There is a growing number of church leaders deciding to change the biblical call of Jesus of ‘becoming My disciple’ to ‘become My apprentice.’ This is a serious error as these words are quite different, yet similar. The point to be made up front is simple. One of them is to be found in the NT 263 times, 231 of those moments are found in the 4 Gospels. The other is just not found. Do you know which is? You are correct, ‘apprentice.’
The Greek Word for “Disciple” is only used as a noun, and Jesus instructed His disciples to ‘make disciples of all nations’ in Matthew 28:19-20. Growing out of that phrase comes the verb usage, ‘to disciple,’ a transitive verb, which is a verb followed by a noun receiving the action of the subject of the sentence. “Bill is discipling Charles to become a better disciple (follower) of Christ.
Apprentice as defined in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, “One who is bound by covenant to serve a mechanic, or other person, for a certain time, with a view to learn his art, mystery, or occupation, in which his master is bound to instruct him. Apprentices are regularly bound by indentures.”
The operative phrases are: “for a certain time,” and “Apprentices are regularly bound by indentures.” The important word is ‘indentures,’ meaning contracts. There is a time frame involved. However, when Christ calls us to follow Him, He is very serious. Everyone who takes up His cross follows a one-way street with no exit or turn-around.
“Mathétés” is mostly used to describe the Followers of Jesus Christ being committed to learning from Him and imitating His life. Being a disciple of Jesus is more than head knowledge, but rather a life-changing relationship demonstrating the values and call of following Him.
“And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach.” Mark 3:13-14 NASB.
Paul was called on his way to Damascus and as a result the Apostle wrote, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:7-12.
A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained (κατηρτισμένος) will be like Him. John writes in chapter 13:12-17, “So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
“Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus, and turning to them he said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him. They will say, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’ Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. “Salt is good, but if salt loses its flavor, how can its flavor be restored? It is of no value for the soil or for the manure pile; it is to be thrown out. The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” Luke 14:25-35
A disciple of Jesus must and will remain with Him as the road becomes difficult and as new disciples are made along the way. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” John 15:1-8
The call to discipleship includes difficulties as they may occur. His way is difficult, but not without included promises. In Mark 10:28-31 we find Peter confronting Jesus, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
There is much more to say about becoming and being a disciple. Everyone who claims to be His disciple must dig deep into the well of His Word to discover what it means, not simply to become a Follower of the Christ.
Jesus is Lord.
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