Disciples Keep Learning

Mark 9: 30-37

Rev. Dr. Mary Alice Mulligan

Last Sunday, we found ourselves at the half-way point of the Gospel of Mark with Peter’s declaration of the Christ. Now we are on the downward slope. As the lengthy season of Pentecost winds toward an end, we hear a shift in the biblical teachings from Mark. Jesus is heading into the final period of his earthly life. The passage we listened to last week and the passage we hear today, show important teachings while Jesus is “on his way” to Jerusalem. As Mark unfolds the story, we can feel the cross looming on the horizon. Jesus’ teachings are getting more pointed; his focus is more on the disciples; no preaching to 5000 now. Last week, in addition to Peter’s declaring Jesus as Messiah, we heard Jesus’ first prediction of death and resurrection, when he calls Peter “Satan” for wanting to deny the possibility of the cross. The story continues today with Jesus’ second prediction of his passion, execution and resurrection. For the first time, the word we translate as “betrayed” or “handed over” is used. He pulls the disciples away from the crowd, speaking only to the inner circle, those who will form the church.

Mark reports that the disciples listen but don’t “get” what Jesus says. Instead, they argue about who is greatest. Jesus’ response is to sit down and teach them [again] how to be his followers; how to be church. He speaks of being last, of serving everyone, and welcoming the most vulnerable – like children – as a welcome to God Almighty. In other words, following Jesus means giving preferential option to the least, those who cannot repay us, or advance our reputation or increase our power. Today, we have the advantage of knowing the whole story – that humans will kill him, but that death will not have the last word. So perhaps we can hear and understand. From the 9th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, listen for the Word of God.  

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

The Twelve were special. Out of all the people crowded around the Galilean rabbi, twelve disciples were singled out. These were apparently distinguished from the others for a reason. The Gospels report some of their call stories. We saw Andrew and Simon Peter abandon their fishing nets when Jesus called them to follow. Others didn’t have their stories recorded, but each Gospel considered the Twelve important enough to list their names (although there is variation between lists in each Gospel). But always Twelve names were given as those Jesus specially called to himself.

Scholars point out the symbolic importance of 12 within Judaism. There were 12 tribes from the 12 descendants of Jacob/Israel. So to have twelve special disciples indicated for Israel a completeness. Jesus had come with a word to all of Judaism; all of Israel was called. So on those few occasions when special teachings were given to the Twelve, we might hear Jesus as if speaking specifically to those early followers who were Jewish. One of their specific teachings was when Jesus sent out the Twelve disciples to preach and heal with God’s authority. They comprised what we think of as Jesus’ inner circle of disciples, so they were probably the ones most of us thought of whenever scripture referred to disciples. If scripture spoke of Jesus and his disciples entering a house, or having a meal together, or walking along the road, we assumed scripture was describing a scene of 13 people, Jesus and the Twelve. After all, they were the ones listed by name, described as the ones he specifically called. So, we think of them as his disciples. The Twelve disciples were special.

But Jesus has many disciples. When scripture uses the term “disciple,” no specific number of followers is implied. We sometimes hear stories of Jesus’ calling people by name who are not listed in the Twelve, like Levi, the tax collector. No one puts him in the list of 12. Other times a different number is used for disciples, like when Jesus sends out the 70, who have the same mission as the Twelve, to proclaim the Good News and heal the sick. Jesus says to reject the Seventy is to reject him. By the way, no one says the 70 did not include women.

The more important distinction is between “the crowd” and “the disciples.” A crowd gathers to see what all the hoopla is about. But disciples make a commitment. When Jesus extends an invitation, disciples respond. They follow Jesus, and they serve. Those are the two big characteristics of disciples. They follow Jesus and they serve in his name, by proclaiming the ways of God manifest in Jesus and by caring for those in need. No one is excluded from the invitation to discipleship. Men and women are called; Jew and Gentile (the non-Jews); healthy and ill; with all different physical and mental abilities and gifts. Anyone can be a disciple who follows and serves. Amazingly, disciples of Jesus include lots of poor people, women, outcasts, sinners, anyone who listens to Jesus. He is willing to get right among them, even touch them. Disciples follow Jesus and serve anyone in need. Jesus’ extravagant inclusion is startling, considering the norms of the time that said certain people were expendable, worthless. And those who interact with society’s throwaways would be tainted themselves, so it was a significant sacrifice to become disciples. But perhaps even more astonishing is that the Gospel writers record the inclusion of women and other ignored people as full-fledge disciples. Get it? Not just that Jesus included outcasts, but the Gospel writers were brave enough to record it. Which is wonderful, because scripture gives even us the tools to follow Jesus and serve in his name. Which means even we can be disciples, because Jesus has lots of disciples.

So, here’s the point. All disciples are to serve. If we follow Jesus, we minister to others. The key image for the life of disciples is servanthood. After Jesus gives lessons where crowds of onlookers and disciples are all mixed together, frequently we then see him alone with disciples (of course there may be 50 of them) where he unpacks the meaning more deeply. Which means, of course, what we hear in scripture is directed to any of us who consider ourselves disciples of Jesus. When stories in scripture refer to “disciples,” the meaning is not just for the Twelve, but for all who follow and serve. In fact, I think the argument “on the way” among the disciples, about who was greatest wasn’t between Peter and John (Jesus loves me best; I’m the Rock). I think the argument may easily have been between the Twelve and the rest of the disciples. Why wouldn’t the Twelve act like big shots? “We are pretty great, after all Jesus sent us out preaching by ourselves first.” So, perhaps pride is why Jesus calls the Twelve aside to teach them again. If you want to be first, you must be last, and servant of all. The Twelve are just like the other disciples; no one is greater than another. Each must honor the teachings of Jesus by serving. Biblical scholar Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm says, “[D]iscipleship means welcoming and caring for those who are of least concern to others.”[1] In other words, disciples care for those whom society chooses to ignore.

Get it? Disciples are like the St. Andrew folks who bought balloons and tablecloths, decorated Fellowship Hall, baked lasagna, made a pie, bought brownies, and set tables in preparation for the Project 180 dinner and graduation last Monday, then joined the festivities, eating together and celebrating the graduates of the reentry program. Then cleaned up. They extended extravagant welcome, following Jesus and serving, without any expectation of reciprocation. Just the servanthood of disciples of Jesus Christ, and (truth be told) they had a blast. Whoever wants to be the greatest, goes last, and serves. All disciples of Jesus serve.

            When Jesus calls us, we can pretend to follow him without changing anything about us. Or we can commit our lives to following Jesus, working to live according to his teachings, which come from God’s vision of the world the way it is supposed to be. We won’t receive power or social status or a luxurious lifestyle from following Jesus. In fact, the disciple’s life might be harder. But as we go “on the way,” welcoming, serving, sacrificing for others, we discover that what Jesus said is true. Whoever welcomes someone powerless or whom society considers dispensable, welcomes Jesus and welcomes the one who sent him. Another way to say that is, whenever we serve, miraculously we discover God is in our midst. It’s no wonder we have a blast.

[1] Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, Preaching the Gospel of Mark (Westminster John Knox, 2008), 166.