Discipleship as the Subversive Way of Jesus
The Meaning of Discipleship
The New Testament expresses the identity of Christians in various ways: "the salt of the earth" (Matt 5:13), "the light of the world" (Matt 5:14), "the aroma of Christ" (2 Cor 2:15), "a letter from Christ" (2 Cor 3:3), "Christ’s ambassadors" (2 Cor 5:20), and "a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 2:3). However, one of the greatest eulogies and blessings in Christian life is to be counted as a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. Words such as “disciple” and “discipline” come from the same Latin root, discipulus, which means pupil. To be a disciple means to practice or exercise imitatio Christi in Paul’s words (1 Thess 1:6; 1 Cor 11:1; Phil 3:10; Rom 15:5). The term imitatio Christi implies the practice of following the example of Jesus. It aims at making followers or believers bear the image of Christ through imitation of him and his character. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus said to his disciples: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34). The image of Jesus is characterized as self-denial for the will of his Father and self-sacrifice for humankind. These two are the core virtues of discipleship that is the best measure of a spiritual life. To help his readers imitate the image of Jesus, Mark introduced the story of the way into his Gospel.
The Story of “the Way”
The Gospel of Mark in comparison to other Gospels contains a unique distinction that stands out in its preface: “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way…a voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’" (1:1–3). Astute readers of this Gospel will keep watch for the word “way.” The Greek word, hodos, translated into “way,” “path,” or “road” appears sixty-two times in the four Gospels. From the beginning, Mark uses the word hodos three times. The word comes up frequently throughout the second Gospel. In particular, Mark refers to the word with high frequency in Mark 8:27–10:32. This section is the theological center of the Gospel of Mark. It overlaps with the three passion predictions (8:31–33; 9:30–32; 10:32–45) in which Jesus clarifies the nature of his mission to his disciples.
By alluding to Isaiah 40:3 in his preface, Mark recounts a new Exodus. According to Isaiah, God led the Israelites along the way that was prepared by him to deliver them from Egyptian captivity (40:3; 42:16; 43:16–19; 49:11–12). Drawing on the statement of Isaiah, Mark introduces a new Exodus through the story of Jesus’ way which leads to Jerusalem from Galilee for the salvation of God’s people. The way of Jesus signifies God’s salvific act for his people that will be fulfilled on the cross.
In Mark 8:27, Jesus asked his disciples “on the way” going on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi, "Who do people say I am?” Note this new Exodus through the story of Jesus’ way for the readers of Mark 1:2. On his first use of the term “way,” Jesus asks his disciples about his identity, which is an important theme in Mark. The reader may notice a close relationship between the way and identity of Jesus. After asking them this question, Jesus declared that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be killed, and be raised again (8:31).
In the second passion prediction, 9:30–34, the disciples still hold onto the wrong view that the way of Jesus will bring a kingdom of power and glory to them. Jesus again attempts to clear the disciples’ vision in 9:35–37. He tells them that true power and glory come only when one assumes the role of a servant: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (9:35).
The second use of the way is in Mark 10:17: “As 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?’” This is the story of the rich young ruler who eventually turns away from Jesus’ way since he could not give up “worldly goods” for God’s good.
The last reference to the way is in Mark 10:32: “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.” In this last reference, Mark signifies that the way leading to Jerusalem is where Jesus will suffer and be crucified. This verse reveals the commitment and passion of Jesus to fulfill the mission set out by his Father.
The Physical Way, the Way to the Cross, and Discipleship
The word “way” in the Gospel of Mark has multiple meanings, metaphorically. Mark’s story of the way begins from Galilee and ends in Jerusalem. Such a spatial movement of Jesus is a metaphor to illustrate the nature of discipleship. The “way” is not just the path of Jesus; it is also the path of his disciples. The way of Jesus is the path upon which his disciple must travel if he hopes to be his disciple. Jesus already said to them about the cost of discipleship in chapter 8 on which his passion story begins in earnest: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (8:35). This verse implies some serious cost of discipleship. As Jesus shows self-denial and self-sacrifice throughout his mission and finally on the cross, his disciples should strive to do the same.
