The response of the disciples is an act of obedience, not a confession of faith in Jesus.Bonhoeffer spends the second chapter of his book talking about our call to discipleship. He begins by discussing the calling of Matthew (or Levi).
Because Jesus is the Christ, he has the authority to call and to demand obedience to his word. Jesus summons men to follow him not as a teacher or a pattern of the good life, but as the Christ, the Son of God.He contrasts this calling with the experiences of three would-be disciples to make the following point:
...And what does the text inform us about the content of discipleship? Follow me, run along behind me! That is all. To follow in his steps is something devoid of all content.
Discipleship without Jesus Christ is a way of our own choosing. It may be the ideal way. It may even lead to martyrdom, but it is devoid of all promise. Jesus will certainly reject it.The passage he refers to is Luke 9:7-62:
He then makes points about each would-be disciple. Bonhoeffer says that the first would-be disciple volunteers on his own, but cannot, on his own choose the life of suffering that is involved in true discipleship.The Cost of Following Jesus
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me."But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
No man can choose such a life for himself. No man can call himself to such a destiny, says Jesus, and his word stays unanswered. The gulf between a voluntary offer to follow and genuine discipleship is clear.The second would-be disciple, says Bonhoeffer, wants to ensure he fulfills the law first, and then wants to follow.
A definite legal ordinance acts as a barrier between Jesus and the man he has called. But the call of Jesus is stronger than the barrier. At this critical moment nothing on earth, however sacred, must be allowed to come between Jesus and the man he has called - not even the law itself.
The third would-be disciple again attempts to volunteer as a disciple - and even stipulates the terms upon which he will do so.
...although he is ready enough to throw in his lot with Jesus, he succeeds in putting up a barrier between himself and the Master. "Suffer me first." He wants to follow, but feels obliged to insist on his own terms. Discipleship to him is a possibility which can only be realized when certain conditions have been fulfilled. This is to reduce discipleship to the level of the human understanding.So far, Bonhoeffer's "Steps to Discipleship" look a little like this:
- The Call
- Clean Break From Previous Existence (places the disciple in a place where faith is possible)
So long as Levi sits at the receipt of custom, and Peter at his nets, they could both pursue their trade honestly and dutifully, and they might both enjoy religious experiences, old and new. But if they want to believe in God, the only way is to follow his incarnate Son.
only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes
Do this! Give up that! Leave the ship and come to me! When a man says he cannot obey the call of Jesus because he believes, or because he does not believe, Jesus says: 'First obey, perform the external work, renounce your attachments, give up the obstacles which separate you from the will of God. Do not say you have not got faith. You will not have it so long as you persist in disobedience and refuse to take the first step. Neither must you say that you have faith, and therefore there is no need for you to take the first step. You have not got faith so long as and because you will not take the first step but become hardened in your unbelief under the guise of humble faith.'He goes on to discuss the story of the rich young ruler.
The answer to the young man's problem is - Jesus Christ. He had hoped to hear the word of the good master, but he now perceives that this word is the Man to whom he had addressed his question. He stands face to face with Jesus, the Son of God: it is the ultimate encounter. It is now only a question of yes or no, of obedience or disobedience. The answer is no. He went away sorrowful, disappointed and deceived of his hopes, unable to wrench himself from his past.And then he finishes the chapter by comparing the rich young ruler to the introduction to the parable of the Good Samaritan.
