‘Anyone who does not carry his cross and
come after me cannot be my disciple’.
What is a disciple? The root of the word is
the Latin ‘discipulus’, meaning ‘student’.
At the time of Jesus a disciple was a person
who followed a teacher, master, rabbi or
philosopher. The disciple desired not only to
learn the teaching of the rabbi, but to imitate
the practical details of their life. Through the
ages, many in our Church have been willing to
be students of Christianity rather than disciples
of Christ. Reflecting on this trend, British
author and lay theologian C.S. Lewis wrote:
‘If our Church is not making disciples then
all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons,
even the Bible, are a waste of time’. Another
esteemed British theologian and contemporary
of Lewis, GK Chesterton noted that Jesus
promised His disciples three things: they would
be completely fearless, absurdly happy and
in constant trouble. Being a disciple, then,
is exceedingly rewarding but extraordinarily
demanding. It entails much more than being
a follower. It is in essence the call to become
who Jesus would be if He were you. When
faced with a choice the true disciple will
invariably ask the question: what would Jesus
do in this situation? Wearing a cross does not
make you a disciple; carrying your cross every
day does. You never graduate from the school
of discipleship.
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