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¶ … Gospel of John: The Theme of Discipleship
The Theme of Discipleship: The Gospel of John
Discipleship is one of the salient themes in the Gospel of John. John attempts to paint a distinct profile for what a true disciple looks like, and what true discipleship is about. His audience is the Johannine community. This text explains the idea of discipleship based on the precepts presented in John 9, 11, and 17. Moreover, it explains how the precepts presented therein apply in the context of the church today.
Discipleship in the Gospel of John
Discipleship is recognized as one of the core themes in the fourth gospel. John basically attempts to construct a concept of what true discipleship is about and what a true disciple looks like. He presents a succinct profile for authentic discipleship with the aim of making it easier for the Johannine community to understand what true discipleship entails, and who qualified to be recognized as such. This paper is intent on bringing out the criteria for paradigmatic discipleship as taught by John to the Johannine community. It goes further to provide insight on how the same applies to the church today.
John 17, John 9 and John 11
John 9, 11 and 17 all provide a glimpse of what true discipleship entails, and the specific qualities that one needs to demonstrate in order to be categorized as such.
John 9: John 9 presents the story of the man who had been blind from birth, and who had come to Jesus for healing upon hearing that He and His disciples would be passing by. The theme of true discipleship is manifested in the man's actions after he had been healed -- he is excommunicated from the synagogue and...
When news about the man's excommunication reaches Jesus, He goes after him and asks whether he believed in the Son of Man (9: 35). The man acknowledges that he does, and then falls at Jesus' feet in worship (9: 36-38). Through this passage, John brings to light a number of crucial issues about true discipleship. First, a true disciple ought to bear witness to Christ through his/her actions -- the Pharisees identify the man as a disciple of Christ even before he (the man) professes his faith in Him. This is because his actions -- telling everyone that it was Jesus, the Prophet (9: 17) and the Man of God (9: 33) who had healed him- convinced the Pharisees that he indeed was a disciple of Christ. Secondly, a true disciple ought to demonstrate faith in Christ and to recognize His true identity -- the man placed his faith in Jesus for both physical and spiritual healing; he recognizes him as 'the prophet' and the 'Son of God' (9: 17, 33) (Merwe, 2003). Thirdly, a true disciple must be willing to bear the cost of discipleship, in this case, persecution (9: 22). Members of the Johannine community are reminded that they stand to face rejection for proclaiming Jesus' name; true discipleship, however, is about bearing witness to Christ and facing persecution, while still having faith that God will deliver you (Painter, 2015).
John 11: the theme of discipleship is expressed throughout this chapter. Jesus is preparing to return to Judea, but the disciples are afraid for his safety because His Jewish opponents are planning to kill Him there (11: 8). Jesus, nonetheless, invites the disciples to accompany Him, expressing in verse 12…
References
Kilgour, D. (2000). Discipleship: Living for Jesus in the World. The Presbyterian Record, 124(5), 14-20.
Merwe, D. G. (2003). The Exposition of John 17: 6-8: An Exegetical Exercise. Vista University. HTS, 59(1), 169-190.
Painter, J. (2015). Christology and Discipleship in John 17. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 77(1), 174-190.
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