January 28, 2018
taught by Ken McGarvey
First Baptist Church of Tellico Village, Tennessee
The Great Commission tells us to go and make disciples of all nations. So first of all, What is a disciple? (Other related questions will follow in subsequent weeks.)
In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) Jesus is not calling us to make converts, but disciples. In Acts 11:26 Luke tells us that “the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.” So we recognize that the term Christian applies to disciples, and Jesus commanded his disciples to make more disciples as he was leaving the earth.
Therefore, the first major question we must ask is, “What is a disciple?” The next is just as important, “How do we make disciples?” As we look at the state of Christianity, not only today, but historically, it will become obvious that only a small portion of people who claim to be Christian actually fit the definition of disciple. But today we will begin by trying to determine what is an actual disciple of Jesus.
What Is a Disciple?
The Collins Dictionary says, “If you are someone’s disciple, you are influenced by their teachings and try to follow their example.” There are two basic things that identify a disciple. He or she is 1) A student of someone’s teachings, and 2) A follower of that person’s example. That means that the disciple of Jesus studies the teachings of Jesus so they can knowledgeably support them. It also means they will follow Jesus’ example of living by the life they live.
Since our primary source for understanding Jesus’ teachings and his life is the New Testament, let us look at what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ as we live our lives today, 2000 years later.
What did Jesus Teach?
We find most of Jesus’ teachings in the gospels and the Book of Revelation, with a few quotes scattered throughout the epistles. So let’s first look at his teachings in the gospels.
Jesus’ ministry began following his baptism. Immediately he went into the wilderness where he fasted 40 days and was tempted by the devil. He answered each temptation by quoting from the Bible (what we call the Old Testament, which was all they had), and rebuking Satan. The temptations were to turn stone into bread for his own nourishment after fasting for so long; to worship Satan so he could have power over all the nations; and to jump from the top of the temple, so angels would catch him in a spectacular display that would be certain to gain followers immediately. Jesus opted against all of these.
Following his temptation the first words of Jesus recorded by Matthew were, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Repent means “turn from your sins.” His first words recorded by Mark are similar, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” Luke’s first quotation from Jesus is as he was preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth. Following the scripture reading, he said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” What was the scripture? It was from Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” It was a message of deliverance from God — physical, social and spiritual. John’s narrative is not chronological, and his first recorded words of Jesus were from his calling of his own disciples.
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6-8) came from early in Jesus’ ministry. In it Jesus introduces an entire new economy of values. He speaks of blessings coming to the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those hungry for righteousness, the meek, the persecuted, the pure-hearted, etc. He says he has not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. Then he attacks most people’s understanding of the law and reinterprets it.
My understanding of the matter says he is interpreting the law as principles. Throughout his ministry, he frequently finds principles for our behavior, and not simply rules to be lived by to the letter. Here are a few examples:
The prohibition of adultery not only condemns acts of adultery, but also includes lust as being adultery. Also, the prohibition of murder applies as well to anger, which is often the background for homicide. So in these, the law of Christ is more restrictive than the Old Testament Law.
Yet when it comes to observance of the Sabbath, Jesus frequently clashed with the Pharisees, as his application of the law was far less restrictive. When the Pharisees condemned him for healing people on the Sabbath, he reminded them that even they overlooked the Sabbath laws to rescue an animal in jeopardy on the Sabbath. So why shouldn’t he heal one who has suffered for many years?
The Pharisees quoted and emphasized “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” limiting, but authorizing payback for crimes committed. But Jesus said we should forgive one another and hold nothing against them. We should not resist evil, but let people abuse us. “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Jesus said to pray and fast in a way that nobody notices, be humble and don’t seek the honors of society. Love your enemies. Share what you have with those who are in need.
And Jesus said all this in a greedy, materialistic, violent society — kind of like today. Jesus’ teachings, as well as his lifestyle, were counter-cultural in his time. The religious leaders, who clung to tradition and past memories, would have called him a liberal if they had used the term then.
But these weren’t the only things Jesus said that upset those who heard him. He claimed to be God. In Matthew 9 he upset many when he claimed the authority to forgive sins. Then in John 14 he claimed to be the only way to God. In John 4 he claimed to be the source of living water, that when one drinks that water Jesus gives him he would never thirst, that water welling up in him into eternal life.
In John 8 after a long discussion with the Pharisees, when they questioned him, he finally said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” They knew he was using those words referring to the name of God. When Moses asked God’s name, he responded, “I am. Tell them I am has sent you.”
In John 3:16, perhaps the most-memorized verse in the entire Bible, he said, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. So Jesus said eternal life comes from believing in him, that he is the only way to the father.
To be a disciple of Jesus us to follow his teachings. That means, first of all, who he is and what he did. He is the son of God, who died in our place for our sins and was raised from the dead. He taught us live humbly, to love one another and to not resist evil. And this is but scratching the surface of all that he taught. But if we want to be considered disciples, this is where we start. It also means that is where we as a church start in bringing people to Christ — not just to salvation, but to discipleship.
When we finish learning about what a disciple really is, we’ll begin talking about how the church can really make disciples — something very few churches are doing successfully today. Or, for that matter, in many historical times, either.
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