Types of Discipleship (Contd).
The Secret Disciples: According to the Gospels, Jesus was buried by two of his secret disciples and it was witnessed by two women disciples, according to Mark and Mathew, while according to Luke by those women who followed Jesus from Galilee. John does not say anything about women witnesses at Jesus' burial (See Mark, 15: 42-47; Matthew, 27: 57-61; Luke, 23: 50-56; John: 19: 38-42)
Joseph and Nicodemus: Who were the two secret disciples who showed extraordinary courage in the face of contempt and threats from the Jewish authorities? One was Joseph of Arimethea who was a rich man and had become a disciple of Jesus, according to Mathew. Two important qualifications of Joseph recorded by Mark were left out by Matthew who had used the Gospel of Mark as a source for his own. The two qualifications were: Joseph was a respected member of the Council and he was a man who looked forward to the Kingdom of God.. Here we see that in spite of having all the trappings of power like wealth and influence, Joseph was found to be worthy of becoming a disciple of Jesus. One reason for this may be seen in the second qualification of the man looking forward to the Kingdom of God. Although Joseph lived among the riches of this world and even exercised power through the religious Council, his mind was dissatisfied and that is why he was looking forward to the Kingdom of God. That Joseph of Arimethea was a man of conscience is attested by Luke when he reports that Joseph had dissented from the policy of the Council and the action they had taken against Jesus. Luke calls him a good and upright man although he was a member of the Jewish Council as he kept himself away from all the political intrigues and selfish machinations of the Council members. John clearly mentions that Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews. All the same, he came out in public with full courage and dedication when even his closest disciples and Apostles fled in fear! This shows that the secrecy of his discipleship was a matter of prudence which Joseph wanted to utilize to boldly witness to Jesus at the appropriate time. Joseph being an influential Council member, Pilate had no second thoughts in handing over the body of Jesus to him.
The other secret disciple at the burial site was Nicodemus whom John identifies as the man who had first visited Jesus by night. John alone reports the appearance of Nicodemus and that too at the beginning (See John chapter 3) and at the end (See John, 19: 39) of his Gospel. He too was a member of the Jewish Council like Joseph of Arimethea, and visited Jesus at night in Jerusalem. Although Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel , he was completely stunned and bowled over by the teaching of Jesus on the Kingdom of God. Until then Nicodemus thought that he was an authority on matters pertaining to religion and God and that he could teach anyone in Israel. But, when Jesus started elaborating over the simple requirement of being born again to enter the Kingdom of God it was news to Nicodemus. He could not believe his ears and sought clarification of the position again and again. Jesus was dismayed that a teacher of Israel could not understand such simple things and still claimed to be a teacher!
Two World-Views: What we witness in the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus in John, ch. 3 is the unfolding of two world-views completely opposed to each other. One is from here below and the other is from above. One is about life here on earth and the other is about eternal life from above. The two perspectives could never meet unless the one from below is born again by the Spirit of God. Being a sincere and honest man, Nicodemus was forced to keep these things in his heart which bore fruit by the time Jesus was to be buried. He was himself a rich man and powerful too, like Joseph of Arimethea, and so he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about hundred pounds for the burial of Jesus. At this juncture of the evolution of his personality through the new life of the Spirit of God (which was given sporadically and as though by exception since the believers could not receive the Spirit before the glorification of Jesus, according to John, 7: 39), Nicodemus was a changed man. He did not care for his wealth, position, authority, etc., and boldly faced the world, consisting of the Jewish authorities and the Roman power, to take sides with Jesus at the last moment Not that it was a haphazard event in the life of Nicodemus especially as a Jewish Council Member. We read in John, 7: 51 thus: " 'Does our law ', he asked them, 'permit us to pass judgment on a man unless we have first given him a hearing and learned the facts?'" Here Nicodemus proved that he was a real teacher to the members of the Council who tried to wriggle out of the awkward situation by a lame excuse in John, 7: 52. The reality of the faith of these two disciples in Jesus is all the more evident as they came forward when even his closest disciples and Apostles fled in fear and they had nothing to gain except losing their standing in society.
Marks of Discipleship: From the instance of these two secret disciples of Jesus who rose to the occasion as and when it demanded , we can see the true nature of discipleship. It does not necessarily consist in making a lot of unnecessary noise, showing off one's authority and power with pompousness inherited from the antics of some bygone ages and identifying oneself with the political dispensation of the times in the name of influencing the society in the name of Christ. Very often what happens is just the opposite where the influence is felt the other way around! When Jesus mixed with the rich and the powerful , he knew where to keep quiet and when to open his mouth. Look at how he criticized the Pharisee while sitting at his table (See Luke, 7: 36-50) and how he kept quiet at his trial before Herod Antipas, King of Galilee, who was a rogue and uncouth person. Even before Pilate his silence was telling, opening his mouth only to teach him a lesson or two! On the contrary, we are afraid to antagonize people whose support we crave for. Truth and justice can wait, whereas our good name and comfort cannot be compromised!! How can we be true disciples of Jesus Christ? Many of us want to be practical people in which process if Gospel values are given a short shrift, we should be looking for some interpretations to suit our present needs. (To be Contd).
