Welcome to Unit 5: Christian Discipleship in Mark's Gospel
Welcome to your study guide for The Role and Nature of Christian Discipleship in Mark's Gospel. In GCSE Religious Studies, a disciple simply means a "learner" or "follower" (from the Greek word mathetes). Jesus did not just ask people to believe in Him; He called them to follow a distinct way of living.
Throughout Mark's Gospel, we see ordinary, flawed people answering Jesus' call. As you study this unit, you will explore what Jesus demanded of His earliest followers and examine how Christians apply these radical teachings in the modern world.
Why this matters for your exam: In your CCEA Unit 5 exam (1 hour 30 minutes), questions on discipleship test both AO1 (describing what happened in the Gospel passages) and AO2 (evaluating how easy, difficult, or relevant these teachings are for Christians today). Let's break down each prescribed story step-by-step!
1. Answering the Call: The First Disciples
The Call of the First Fishermen (Mark 1:16–20)
Jesus began His ministry by walking beside the Sea of Galilee. He saw Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, as they were fishermen.
• Jesus' Words: "Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people."
• The Reaction: Simon and Andrew dropped their nets at once and followed Him.
• James and John: Walking a little further, Jesus saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee, preparing their nets in a boat. Jesus called them immediately, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men to follow Him.
Key Takeaway for Discipleship: Discipleship requires an immediate response, total obedience, and a willingness to leave behind family, security, and careers to prioritize God's Kingdom.
The Call of Levi (Mark 2:13–17)
Jesus walked beside the lake again and saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at his tax collection booth.
• The Call: Jesus said to him, "Follow me," and Levi got up and followed Him.
• The Scandal: Jesus later ate dinner at Levi's house alongside many tax collectors and sinners. In first-century Judea, tax collectors were hated as traitors and extortionists who collaborated with the Roman Empire.
• The Pharisees' Challenge: Teachers of the law asked Jesus' disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
• Jesus' Key Teaching: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Key Takeaway for Discipleship: Jesus offers an inclusive call. Discipleship is open to everyone, regardless of past mistakes or social status. Followers of Jesus are called to show compassion and fellowship to outcasts rather than judging them.
The Choosing of the Twelve (Mark 3:13–19)
Jesus went up on a mountainside and appointed twelve men as His inner circle (apostles).
• Their Purpose: Jesus appointed them for two specific tasks: (1) to be with Him (to learn His ways), and (2) to be sent out to preach and have authority to drive out demons.
• The Twelve Apostles:
1. Simon (whom He named Peter)
2. James son of Zebedee
3. John (brother of James; Jesus nicknamed them Boanerges, meaning "Sons of Thunder")
4. Andrew
5. Philip
6. Bartholomew
7. Matthew
8. Thomas
9. James son of Alphaeus
10. Thaddaeus
11. Simon the Zealot
12. Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Him)
Quick Memory Aid: Why 12? The number 12 symbolizes the 12 tribes of Israel, showing that Jesus was establishing a renewed people of God.
2. The Reality of the Mission: Rejection and Reliance
Rejection at Nazareth (Mark 6:1–6)
When the Sabbath came, Jesus began to teach in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. The people who heard Him were amazed, but also deeply offended.
• The Hometown Objections: They asked, "Where did this man get these things? Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son?" They could not accept that an ordinary local boy had divine wisdom and authority.
• Jesus' Response: "A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home."
• The Consequence: Jesus could not do any miracles there, except laying His hands on a few sick people and healing them, because He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Key Takeaway for Discipleship: Disciples must be prepared for rejection and misunderstanding, even from those closest to them (family, friends, and neighbours).
The Mission of the Twelve (Mark 6:7–13)
Jesus sent out the Twelve apostles two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.
• Strict Travel Rules:
– Take ONLY: A walking staff and sandals on their feet.
– Do NOT Take: No bread, no bag, no money in their belts, and no extra tunic.
• Purpose of the Rules: Disciples had to practice complete dependence on God's provision and rely on the hospitality of the communities they served.
• Hospitality and Rejection: If a town welcomed them, they were to stay in that home until leaving. If a town refused to welcome or listen to them, they were to shake the dust off their feet when leaving as a testimony and warning against that place.
• The Outcome: The disciples went out, preached that people should repent, drove out many demons, and anointed many sick people with olive oil and healed them.
3. The Cost and Demands of Discipleship
Taking Up the Cross (Mark 8:34–38)
Jesus called the crowd alongside His disciples and set out the absolute conditions of following Him.
• The Three Demands: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
• What does this mean?
– Denying self: Putting God's will and the needs of others ahead of selfish desires and ambitions.
– Taking up the cross: In Roman times, carrying a crossbeam through the streets meant public humiliation, suffering, and walking toward execution. For disciples, it means total obedience and readiness to endure suffering, persecution, or even death for Christ.
• The Great Paradox: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." Trying to preserve your worldly status and physical comfort at the expense of faith leads to spiritual ruin.
• Warning against Shame: Jesus warned that anyone ashamed of Him and His words in this adulterous generation will find that the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He returns in His Father's glory.
Warnings About Causing Others to Stumble (Mark 9:42–50)
Jesus delivered solemn warnings about leading vulnerable believers astray and tolerating personal sin.
• Causing "Little Ones" to Stumble: "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea."
• Radical Action Against Personal Sin: Jesus used vivid, hyperbolic language: if your hand or foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out. It is better to enter life or the Kingdom of God crippled or blind than to go with two hands/eyes into hell (Gehenna), where the fire is never quenched.
• Meaning: Jesus is not commanding literal self-harm; He is teaching that disciples must take drastic, ruthless steps to eliminate sin and temptation from their lives.
