.
So when we reflect on the Gospel, we realise that we are at turning point in the ministry of Jesus and the disciples are warned about what they say. So rash Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, but when Jesus points out that the Messiah must suffer, Peter objects and is denounced as Satan. Peter thought that the Christ does not have to suffer, but has to triumph. At the heart of the Gospel is the paradox of the crucified messiah- something very difficult to understand not least in an age of celebrity and worldly success. But throughout scripture the true messengers of God normally suffer. So vv. 34ff express the true nature of Christian discipleship, which means being rejected by the world and taking up the Cross. It is perhaps significant that these words are not just addressed to the disciples but to the following crowd. In this way the true nature and priorities of God are revealed. This passage seems to be a reflection by the early Church looking back on the event of Christ’s life. He would not have known that his path was the path of crucifixion, but His followers can expect no less in one form or another. From this point on, the Gospel moves towards Christ’s passion and we see the true “Cost of Discipleship”. As Bonhoeffer himself put it “Only a suffering God can help.” So only a suffering Church can serve the word- not a triumphant or acceptable one.
As we face turning points in our life, we would do well to recall the words of A Kempis:
Walk where you will.
Seek what you will.
And you will never find a higher road above
No surer road below
Than in the pathway of the Holy Cross.