Discipleship According to Jesus

As we have made our way through Mark 9-12 in worship on Sunday mornings, some very stark contrasts have emerged between those who seem to ‘get’ Jesus and what it means to follow Him and those who don’t. Those we would assume to be in the know turn out to be the ones that don’t have a clue. But those who have been marginalized and ignored by the rest of society turn out to be the ones with the greatest insight into God’s grace revealed in Jesus.

The Scribes and Pharisees knew the scriptures better than anyone but only wanted to draw attention to themselves. The little children knew nothing of the scriptures but eagerly desired to receive a blessing from Jesus.

Jesus’ own disciples were consumed with being called great and being seated in positions of power, but the blind beggar named Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus for healing and wholeness.

The rich young man couldn’t bring himself to part with his possessions in order to follow Jesus, but the widow was willing to give all she had to live on, trusting in God’s gracious provision.

The Good News for us is that discipleship - being a follower of Jesus - is less about doing and accomplishing and more about eagerly receiving the blessings that Jesus has to give us. So abundant are these blessings that they can’t help but to overflow into the lives of those around us. Such is the life of Christ’s Church: receiving abundant blessings and gifts and then pouring them out for the sake of our neighbors!