Servant Leadership: The Request of James and John (Mark 10:35–45)
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Jesus with a selfish request: "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
• The Cup and the Baptism: Jesus asked if they could "drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" (The "cup" and "baptism" refer to Jesus' impending suffering and sacrificial death). They confidently replied, "We can." Jesus told them they would indeed share in His suffering, but places of honour were prepared by God alone.
• Anger of the Ten: When the other ten disciples heard about this, they became indignant with James and John because they all desired personal status.
• Jesus' Definition of Greatness: Jesus called them together and contrasted worldly power with Kingdom greatness:
– Worldly rulers lord their power over people.
– In God's Kingdom: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."
• The Supreme Example: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Key Takeaway for Discipleship: Christian leadership is servant leadership. True greatness is measured by humble service, putting others first, and following Jesus' sacrificial example.
4. Discipleship in Action: Civic Duty and Sacrificial Giving
Paying Taxes to Caesar (Mark 12:13–17)
Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap Jesus with a politically dangerous question: "Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?"
• The Trap: If Jesus said "Yes", the Jewish people would view Him as a Roman sympathizer and traitor to God. If He said "No", the Roman authorities would arrest Him for rebellion and treason.
• Jesus' Masterful Reply: Jesus asked to see a denarius (a Roman coin) and asked, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's."
• The Rule of Discipleship: Jesus told them: "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s."
Meaning: Disciples have a dual responsibility. They must obey lawful civil governments and pay their taxes, but their supreme devotion, heart, and soul belong entirely to God.
The Widow’s Offering (Mark 12:41–44)
Jesus sat opposite the temple treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the offering boxes.
• The Contrast: Many wealthy people threw in large sums of money. Then a poor widow came and put in two tiny copper coins (worth only a fraction of a penny / a few cents).
• Jesus' Assessment: Jesus called His disciples and said: "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others."
• Why? The rich gave out of their surplus wealth, but she, out of her extreme poverty, "put in everything—all she had to live on."
Key Takeaway for Discipleship: God does not judge generosity by the financial amount given, but by the degree of sacrifice and the posture of the heart. True discipleship involves holding nothing back from God.
5. Contemporary Application & Exam Evaluation (AO2)
In CCEA GCSE Religious Studies exams, you will be asked to evaluate statements about discipleship in modern life. Here is how first-century teachings connect to twenty-first-century Christian living:
How Christians Apply Discipleship Today
• Self-Denial and Service: Modern Christians engage in charitable work (e.g., food banks, homeless shelters, missionary work) and choose careers dedicated to helping others rather than chasing personal wealth.
• Sacrificial Giving: Following the poor widow's example, Christians practice tithing (giving a portion of income) and supporting overseas development projects.
• Enduring Opposition: In many countries, Christians face literal persecution, discrimination, or imprisonment. In secular Western societies, Christians may face social ridicule or career pressure when standing up for biblical ethics.
• Balancing Civic and Religious Duties: Christians vote, obey laws, and pay taxes ("giving to Caesar"), but advocate peacefully against unjust laws when they conflict with God's commands.
Key Debates for AO2 Evaluative Questions
Debate 1: "It is impossible to be a true disciple of Jesus in the modern world."
• Arguments Agreeing (It IS too difficult/impossible):
– Modern society is driven by materialism, consumerism, and individual ambition, which directly opposes self-denial and servant leadership.
– Literal commands (e.g., leaving family/jobs immediately, giving away all living expenses like the widow) are completely impractical for raising families and paying modern bills.
– Peer pressure and secularism make young people ashamed or hesitant to stand up openly for Jesus.
• Arguments Disagreeing (It IS possible):
– Jesus calls for an attitude of the heart: Christians can hold jobs and use their resources to serve God and support the needy.
– Many organizations, charities, and church groups provide communities of support to help disciples live out their calling.
– Millions of Christians worldwide actively demonstrate sacrificial discipleship every day through charity work, evangelism, and standing against social injustice.
Debate 2: "Jesus expected too much from His followers."
• Arguments Agreeing: Demanding that followers "take up their cross" (face death/persecution) and cut out all stumbling blocks is an extraordinarily high standard that causes guilt and fear of failure.
• Arguments Disagreeing: Jesus chose deeply flawed, ordinary people (fishermen, tax collectors) and offered forgiveness when they failed (e.g., Peter). He promised spiritual reward, purpose, and eternal life, making the sacrifice worthwhile.
6. Common Exam Traps to Avoid
• Trap 1: Mixing up the Gospels. Stick strictly to Mark's Gospel. Do not include details found only in Matthew or Luke (e.g., do not write about the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount when asked about Mark 8).
• Trap 2: Just telling the story. For high marks in AO1, explain what the story reveals about discipleship (e.g., in the Call of Levi, do not just say they had dinner; explain that Jesus calls sinners and outcasts, demanding inclusivity).
• Trap 3: Trivializing the Cross. Do not describe "taking up the cross" as dealing with minor everyday annoyances like a bad day or missing a bus. In Mark 8:34–38, it means radical self-denial, public commitment, and readiness to suffer for Christ.
Quick Revision Checklist
Can you explain each of these from memory?
• Why did Jesus call fishermen and a tax collector?
• What were the 2 main duties given to the Twelve in Mark 3?
• What were the travel instructions in the Mission of the Twelve (Mark 6)?
• What are the three demands of discipleship in Mark 8:34?
• How did Jesus define true greatness to James and John in Mark 10:43–45?
• What was the meaning of "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's"?
• Why was the widow's tiny gift greater than the large sums given by the rich?