The story of the way seems to end in Jerusalem with the crucifixion of Jesus, but it is not finished yet. After Jesus is risen from the tomb, he commands his disciples to go to Galilee: “Go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”(16:7). Why Galilee? Galilee was Jesus’ mission outpost for his public life and the place where he recruited the disciples “to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim” (3:14).
However, they failed to stay with Jesus on the road to the cross and finally betrayed him. They have to go back to Galilee, and carry out their discipleship again from there in the power of the resurrected Jesus. This is a gospel which invites them to hope and life beyond failure. Jesus gave them a chance to exercise faithful discipleship anew despite their human shortcomings and betrayal. The physical way in the Gospel of Mark serves as a metaphor for the way of Jesus and a paradigm of true discipleship.
Irony One: The Way of Jesus
In addition to 1:1–3, Mark clarified Jesus’ identity as the Son of God through a heavenly voice: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (1:11). At the last part of his Gospel, Mark repeated this Christological statement through a Gentile centurion’s confession: “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (15:39). Mark embellished the beginning and ending of his Gospel with his important theological agenda, the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, in an inclusive structure. However, with this image of Jesus, there is a reversal in his Gospel.
Midway through his Gospel (chs. 9–15), Mark concentrated on how Jesus fulfilled the role of the suffering servant who describes his public ministry as a journey to the cross. It is a crucial irony that Jesus is not only the suffering servant, but he is also the Son of God. A touchstone to be a true disciple is whether he or she understands this irony in relation to Jesus’ identity. In the Gospel of Mark, both the ministry and passion of Jesus provide the foundation of discipleship. Mark focused on sketching the ironical portrait of Jesus as the suffering Son of God and what it means to become his disciple. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus was revealed as an upside-down Son of God who fulfilled a new Exodus/God’s salvific act through servanthood, humility, and sacrifice, by the world’s standards. By redefining the nature of power and the value of suffering through the way of Jesus, Mark showed us the way of his disciples and the nature of discipleship.
Irony Two: The Way of Disciples
Mark’s severe depiction of the disciples serves an instructive purpose to teach readers about true discipleship. In the three passion predictions, Jesus predicted his coming crucifixion and dealt with the failure of the disciples in perceiving the irony—Jesus’ identity as the suffering Son of God. In spite of Jesus’ three predictions, the disciples did not comprehend them and misunderstood the identity and mission of Jesus in leading the way. Against the negative examples of the twelve disciples which are characterized as having spiritual dullness and inappropriate attitudes, the minor characters are presented as positive examples for true discipleship.
As the first example to illustrate true discipleship, Mark recounted the healing of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52 so that his readers can recall Isaiah 42:16, which states healing the blind as one of the abilities of the Messiah. After blind Bartimaeus received his sight, the story is finished in short as follows: “He immediately followed Jesus along the way” (10:52). Here the Greek word, akoloutheo, translated into “to follow,” means to join Jesus as his disciple. Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the way as his disciple.
In addition to Bartimaeus, there are several examples which show true discipleship through minor characters: the nameless woman who anoints Jesus at Bethany (14:1–9), a Roman centurion (15:39), Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome who followed to the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion (15:40–41), and Joseph of Arimathea who buried Jesus (15:43). Compared with the twelve disciples, these minor characters rather exemplify true discipleship.
Mark’s severe depiction of the disciples serves a powerful purpose: to teach the readers about true discipleship. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus has reversed the positions of insiders and outsiders. Jesus says: “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (10:31). Mark reminds the readers that true discipleship demands humility and servanthood. Here we can understand why Jesus asked the disciples about his identity in the midst of Caesarea Philippi, the city dedicated to Augustus and false gods. Mark shows that Jesus’ way reverses the value and way of this world which places high importance on personal achievement and power. His way is subversive and ironical from a worldly standpoint. Mark asks us: “Are you ready to follow the subversive way of Jesus, the ironical way of love by suffering?” Crucifixion is a terrible scandal for love! To be a true disciple is really to become a scandal in our life surrounded by vulgar values just as Jesus did.
