sign in sign up
<<
Home , Apostle, Disciple (Christianity)

Discipleship in Paul Summit on Lay Ministry – June 6, 2017 Exploring discipleship Going to the source: Sacred Scripture and Chronological precedence Paul’s letters (48-58 CE) (70-95 CE) Who is this man – Saul/Paul of Tarsus? A.Dates; B. Influences; C. His Story; D. Sources; E. “Founder” of ? Paul’s Dates Born – first decade CE ca. 34 CE – Encounter with risen Lord 37-49 CE – 1st mission activity 50-52 CE – 2nd mission activity 53-58 CE – 3rd mission activity 58 CE – arrest in Jerusalem 58-60 CE – in prison 61-63 CE – house arrest in 64-68 CE – martyrdom Influences

Pharisaic Diaspora Judaism

 Sanctification of domestic  Diverse and more tolerant life and dietary practice perspective to surrounding culture  Belief in from the dead and reward and  Greek language, use of punishment LXX, reliance on Greek educational system  Right living beyond ritual  Less emphasis on Temple  Apocalyptic expectation and greater familiarity with synagogue Paul’s Story A. Life BEFORE his encounter with B. His encounter with Christ (reformulating views of ; the Law; and /Gentiles) C. Life AFTER his encounter with Christ Sources on Paul I Acts of the Paul’s Letters  Primary Letters: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians,  Written by Luke, Acts of Philippians, Galatians, 1 the Apostles features Thessalonians, and Paul’s story as the second Philemon (and larger) half of this interpretive view of the  Deutero-Paulines and growth of the early Pastorals: Colossians, 2 community Thessalonians, Ephesians / 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus  It does not always agree with Paul’s letters Legends and ancient perceptions Paul, his story and his message were expanded by 2nd and 3rd century works such as: The “Correspondence between Seneca and Paul,” The “Acts of Paul,” the “Apocalypse of Paul,” and the “Acts of Paul and Thecla.” Modern perceptions Paul’s letters played a dominant role in Reformation theology. Many view Paul as a rigorous moralist and a misogynist Did Paul “found” Christianity? Founder? No! Influential? Absolutely! Discipleship in the Ancient World A. The word mathetes; B. What are its main features?; C. Where is it found in Paul and how is it used? Mathetes – “” in Greek

While mathetes could also designate an apprentice, it was primarily used to identify individuals who followed a “master teacher,” especially in philosophical schools Mathetes in the Greek translation of the  Amazingly, the Hebrew word for “disciple” (talmîd) occurs only one time in the entire Hebrew Bible, and mathetes NEVER appears in the LXX as a translation for talmîd  Due to Israel’s corporate nature – the whole nation is the “disciple” and the lack of any master other than God, the master/disciple relationship is lacking in the LXX

Mathetes in the

 Mathetes is a commonly used term in the New Testament, appearing some 250 times, but only in the Gospels and the  While most uses refer to Jesus’ disciples, others are also identified as having disciples: , the , and even Paul The main features of mathetes  First, there is  Second, the ALWAYS a resulting personal relationship with a attachment shapes Master/Teacher the ENTIRE life of the disciple, even  In the NT, the the inner life initiative always comes from the master / teacher (didaskalos) Where is mathetes found in Paul? Paul NEVER used the term to refer to himself, or to refer to those who believed in his . Luke did identify him as both and disciple (Acts 9:26) Paul and “discipleship” A. Paul and his call to discipleship; B. Paul’s “service” to Jesus; C. Excursus on why Paul wrote; D. The community’s call to discipleship; E. The community’s service to the Body of Christ The divine source of the call “…when He who had set me apart before I was born…was pleased to reveal His Son to me…”(Gal 1:15- 16) Entrusted with a message / given a new identity Paul wrote that: “ which was preached to me is not of human origin…it came through a of Jesus Christ. (Gal 1:11-12) Paul shared a series of images that helped explain how “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20-21) Paul’s manner of service to Christ  1. To serve Christ: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1)  2. To share the Gospel: “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” (1 Cor 1:17)  3. To give witness: “…what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord…” (2 Cor 4:5)  4. To suffer in imitation of Jesus: “For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things…” (Phil 3:8) Excursus on “why Paul wrote letters” 1. The letter was Paul’s way of being present 2. His letters were very contextual – they reflected the circumstance to which they were responding 3. He wrote letters to communities, not to individuals Responding to God’s call with FAITH  Faith in the person of Jesus and in his salvific role as presented in Paul’s Gospel was central to the call to discipleship in Paul  Faith was often paired with love, since it was faith that made love possible  “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe…” (Rom 3:21-22)

Entrance into Christ through Following upon “faith,” the actuation of God’s original call that led to faith is BAPTISM. It resulted in a complete identification with Christ Multiple for a new identity Sons of God; God’s Temple; God’s building; God’s field; a New Creation; the Body of Christ; a new unleavened lump of dough; Christ’s ‘possession’ The community’s manner of ‘service’ to the Body of Christ  1. Service is love: “…you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another” (1 Thess 4:9)  2. Love expressed through building up the body: “…strive to excel in building up the church.” (1 Cor 14:12  3. Love expressed through working toward unity: “…stand firm in one spirit, with one mind.” (Phil 1:27); “…Live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify God…” (Rom 15:5-6) Titles for a community in the service Imitators of me (Paul) and ; Sons of light and sons of day; blameless and innocent children of God; lights in the world; runners in a race; obedient from the heart; slaves of righteousness; a “letter from Christ” Who is a disciple for Paul?

 Going beyond boundaries: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:26-28) Attempting a description of discipleship in Paul

 First, without using the term mathetes, Paul reflects the NT features of discipleship: a call initiated by God and the disciple was completely transformed by the encounter  Second, Paul emphasized the role of “faith” and expressed service and witness as “love” Discipleship in Paul A. Concluding comments on discipleship in Paul; B. Contemporary lessons and applications; C. Final questions Paul’s understanding of disciple

 It is consistent with other parts of the NT  It applies to all believers, not just a select few  The call begins with God, leads to faith, and is actualized in baptism  Discipleship permeates every dimension of life, and is expressed in love Contemporary lessons and applications  1. Paul reminds us that our commitment in faith is to the person of Jesus Christ  2. Paul contributes to the idea that the Body of Christ is non-hierarchical  3. Paul reminds us that “putting on the mind of Christ” is not just for Sunday  4. Paul’s discipleship reminds us that its primary expression is in loving service and witness Questions / Comments?