Our Lord Himself has characterized for us the purpose and the content of the teaching He im- parted to His followers. It was that to them might be given 'the mystery of the kingdom of God ' (Mk 4"). ' As given to the Apostles it was still a secret, not yet to be di\'ulged, nor even except in a small degree intellin;ible to themselves ' (Swete, op. cit. p. 72). The Kingdom, the charac- teristics of its subjects, its Inw^. it- service, and, finally, its Lord reigning tlimiuh -ulieiing — such in brojid outline was the cmn imparted by Jesus to the 'I't
le instruction It moved on- otound. ' At ber ; latterly, neditate. In tiild plainly : .Hlterwards, e, ,uh1 hard I liV the La.st
what it is desirable fortlieiii i^ Ki the teaching passes thnm-h | :i sayings up to the mysterie- .ii\ Supper' (Latham, op. cit. IJiii. ijut no teacning, not even the teaehiiii: of .le^-us Himself, could over- come the reliic i.iii. (• to helieve that it behoved that the Christ -houhl >iilh i, or arouse anticipations of the glories that should follow. The crucifixion and death of our Lord found the Eleven un- prepared, and ready to despair, though they still held together in tlie bonds of a love they had acquired in the school of Jesus. It needed the
DISCIPLESHIP
DISCIPLESHIP
459
actual fact of the Resurrection, and converse with the risen Saviour, and the illunuiiation of tlie .S]iirit, to brin^ them to a true ninlerstaTidinn' of all that reiterated teaching conccniiiii;- His dcatli and His rising' from the dead \\hi< h .Icmis IkhI given 'while He was yet with them.' I'.ut mirr that understanding was attained l'\ ll"' di-' ipN'^, the truth against which their iinmU h.ul In ni stubbornly closed l>eeame centr;il in their juo- clamation. There is abundant evidence that the Apostles were slow learners — men with no special quickness of insight, and with the hindrance of strongly developed prejudice. It is also evident that their slowness and prejudice ha^e for us an apologetic value (see esp. Bruce, 'Tminivg of the Twelve, p. 482: 'They were stujiiil, slow-minded persons; very honest,' bii( vrry uiinjit to t:ikij in new ideas. . . . Let us lir (ll;il)l^ful ior Ihi- lioiicst stupidity of these men, il L:i\i',-. urrat \-.-ilnc to their testimony. We kimw that iinlliiiiL;' but facts could make .such men liclieve that wiiicli nowa- days they get credit for inventing'). It concerns us yet more to recall the evidence ^^■llich their training aflbrds of the i)atience and transforming power of Him whi> now, imt. li'.-,s truly th.an in the days of His ilesl,. .■,,lls ^^,.;,k i,,.m (.. Himself that they may be villi llim, .unl ili:i( II may send them forth to Ijcar witness on His behalf, enduing them with His Spirit, that tlieir testimony, like tliat of the Apostles, may not be in vain. See also art. Apostles.
LlTERATi'Ll. r.ni.'.-, 77,' 7' ,'. ' M/ ;;., 7'..W,, ; I„illi;nH,
Pastor J'<: '..■,■. i : / ' ■ ■ r :!,,■;■•,;: -.c
vol. iii. ; w ■ , . ,' . ' ' / ,,
of Christ \::ri. •.[.■^'■-. I l.ri^r in ll,.-':n,.' /•/;!; i:-l. ,-1, -■!:,,, 77<.'
Life and Tim of Our Lord.
DISCIPLESHIP.-In the Gospels no word ex- pressive of '(Iisci]ilcsli!|.' i.rrms, allliimeh they .-ire full of tl,eli,in:^ ,v,,liiv ^^l■i,■l, ,1 e ■, , ,i r-M.s. •'rins is not snr|ii-i~iii^, l^r ii i , u.\ ei ^ e^.U >Aa v I" li'.'ich abstract tnifli, l.ut tnilli e,iil„„lie<| ,i, artual life. From the concrete and the livini; i.n i, ii i^ li-li, to us, by the exercise of our natnial fa' uliio, !■> abstract the generalization or iiphaliDU which presents the idea in its purity. Cliiisl .ilways followed the Divine method; .ami, aeroidinely, while He made ilisriple-. .and I rained lliem m discipleship, He hanllv iii.ale .my .'ii teinjil lo deliue
or describe what this iiuohe-.; did He give
much instruction whiih lejue-rided with any directness the ideal thai He had in \ icw. From these negative facts thenisehe- tin' ]irim.ary truth on this subject maybe learnt : Disripleship, in the Christian sense, is essentially a matter for living realization rather than for psychological analysis or formal compliance.
If for His followers later the making of disciples began with ijreaching the gospel, for the Lord Himself it commonly began %\-ith tlie authoritative appeal, ' Follow me.' There were, of course, times when this summons called a man literally to arise and go widi .Tesus (o some new place and ibit v : as when till' llist .inioiiu (he Twelve ' left tlic net's :ui<l followed him' (Mlc !'"•-"). But the same summons was still employed by the Lord after His resurrec- tion, when it cduld have no such literal signihcation (Jn 21"). And there is a gi'oup of instances (Mt 1038 l6-\ ,Tn 12-'«) in AN-hieh 'Iiearing the cross' and
'disownin-onesi-lfaie eoiijoi 1 with (he e.ill to
follow llim, wh.Te it IS eleai- (liai ■Inllowinu- has wholly a spirit ii.al .sen.se. The tan ll,al He ..peak of 'foHowing an exanij.le' loo ol|e„ le.id- lo the misinterpretation of ihi^ pivjiemi e.ill lo .Ijx-iiile- ship which was so eli.DiMiei la le oi ihe l.oid .ie^us. It IS no injunction to r,,|,\ II mm. I ImhmjIm of eourse,
the imitation of L'hi
every diseiiile. That, however, belong.s to a rather later sLa-e ..f diseipleship, while the summons to 'follow' I,-, iis iniii.itioiL Tlie choice of this word