The Secret Disciples: According to the Gospels, Jesus was buried by two of his secret disciples and it was witnessed by two women disciples, according to Mark and Mathew, while according to Luke by those women who followed Jesus from Galilee. John does not say anything about women witnesses at Jesus' burial (See Mark, 15: 42-47; Matthew, 27: 57-61; Luke, 23: 50-56; John: 19: 38-42)
Joseph and Nicodemus: Who were the two secret disciples who showed extraordinary courage in the face of contempt and threats from the Jewish authorities? One was Joseph of Arimethea who was a rich man and had become a disciple of Jesus, according to Mathew. Two important qualifications of Joseph recorded by Mark were left out by Matthew who had used the Gospel of Mark as a source for his own. The two qualifications were: Joseph was a respected member of the Council and he was a man who looked forward to the Kingdom of God.. Here we see that in spite of having all the trappings of power like wealth and influence, Joseph was found to be worthy of becoming a disciple of Jesus. One reason for this may be seen in the second qualification of the man looking forward to the Kingdom of God. Although Joseph lived among the riches of this world and even exercised power through the religious Council, his mind was dissatisfied and that is why he was looking forward to the Kingdom of God. That Joseph of Arimethea was a man of conscience is attested by Luke when he reports that Joseph had dissented from the policy of the Council and the action they had taken against Jesus. Luke calls him a good and upright man although he was a member of the Jewish Council as he kept himself away from all the political intrigues and selfish machinations of the Council members. John clearly mentions that Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews. All the same, he came out in public with full courage and dedication when even his closest disciples and Apostles fled in fear! This shows that the secrecy of his discipleship was a matter of prudence which Joseph wanted to utilize to boldly witness to Jesus at the appropriate time. Joseph being an influential Council member, Pilate had no second thoughts in handing over the body of Jesus to him.
The other secret disciple at the burial site was Nicodemus whom John identifies as the man who had first visited Jesus by night. John alone reports the appearance of Nicodemus and that too at the beginning (See John chapter 3) and at the end (See John, 19: 39) of his Gospel. He too was a member of the Jewish Council like Joseph of Arimethea, and visited Jesus at night in Jerusalem. Although Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel , he was completely stunned and bowled over by the teaching of Jesus on the Kingdom of God. Until then Nicodemus thought that he was an authority on matters pertaining to religion and God and that he could teach anyone in Israel. But, when Jesus started elaborating over the simple requirement of being born again to enter the Kingdom of God it was news to Nicodemus. He could not believe his ears and sought clarification of the position again and again. Jesus was dismayed that a teacher of Israel could not understand such simple things and still claimed to be a teacher!
Two World-Views: What we witness in the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus in John, ch. 3 is the unfolding of two world-views completely opposed to each other. One is from here below and the other is from above. One is about life here on earth and the other is about eternal life from above. The two perspectives could never meet unless the one from below is born again by the Spirit of God. Being a sincere and honest man, Nicodemus was forced to keep these things in his heart which bore fruit by the time Jesus was to be buried. He was himself a rich man and powerful too, like Joseph of Arimethea, and so he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about hundred pounds for the burial of Jesus. At this juncture of the evolution of his personality through the new life of the Spirit of God (which was given sporadically and as though by exception since the believers could not receive the Spirit before the glorification of Jesus, according to John, 7: 39), Nicodemus was a changed man. He did not care for his wealth, position, authority, etc., and boldly faced the world, consisting of the Jewish authorities and the Roman power, to take sides with Jesus at the last moment Not that it was a haphazard event in the life of Nicodemus especially as a Jewish Council Member. We read in John, 7: 51 thus: " 'Does our law ', he asked them, 'permit us to pass judgment on a man unless we have first given him a hearing and learned the facts?'" Here Nicodemus proved that he was a real teacher to the members of the Council who tried to wriggle out of the awkward situation by a lame excuse in John, 7: 52. The reality of the faith of these two disciples in Jesus is all the more evident as they came forward when even his closest disciples and Apostles fled in fear and they had nothing to gain except losing their standing in society.
Marks of Discipleship: From the instance of these two secret disciples of Jesus who rose to the occasion as and when it demanded , we can see the true nature of discipleship. It does not necessarily consist in making a lot of unnecessary noise, showing off one's authority and power with pompousness inherited from the antics of some bygone ages and identifying oneself with the political dispensation of the times in the name of influencing the society in the name of Christ. Very often what happens is just the opposite where the influence is felt the other way around! When Jesus mixed with the rich and the powerful , he knew where to keep quiet and when to open his mouth. Look at how he criticized the Pharisee while sitting at his table (See Luke, 7: 36-50) and how he kept quiet at his trial before Herod Antipas, King of Galilee, who was a rogue and uncouth person. Even before Pilate his silence was telling, opening his mouth only to teach him a lesson or two! On the contrary, we are afraid to antagonize people whose support we crave for. Truth and justice can wait, whereas our good name and comfort cannot be compromised!! How can we be true disciples of Jesus Christ? Many of us want to be practical people in which process if Gospel values are given a short shrift, we should be looking for some interpretations to suit our present needs. (To be Contd).
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