Welcome to Discipleship 101. In Mark’s Gospel, class starts after Peter acknowledges Jesus as Messiah (8:27-30). Mark’s explicit about it: “They [Jesus and the disciples] went on from there [the mountain where Jesus was transfigured] and passed through Galilee. And [Jesus] did not want anyone to know for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise'” (9:30,31).
So what discipleship lessons does Jesus teach?
Lesson 1: I’m going to be killed and rise (9:31). This is the Gospel’s heart (see 1 Corinthians 15:3,4). A crucified Messiah is a scandal, but familiarity has softened it. Because of pride, we’re blind to our need of him. But this is the Good News—not only because his death and resurrection were for our sake, but also because they mark out the road of discipleship we’re called to follow.
Lesson 2: If you want to come after me, you have to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me (8:34). We looked at this lesson here https://theoldpreacher.com/selfie/ and here https://theoldpreacher.com/selfie-too/. In short, to follow Jesus we have to lay down our lives as we naturally want to live them—and in some cases, lay them down to death. We may learn this at the very beginning of faith or a little later. But learn it we must. The lesson is foundational. Until it’s in place, nothing of any weight can be built into us.
Lesson 3: To be first, be last and serve everybody (9:35). We previously considered this lesson here: https://theoldpreacher.com/fight-for-last-place/. Each disciple argued, “I’m the greatest”. Jesus made a little child their model (9:33-37). Why? Because Jesus was bottom-of-the-order servant to everyone and so must his disciples be.
Lesson 4: Whoever isn’t against us is for us (9:38-41). “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
Welcome to denominationalism (or non-denominationalism)! Because he’s not “one of us” (Reformed, Arminian, hymn-singers, contemporary worship song-singers, Lord’s table “fencers”, charismatics, etc.) we brand him “inferior”. The Twelve looked down on a man acting in Jesus’ name who was not one of them, so we openly or subconsciously look down on those not one of us. Two thousand years of church history and we still struggle to learn the one not against us is for us!
Lesson 5: Better to drown than cause a little one to stumble (9:42-50). “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
If you don’t get that this is serious stuff, better re-read Jesus’ words! It seems Jesus said this while the child (9:36) was still in the house with them. So I take “little ones” to mean “children”. Little children are capable of “little children faith”. But if any of us “big” disciples causes one of Jesus’ “little ones” to “stumble” (the literal meaning of the Greek verb skandalion) it’d be better for us to jump into the river wearing a concrete necklace!
This is a frightening warning! How does a child react to a father who abuses his mother? What happens when a child sees his father watching online porn? How do children feel about the church “family” when they hear gossip or bad-mouthing about them? They follow in the footsteps of the “big” guys! How many children have been “tripped up” in their simple faith by adults who don’t take sanctified living seriously?
Jesus is so no-nonsense about this he uses his strongest language for the guilty. Hack off your hand if it brings about sin! Saw off your leg if it leads you to sin! Claw out your eye if it compels you to sin! Of course, Jesus is using figures of speech. But let’s not allow grammar to soften the force of the warning! It would be better to drown than cause a “little one” to stumble over our sin! Jesus is that serious about our not causing a “little one” to stumble over our sin!
Jesus’ “salt”-talk puzzles me. Commentators I’ve read do contortions, but in my opinion poorly explain it. So when I figure it out, I’ll come back to it. Meanwhile the class for Discipleship 101 is over.
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Ah, but wait, let’s talk test. When will the test be? The rest of this day. And the rest of our lives. You see, this isn’t a pen-and-paper test taken in the church sanctuary or Sunday school class or online. We take it where we live and work. We take it in our day-to-day circumstances. And as soon as we’re done here, it starts . . .
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