O'Donoghue MTh_Thesis-FinalCopy.pdf - South African Theological ...

interdependent interpersonal relationships. The Church is made up of disciples whohave each been gifted by God to serve the other (1 Pt 4:10). Further the Church as acommunity is to make God known (1 Pt 2:9, 4:10). It is a community that is to berecognisable by the love its members have for one another (John 13:35).Matthew 18 is a classic passage in presenting a vision of how the church communityof disciples is to look (Senior 1997:65). This passage teaches that the believingcommunity is to show an authentic concern for the disposition of the less fortunateas well as practice, “abundant forgiveness.” Paul’s teaching shows that the Churchand her members were people in the process of being made holy, and were peoplethat are to “demonstrate their status as God’s restored people by living holy lives(Marshall 2004:445-446).”Jesus uses lots of communal type imagery in describing the believing community(Marshall 1992:123). Of pertinence is the family type description Jesus gives to thebelieving community. They are in Matthew 3:34-35 described as members of Jesusown family. In Matthew 23:8 Jesus advises that the believing community are toregard each other as siblings. Further Mark 10:29 Jesus expects His followers tohave a greater allegiance to Him over and above what they would have to theirimmediate physical family.Also worth mentioning is that discipleship, for some disciples, for example theapostles, the cost of discipleship was high (Wilkins 1992:187). They had to literallygive up everything to follow Jesus. However this kind of radical demand was notmade to all disciples. It was made to some who were not part of the inner circle of 12(the apostles). It should be said that all disciples should embody an attitude that isprepared to give up everything for Jesus (Mt 8:18-12 & Lu14:25-33). Further, asnoted in the Historical analyses the idea that one may have to give up a lucrativeliving to follow Christ would have been depicted by the tax collector apostle andauthor of Matthew who would have done exactly that.Disciples are in the NT portrayed as stewards. While the word for steward does notappear in Matthew, the theological motif is found in Matthew’s Gospel (Powell1995:89). A steward is one who is entrusted with looking after the household of his86