As part of the driving test, besides theory exam, the examiner asks ‘show me’ and ‘tell me’ questions during the practical test, to test the new drivers’ knowledge about the safety of the vehicle. “Tell-show-do-apply” forms a strategy for creating an in-depth learning experience for both the instructor and the student. This week from our lectionary reading, I understand Jesus explaining about his identity and about the discipleship using this strategy, so that both his first century audience and the readers of this text today can decipher that the route map in following Jesus is “tell-show-do-apply.”
Ever since Peter affirmed Jesus to be the Messiah and the Son of the living God (16v), ‘from that time on,’ Jesus began to show his disciples about his death and resurrection. It is important to note that in verse 21, it is said, “From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples…” On reading this verse again, I was intrigued to recognise that Jesus was not merely ‘telling,’ ‘foretelling’ or just ‘preaching’ about his death and resurrection, rather ‘began to show’ about it to his disciples. Jesus began to demonstrate his sufferings, death and resurrection at the hands of the empire, so that the disciples understand the real essence of Jesus being the Messiah and the Son of the living God. Jesus is now adding flesh to Peter’s counter-cultural declaration (21v), showing that to be a Messiah and the Son of God is to live and testify for the values of God’s Kingdom for it contrasts the empire, and the cost of such a call and living is suffering and death in their hands. However, death is not the end of it, for God offers hope and new life to the creation by raising him on the third day. Jesus has shown about the kingdom of God to his disciples, in his acts of protest against the Roman empire, in his acts of compassion towards people and in his acts of liberating the oppressed. Jesus has always shown it by being a living testimony in every situation of his life.
When Jesus began showing his disciples about the suffering, death and resurrection that is to come to him, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him saying, “God forbit it, Lord! This must never happen to you” (22v). Peter said those words for he did not want to lose Jesus. But Jesus knew that his suffering, death and resurrection will not happen if he compromises about the Kingdom of God and not demonstrate the love of God to all the oppressed communities. Jesus wouldn’t prefer doing that, and did not leave any stone unturned in liberating the oppressed communities, for which he knew public execution in the form of a cross is the cost that he has to pay for such an act.
Jesus rebuked Peter to be a stumbling block in his mission of God, challenging him to set his mind on divine things, which was his mission with the margins, and not on human things. Liberating the oppressed on the margins has always been at the heart of the divine, and Jesus has come to tell-show-do-apply on this earth, so that his disciples and followers will do it. Jesus made a conscious choice of brining good news to the poor and liberating the oppressed living on the margins.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (24v). Jesus having told and shown his mission, now is inviting his disciples to do and to apply. Three things to do and apply as followers of Jesus, self-denial, taking up their cross and following Jesus. Denying one’s own self is costly, for it is said, “love is self-lessness and self is love-lessness”, so denying one’s own self is to put ‘others’ first, put love first and put love for others first. Taking up one’s own cross is an important thing to understand. Cross is the reward for standing and striving for God’s kingdom, which is to achieve peace, justice, love and equality. So, carrying one’s own cross is carrying the reward for suffering for peace, justice, love and equality. Many have misread this verse by assuming Jesus is inviting us to carry his cross, and forget that each of us has a cross and Jesus is inviting us to carry it in our discipleship for Jesus. Wearing a cross is easy, but bearing it is costly. To put it in other words, if we are followers of Jesus, there is for sure a cross for every follower, because working with Jesus for justice and peace is costly today. And then to follow Jesus, which is not as a volunteer for the gospel but a follower of Jesus by ‘telling-doing-showing-applying.’ Jesus, then goes on to say, “for those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (25v). Jesus was assuring his disciples about the strength in resurrection, for God offers hope to all those who suffer for the kingdom of God by granting new life experience.
Drawing a relevance of this text for us today, we are called as churches to be ‘tell-show-do-apply’ followers of Jesus. This ‘tell-show-do-apply’ is a complete package and over the times, we have compartmentalised it and have used each part of it in isolation. Or most times we have only remained as ‘telling’ churches, telling people and haven’t put our efforts towards showing, doing and applying the gospel of Jesus Christ. As churches our call is to demonstrate the love of God in our community, for which we might have to deny ourselves of our identity and offer love to all in our community unconditionally. As churches our call is to do like what Jesus is doing, to act, to dirty our feet in our working with the margins. This week at Glasgow, as you would have read that Mercy Baguma, an asylum seeker from Uganda was found dead in ‘extreme poverty’ next to her crying baby due to hunger. How can such a thing like this happen during our times today in a 21st century advanced society, and I am angered at reading this news. Where has mercy and compassion gone? As part of dirtying our feet, we as churches are called to hear the cries of Mercy’s who are in our localities crying, and are called to share our food to feed people in their hunger.
In terms of ‘applying’ Christian discipleship, it was a delight to know that the German Protestant church is sending a ship called ‘Sea-watch 4’ into the Mediterranean Sea to rescue migrants, for they do not want to stand by and watch thousands of people die in the sea. You can read more about it here on this link.[1] This is an example to see how churches today as followers of Jesus Christ are willing to carry their cross, for they are joining with Jesus in saving lives and in promoting life. Application of Jesus gospel today is the key in our moving forward. How do we translate the work of Jesus in our context today? In this application, the methodology might be different from how God in Jesus worked in his historical contexts, for God in God’s dynamism is willing to work with us to see that we are open in applying the gospel relevant to us. Discipleship today demands application of the gospel in actions, relevant for our times.
In the context of re-opening the church building for worship, with booking or informing well ahead who would join a service happening these days, I was pleased to hear that some people in my churches have put their names as ‘reserved,’ by which they were willing to drop off and stay at home if there are more people than the allocated number turn up for a service. In following Jesus, we are called to deny ourselves and our own priorities, and take up the cross of love for the sake of God’s kingdom here on earth.
May our communities around us know us as ‘tell-show-do-apply’ Christians and churches. May we keep working with passion for the cause of God’s Kingdom by carrying our own local and global crosses and follow Jesus Christ faithfully. Our discipleship in Christ is authentic when it is rooted in ‘tell-show-do-apply’ kind of Christianity. May God grant us God’s strength so that we can follow Jesus sincerely by meeting the needs of the people around us.
Rev. Dr. Raj Bharat Patta
27th August 2020
Pic credit: https://sojo.net/articles/im-following-jesus-real-time
2 comments:
Given what you've said do you feel that Jesus' 'rebuke' was that our a call to 'follow me'? If the call is to grow as a disciple this seems to fit better. I wonder whether tradition has reinforced the 'rebuke' argument through successive translations.
Yes Bob, Jesus redefining what discipleship means to his disciples by saying if any wants to be my follower, deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me. It was a wake up call for the disciples from their complacency as disciples.
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