Discipleship

¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

¹⁶As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." ¹⁸At once they left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Nature of discipleship (What is a disciple)

Story tells us thst a disciple must be prepared to follow Jesus with his/her whole heart, giving up everything to achieve this. This story also shows the kind of poele Jesus calls. Sinners, people who are not perfect, in need of forgiveness, alone and broken.

The disciple must go out and tell people about Jesus

Discipleship today: Same as the above.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. ⁷Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil^[b] spirits.

⁸These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. ⁹Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. ¹⁰Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. ¹¹And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."

¹²They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

What this tells us about disciples

In this story we also learn that the d must depend on God for everything even for food and for money. We also realise that Jesus gives his followers a Job.

1. Preach

2. Teach

3. Drive out demons

4. Heal the sick.Today, most Christians find it almost impossible to meet these demands. Paying for houses and family Puts huge strain on people. However there are still millons of people who devote their lives in the same way as the 12. But we can love god in the every day. Being kind to our friends, helping our parents, all of these are important to discipleship too.

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

³¹Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³²A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."

³³"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

³⁴Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

The true family of Jesus

Key point here is that Jesus makes it clear that only those who put the will of God before everything else can become his family. Doing what God wants e.g. loving. Forgiving, helping.

Your real family may disagree about your beliefs and so you may have to make a decision between your religious family/the church and doing as your family instruct. It may also cost you friends. But God will love us no matter what we chose and if we do make wrong choices he will always help us through

Who is Greatest?

³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" ³⁴But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

³⁵Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

³⁶He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

True greatness

We learn that the disciple has to put other people in front ( self-sacrafice) at the cost of their own welfare. Nuns, priests, charity workers. (getting up a two in the morning to take food to homeless people (costs you sleep)

. They must also give up on their own plans for their lives and put their trust in God for every need.

Christians today may struggle with Jesus demands for many reasons. Giving up their money and status is so hard. Society’s idea of greatness is so very different to Jesus’.

Money and power vs humility and service.

¹⁷As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'^[d]" "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. ^Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is^[e] to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

The rich young man

The cost: Giving up one’s wealth

Problems with this for Christians today: Impractical... How would you eat..?? What if you are wealthy but are very loving, give money to charities. Can this person not get to heaven Also, the church (POPE IN ROME) Huge wealth. If this teaching is to be taken litteraly , the Pope and and his bishops can’t get to heave.

"A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the winepress, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country. When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard. They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty. Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. Again he sent another; and they killed him; and many others, beating some, and killing some. Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those farmers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others. Haven't you even read this Scripture:
'The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord,

it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

Jesus uses an allegory (story with a hidden meaning) to further explain the cost of following him. In the story....

Vine yard owner is God, The vine yard is the Jewish people, Tenants are the Jewish leaders, the Servants are the prophets sent by God to the people ,The Son is Jesus,The others = Gentiles (non Jews)

The Cost: May have to loses your life. Oscar Romero, Martin Luther king... both died because the preached about Gods love and the demands that this loves makes on sociities today. Many Christians believe that Jesus is refering to himself. It is also believe that htis story reveals God’s plan for humainty from the beginning of creation to the end of time.

And He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?" And one of the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it." And He answered them and said, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!" They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. "It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" ^(C)All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." When Jesus saw that ^(D)a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again." After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, "He is dead!" But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. When He came ^(E)into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."

The failure of the disciples

The disciples were not able to cast out the demon. Jesus says that the reason they were unable was because they had not prayed before they tried. Prayer is a vital part of the work of a disciple. Jesus was upset at their lack of trust and faith.... they let him down here.

1. Some Christians today say that the boy was really possessed by and evil spirit and that Jesus removed him from the boy.

2. Some Christians believe that the boy had epilepsy...and because no one understood that illness they believe is was a demon.

3. Some Christians do not believe it matters. The fact is the boy is set free from what ever he had that was making him ill. Today, many Christians believe there really is a devil, demonds and Evil. Some Priests in the Catholic Church still perform exorcisms today.

⁾James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You." And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Grant that we ^(B)may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^(C)to drink the cup that I drink, or ^(D)to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"They said to Him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink ^(E)you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; ^(F)but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."

JAmes and John thought they has a special place in Jesus' kingdom, they believed they were good enough to have them but.... Jesus had to correct them.

1. Jesus followers will not have special power like the Romans. Greatness is not about political power or wealth. IT IS ABOUT SERVING OTHERS. Again the disciples fail to understand this or else James and John would not have tried to get the high places first.

** IMPORTANT** Jesus last sentence talks about the servant needing to pay a randsome for many. You pay a randsome to people who have a person in prison. Jesus is talking about his death and how laying down his life will get people out of the prison of sin. The sin in our life keeps us from God and heaven.

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written:
" 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'^{[a] 28}But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." ²⁹Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice^[b] you yourself will disown me three times." But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same.

Gethsemane

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." ³³He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ³⁶"Abba,^[c] Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? ³⁸Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. ⁴⁰When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. Returning the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"