Imitation Is the Most Sincere Form of…Discipleship
NRSV
When I was growing up, my family moved around quite a bit. People usually think my father must have been in the military. “Army brat?” they ask, but the truth is my father was transferred from one location to another with some frequency. I simply followed him from one place to another. One of the ways we learned to connect with people in a new location was through the local church, and I connected with kids at the latest school by joining in extracurricular activities like music and drama. As we got older, my younger brother started doing the same things, but sometimes he came home complaining because the teacher had called him “Chris” instead of “Trevor.” I remember wishing he would find his own thing rather than copying what I thought of as “my” thing. My mother would say, “Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery,” but that answer never satisfied. My brother wanted recognition as an individual human being, a completely normal and reasonable request, and yet I felt threatened by his perceived encroachment on my “turf.” Perhaps this retelling is irrevocably tainted by my personal location; I am quite certain my brother remembers things differently. Nonetheless, this memory emphasizes the complexity of interpersonal dynamics between leader and follower: the leader does not always appreciate being followed, and the follower may fear the loss of his or her individuality. These considerations inform my hermeneutic of suspicion when reading a text that seems to demand unquestioning obedience.
Arguably the best-known theologian to have written about discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes it clear that unquestioning obedience is at the heart of true discipleship. He writes, “…there is no road to faith or discipleship, no other road–only obedience to the call of Jesus.”1 If this statement is accurate, then the call to discipleship is not about belief in Jesus; instead, it is about obedience to his call. It is a moment of complete surrender to God, a turning point at which one is compelled to take action in response to God’s call. Taken at face value, obedience is expected as a deontological response to God’s command. As evidence, Bonhoeffer points to the passage where Jesus calls Levi (Mk. 2:14).2 Levi asks no questions at all. Jesus calls him to leave his worldly context, to stop what he is doing and follow, and he does so without regard for personal cost. The same observation holds true for other accounts of Jesus calling his disciples throughout the synoptic gospels.
Of course, this idea sets off all my alarm bells. It seems to suggest the believer must follow blindly. Indeed, Bonhoeffer later says one should take the first step to follow Christ, whether or not one believes, simply because one is commanded to take the step.3 This feels like the kind of unexamined obedience that might lead to frustration for the leader and loss of identity for the follower. Bonhoeffer also indicates that obedience and belief are somehow inextricably intertwined; you can’t have one without the other.4 On the surface, this would seem to mitigate the personal identity crisis that sets off my alarm bells, but belief almost seems to be a by-product of the unquestioning obedience at the heart of Bonhoeffer’s discipleship. At the risk of missing Bonhoeffer’s point, I want to ask questions. What, exactly, does it mean to follow in the context of the synoptic gospels? Is this simply a call to follow Christ from one geographic location to another, or is it something more? What, if any, safeguards are in place to protect the identity and individuality of the follower?
The synoptic gospel accounts of Jesus calling the first disciples (Mt. 4:18–22, Mk. 1:16–20, Lk. 5:1–11) use three different Greek phrases that ultimately translate to some form of the verb "to follow” in the NRSV. Two of these phrases (deute opiso — “to come after/behind” and apelthon opiso — “to go away behind/after”) appear only in the accounts of Jesus calling the first disciples. Other than the suggestion in Mark’s version that discipleship involves following Jesus whether we are coming or going, these phrases are not particularly instructive regarding discipleship.
The third example, akolouthesan (from the root word akoloutheo), is more commonly used than the other two, and therefore may prove more useful in the current investigation. The root is usually translated as "to follow." Since it appears in the aorist indicative mood, it would normally be translated using the simple past tense “followed.” Akoloutheo appears in the synoptic gospel accounts of the first disciples’ callings and in other passages throughout the Second Testament.
The most common usage of akoloutheo indicates geographic motion. The disciples follow Jesus from one place to another, or the crowds follow Jesus out into the countryside or up the mountainside in order to hear his teachings. It is clear that akoloutheo can indicate physical travel between two places, but perhaps there is also deeper meaning to be discerned.
One place where akoloutheo is used in a somewhat different sense is in the story of the wealthy young man (Mt. 19:16–22, Mk. 10:17–31, Lk. 18:18–30). In this story, the wealthy young man asks Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the Mosaic law. When the young man says he already keeps the law, Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow Jesus. This is not necessarily a universal call to the renunciation of worldly possessions; not many are capable of fulfilling such a call. What it suggests, however, is the importance of recognizing God’s sovereignty over material possessions, even as it highlights the importance of caring for the needy. Disciples, then, are called to submit to God’s authority and to orient themselves along God’s axis: care for those in need and love for the other. Clearly, these elements characterized Jesus’ ministry, a calling that we are invited to join as followers of Jesus.
Another passage that holds out promise for understanding discipleship comes from Mt. 16:24 (also Mk. 8:31–9:1 and Lk. 9:23–27), where Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Here, akoloutheo calls for self-denial, but perhaps one can see that such self-denial is not about identity so much as individual desires. Thomas à Kempis makes this point when he writes, “As soon as you have given yourself to God with all your heart and seek neither this nor that for your own pleasure and purpose, but place yourself completely in His charge, you shall find yourself at peace…”5 This is self-denial that frees the disciple to love the other. It is grounded firmly in the logic of the cross, defying human logic because it is God’s logic, built on the foundation of God’s extravagant and universal love for all humanity. In the cross, Jesus willingly assumed responsibility for the burden of humanity’s sin, demonstrating the depth of God’s love. Furthermore, Jesus calls his disciples to “take up their cross” to join him in God’s ministry of love.
The only way that we can share God’s love with others is by meeting them where they are. We have to get out of our own way and leave our baggage behind. We have to listen to the other, without our own distracting thoughts and concerns. We have to move past the need to defend ourselves and seek to minister to the other’s needs unconditionally. Paul Tillich defines faith as “ultimate concern,”6 and he indicates that our faith is revealed through our actions.7 I would point out, though, that the action required is not the surrender of personal identity. Instead, we are called to surrender to the love of God and allow the Spirit to minister to others through us.
In the end, I think Bonhoeffer was right. Discipleship involves both obedience and belief, inextricably intertwined, but the glue holding them together is the foundation of a trusting relationship with God. Because I know what God has done for me, because I have experienced God’s love and mercy, I trust God with my very being. I trust enough to let go of my personal concerns and surrender to God’s love. Such surrender allows the Holy Spirit to work through me in ministering to the other. Such surrender allows me to join Jesus in ministry by doing the sorts of things Jesus did and by treating people the way that Jesus treated people. This is how we share God’s love. Imitation is the most sincere form of discipleship.
Notes
1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Touchstone, 1995), 58.
2. Ibid., 57.
3. Ibid., 67.
4. Ibid., 63.
5. Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1996), 276.
6. Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith (New York: HarperOne, 2009), 1.
7. Ibid., 4.
