What is a Disciple?

 

The Lord God has given Me the tongue [lason – tongue, language] of disciples [limmud – learned, practiced], that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens [ur – stir, arouse] My ear to listen as a disciple.  Isaiah 50:4

Isaiah was given a number of specific prophecies about the coming Messiah, particularly His first coming as a “Suffering Servant.” Isaiah 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-11, and 52:13-53:12 contain specific references to My Servant who has been given My Spirit (Isaiah 42:1). He would be the Learned One who would deliver the words necessary for His disciples to continue the work that he would start during His public ministry. Preparing His disciples for His return to heaven would be consolidated into a three-year timeframe. The Jews then were astonished, saying, "How has this man become learned, having never been educated?" So, Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him (John 7:15-18). 

Come & You Will See

John testified, saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed [akoloutheo - to go with or follow a teacher] Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So, they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (which is translated as Peter).                    John 1:32-42

The above passage details not only Jesus's baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit but also the introduction of His first disciples. He would be teaching them how to follow. The individual's calling to follow Jesus involved abiding fellowship with Him, not only for the sake of learning as a scholar from his teacher but also for the sake of the salvation known or sought that presented itself in such fellowship. Jesus told them to "Come, and you will see."  A disciple doesn’t just learn about the teacher but experiences His life by staying with Him. 

The Twelve 

The Greek word translated as ‘disciple” is mathetes. It means more in the New Testament than a mere pupil or learner. It is an adherent who accepts the instruction given to him and makes it his rule of conduct. In John 9:28, the Pharisees told the healed blind man, "You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.” Jesus had disciples because they believed and made His teaching the basis of their conduct. This English word comes from the Latin discipulus, a scholar, from discere, to learn, one who professes to have learned certain principles from another and maintains them on that other's authority. In the New Testament, it is applied principally to the followers of Christ, sometimes to those of John the Baptist and the Pharisees. It is used in a special manner to point out the twelve. A disciple of Christ may now be defined as one who believes his doctrine, rests upon his sacrifice, receives his Spirit, and imitates his example.

And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach and to have authority to cast out the demons. And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means "Sons of Thunder"); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.       Mark 3:13-19

Early in His public ministry, Jesus chose twelve men to whom He would invest His life. They would receive His authority to preach and to cast out the demons. Barnes Notes explains: The reason why "twelve" were chosen was, most likely, that such a number would be deemed competent witnesses of what they saw; that they could not be easily charged with being excited by sympathy or being deluded, as a multitude might; and that, being destined to go into all the world, a considerable number seemed indispensable. Perhaps, also, there was some reference to the fact that "twelve" was the number of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Carry Your Cross

Jesus made several statements regarding the principle of discipleship. In Luke 14:26-27, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate [miseo – love less] his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. The issue of loving less emphasizes the aspect of loyalty. One's loyalty to Jesus must come before loyalty to one’s family or even life itself. The interests of Christ must always take priority over those of family members. When Jesus enjoined His followers to carry their crosses and follow Him, He was referring to a public display before others that Jesus was right and that disciples would follow Him even to their deaths. This is precisely what the religious leaders refused to do. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (Luke 14:33). 

So, Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed [pisteuo – firmly persuaded] Him, "If you continue [meno - to remain or abide in something, equivalent to remaining steadfast, persevering in it] in My word [logos – divine discourse], then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."             John 8:31-32

Some Jews were firmly persuaded that Jesus was the Messiah. Faith in Christ makes one a child of God, but abiding in the Word, knowing the truth, and living it makes one a true disciple of the kingdom. Christ is speaking about spiritual, not physical or political, bondage and liberty. In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus visited with Mary and Martha in their home in Bethany. Martha got upset while preparing the food while Mary sat at Jesus’s feet, listening to every word He spoke. This event illustrates the principle of continuing or abiding in the words of Jesus ahead of the details of life. The disciple recognizes his relationship with Jesus is through His word. 

Abiding in Him

As the remnant (those that remain) defines the faithful Jew, the abiding Christian (meno – those who continue, endure, and remain) characterizes the committed Gentile believer in Christ, the true disciple. He is the one who recognizes that, apart from Christ, he can do nothing. See John 15:5-8: 

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.                    John 15:5-8

One evidence of a true disciple is much fruit. The source of that fruit is the intimate connection to Jesus as the vine. Without that deep connection, the believer’s works are worthless (wood, hay & straw). A branch is weak and useless by itself. It is good for either bearing or burning but not for building. The branch cannot produce its own life; it must draw that life from the vine. Our communion with Christ through the Spirit and His Word makes the bearing of fruit possible. Keeping in fellowship with Christ allows His life to work in and through us.

That I May Gain Christ

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing [gnosis – knowing by experience] Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found [heurisko – discovered, turned out to be] in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.              Philippians 3:7-9

Paul gained knowledge of the Lord Jesus through intimate companionship and communion with Him. Paul progressively came to know His heart and His will, as one comes to know another through intimate fellowship and close association with that person. Gnosis emphasizes understanding rather than sensory perception and is a perception of things as they are, not an opinion about them.  Gnosis suggests the act of knowing rather than knowledge as such. This act embraces every organ and mode of knowledge, e.g., by seeing, hearing, investigating, or experiencing people as well as things. Verification is by the eye; hence, the dominant concept is that of knowledge by objective observation.

Paul’s reference to righteousness was not God’s righteousness that comes to the believer by faith through justification (Romans 5:1) but the righteousness which the Holy Spirit produces from an active, living faith in Christ. He realized that fulfilling the requirements of the Law of Moses did not produce God’s righteousness in his daily experience but in the gospel, what God did for man, For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH" (Romans 1:17). Living by faith becomes the avenue to receive God’s righteousness each day. The disciple lives by his faith! 

Highway of Holiness 

A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, nor will any vicious beast go up on it; these will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.    Isaiah 35:8-10

The Jewish relationship with the Messiah in the Kingdom Age is illustrated as a Highway of Holiness. No unclean person or fool will desire to walk on it; no lion or other vicious enemy will be found there. This highway takes each believer into intimacy with God in joyful shouting, as represented by Zion. This new covenant relationship with Jesus as Messiah is characterized by gladness and joy without evidence of sorrow. Abiding in Him is the strength of this highway accomplished by Jesus on the cross 2,000 years ago and available to anyone who believes in Him. 

Spiritual Maturity

Following is a list of characteristics of a spiritually mature believer, a true disciple:

1.      Has a supreme view of God’s character and submits to His sovereignty     (Psalm 115:3)

2.      Desires to make disciples    (2 Timothy 2:2)

3.      Trusts God moment-by-moment, in difficult situations    (Proverbs 3:5-6)

4.      Finds consistency in a devoted life     ( Proverbs 3:7-8)

5.      Regularly serves God/Body of Christ    (1 Corinthians 12:25-26)

6.      Is teachable and accepts correction readily     (Proverbs 3:11-12)

7.      Demonstrates a heart of giving     (Proverbs 3:9-10)

8.      Treats others with kindness      (Proverbs 3:3-4)

9.      Maintains ongoing communication with God through prayer and meditation    (Philippians 4:6-7)   

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.   (Philippians 4:19)