Resources/Articles
The Needs Of Discipleship
What words are missing from the text of Mark 10.29-30?
“There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, house, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands; and in the world to come eternal life.”
The missing words reflect what comes to a disciple for judging with righteous judgment. It comes from those who desire to live by doing with is “right in their own eyes” rather than what God commands (Proverbs 14.12; Jeremiah 10.23; John 7.24).
The missing words are “with persecutions.” We need to understand the significance of these two words because they are necessary to discipleship.
Many other passages speak of the relationship of discipleship to persecutions (John 15.20; Acts 14.22; 2 Corinthians 12.10; 2 Thessalonians 1.4; 2 Timothy 3.11-12).
The persecution that Jesus underwent was not only purposed from eternity, but purposed to occur through a specific thing - teaching God’s word. God’s word is truth (John 17.17). He claimed his authority from God to teach the things he taught (John 10.18; 12.49-50; 14.24). HE taught that freedom from sin was only in obedience to truth (John 8.32; Hebrews 5.9). Only he could provide this freedom (John 14.6).
Persecution exists today over the same two issues - authority and truth. Those who preach a message claiming it to be truth and proclaim it as the only way to heaven will suffer persecution from those who do not want to acknowledge an absolute standard, but rather want to do what is “right in their own eyes” (Judges 17.6; 21.25; Deuteronomy 12.8).
Persecution is necessary to discipleship; so likewise are God’s authority and truth.
