“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:19-20
According to the “Great Commission” – the task is initially given to the apostles to “make disciples”. Exactly what is a disciple? What is it that Jesus wanted the apostles to be making?
It is commonly understood that Jesus first referred to the apostles as his “disciples”. He has already done this on numerous occasions throughout his ministry, and He does so here yet again in the context of issuing the great commission; note Mt. 28:16. One merely need to consider what these followers of Jesus did in order to get a clear picture of what Jesus meant when he repeatedly referred to them as his disciples.
- Disciple describes a “follower”:
“As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.” Mark. 2:14-15
Jesus asks Levi (Matthew) to follow him. In vs. 15 we can see that a follower is also called a disciple. This is what we are when we are disciples of Jesus. It means we follow him.
- Additionally, it describes a “learner”:
“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying” Matthew 5:1-2
Jesus called his disciples to come and listen to his teaching, that is; to be a learner. This gets to the most fundamental aspect of being a disciple. The term disciple comes from a Greek word that literally means “a learner”, as in a student or pupil.
Are you a follower of Jesus? To be a disciple you must be a follower. To be a follower means that you see yourself in a secondary position. You are not taking the lead; you do not decide where to go or what to do. For instance; if you come to a point where you say: “I don’t agree with Jesus position on forgiving others, there are just somethings I cannot ever forgive”. In that moment you cease to be a disciple, because you are no longer a follower. You are charting you own course; you are going your own way. And by definition that means that you are no longer a disciple. This is true with any aspect of what Jesus taught and exemplified.
Are you a leaner of Jesus? To be a disciple you must be a learner. This is an ongoing spiritual education that continues throughout life. A disciple never stops learning because the moment you stop learning is the precise moment you stop being a disciple. A disciple is a person who recognizes that they never have learned all there is to learn, and is thus dedicated to study and learning yet more about the teachings of Jesus.
Through the Great Commission Jesus instructs his followers to go into the world and make “disciples”. As such we need to understand that Jesus is looking for people who will surrender their self-will to His leadership and guidance and truly be His followers. Secondly, He is looking for people who understand the need to be lifelong learners who are always open to learning more and more from His word. These two things are at the core of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.