Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§13.2 For Whom Did Jesus Intend His Message?
faith of the centurion (Matt. 8.10/Luke 7.9), the boldness of the faith of the
friends of the paralyzed man and of the woman with a haemorrhage (Mark 2.5
pars.; 5.34 pars.), the persistence of the faith of Bartimaeus (Mark 10.52 pars.)
which impressed Jesus. It was to an unyielding trust in God that Jesus gave assurance
of answered prayer. 65
c. 'Follow Me'
Unlike the Baptist, Jesus is remembered as calling on individuals to follow him —
Simon and Andrew (Mark 1.17/Matt. 4.19), Levi/Matthew (Mark 2.14 pars.),
Philip (John 1.43), those who were willing to deny themselves and take up their
cross (Mark 8.34 pars.; Matt. 10.38/Luke 14.27), the rich young man (Mark 10.21
pars.), the would-be disciple (Matt. 8.22/Luke 9.59). Was this a selective invitation?
Or was it coextensive with the call to repent and believe? The issue is obscured
by the fact that not only are the immediate band of disciples described as
'following' Jesus, 66 but also individuals unbidden (Mark 10.52 pars.), women
who supported him (Mark 15.41; Matt. 27.55), and even large crowds. 67 The most
obvious answer to the question is that Jesus did issue a general call to repentance
and faith (like the sower dispersing the seed widely?), but that he targeted specific
individuals to be his disciples as such with a view to giving them more intensive
teaching. 68 We will have to return to this subject below (§§13.3b and 14.3).
d. The Urgency of the Call
In view of the note of urgency which was a feature of Jesus' proclamation of
God's reign (§12.4g-h), it is also worth observing the equivalent note of urgency
65. Cf. Mark 11.22-24 par. with Matt. 7.7-11/Luke 11.9-13.
66. Mark 1.18/Matt. 4.20; Mark 2.14 pars.; 6.1; 10.28 pars.; Matt. 8.10/Luke 7.9; Matt.
4.22; 19.28; 20.29; Luke 5.11; 22.39; John 1.37, 40; 10.4-5, 27. In one of the most influential
contributions to the new redaction criticism Bornkamm observed that Matthew's setting of the
sequence on 'following Jesus' (Matt. 8.18-22) immediately before the episode of the stilling of
the storm (8.23-27), with the linking introduction, 'He embarked on the boat and his disciples
followed him' (8.23), was Matthew's way of showing what discipleship/following Jesus would
involve (G. Bornkamm, et al., Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew [London: SCM, 1963]
52-57).
67. Mark 2.15; Mark 3.7/Matt. 4.25/12.15; Matt. 8.1; 19.2; John 6.2. Alternatively we
might ask whether the healed demoniac, who wanted to stay with Jesus but was sent home to
tell his story there (Mark 5.18-20), was any less a follower of Jesus.
68. Cf. Hengel, Charismatic Leader 59-60; Schnackenburg, Sittliche Botschaft 59-66;
see further above, §8.1b.
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