A Meditation on Discipleship
Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)
A. Introduction: The Lord Calls Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10, Hebrew Bible)
ויבא יהוה ויתיצב ויקרא כפעם בפעם שמול שמול ויאמר שמול דבר כי שמע עבדף
(way-ya-bo Yah-weh way-yit-yas-sab way-yiq-ra ke-pa-am be-pa-am she-mu-el, she-mu-el way-yo-mer she-mu-el dab-ber ki sho-me-a ab-de-ka)
“And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.”
In 1 Samuel 1, we are introduced to Hannah, the wife of Elkanah and mother of Samuel (“He who listens to God”), who sings to the Lord, praising him in her testimony that she, having been barren, has been favored with a newborn child, whom she has dedicated to the Lord, that he will grow up in faithful obedience, dedicating himself and his life to God. This biblical text prepares us for the later account that we read about young Samuel, in First Samuel 3:1-20.
B. The Reading and Interpretation of First Samuel 3:1-20
In First Samuel 3 of the Hebrew Bible (the Tanach), we learn of the story of young twelve year-old Samuel. Significantly, this is at the same age when young Jesus entered the Temple of Jerusalem, “sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions “ (Luke 2:41-52).
In our present story, young Samuel awakes from a deep sleep in the middle of the night, when he hears a voice (unknown to him, the voice of the Holy Spirit) calling out his name, not once, not twice, but thrice; its persistency and urgency disturbing him deeply, compounded by his ignorance, his uncertainty, his immaturity, and clearly his utter incomprehension of what he is experiencing. At the third instance of calling, Samuel, for a second time, consults Eli, the High Priest, old and of poor sight, nearly blind, whom Samuel serves obediently as caretaker, and assumes that Samuel has been calling him. The High Priest recognizes that this persistent calling is that of the Holy Spirit (the ruach ha-khodesh; in Biblical Hebrew, רוח הקדש), and instructs Samuel that he is to return once more to bed, and if he hears the voice calling a fourth time, he is to respond dutifully, compassionately, and with obedient service, by saying, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening .”
C. Elaboration of the Biblical Tale
When this biblical story is elaborated and amplified as a cautionary archetypal tale, we recognize that it can be interpreted as a story of the universal invocation of the Holy Ghost, as the Paraclete or Advocate, that increasingly and persistently seeks our attention, beckoning us, and indeed all of humanity, to pay attention, to ‘listen’ (which requires suspension of our judgment; not merely physically and, quite likely, judgmentally, ‘hearing’ the message); and to obey, even as Samuel does. Like Samuel, most of us, if not all of us, stubborn as we are, need to be prompted again and again to learn how to listen. We must repetitively hear the voice of God before we consider even listening. In doubt, we may even consult others (parents, teachers, friends, neighbors, spouses, counselors, psychologists; perhaps priests, pastors, rabbis or imams), before we even consider truly listening and obeying.
Despite these efforts of consultation that we may experience or seek, many of us end up offering a deaf ear, and continue to wallow stubbornly in self-righteous ignorance and foolish pride; perhaps even relying on our own choices and self-centeredness of the ego as ‘native wisdom.’ In effect, we often vaingloriously adapt an extraverted stance of haughtiness, rather than consider the less abrasive stance of the introvert, which requires us to pause, to humbly look deep within ourselves and consult the wisdom of the Indwelling Holy Spirit that some people refer to psychologically as ‘the calling of the autonomous psyche’ or, in the language of spirituality, the calling of servanthood, or the call of the soul to discipleship.
D. The Call to Discipleship
The call to discipleship is a resounding declaration that is defined throughout the Holy Bible. One of the most prominent places in the entire Bible is located in the New Testament Gospel of Luke, in chapter 14, where a disciple or pilgrim is defined as someone who, having abandoned the material things of the world (of ‘olam ha-zeh’), seeks the Kingdom of Heaven (the spiritual world or the next world of ‘olam haba’); has put on the full metaphorical armor of God, the armor of righteousness; by surrendering to Christ, and is now vested with a new undivided heart that is wholly dedicated to loving and serving the Lord.
E. The Use of a Parable for Clarification
In simple terms a parable is considered to be ‘an earthly story with a heavenly message.’ We see that Jesus often employs this method to his audience of hard-headed listeners. In Luke 14:15-23, we are introduced to “The Parable of the Great Banquet,” where Jesus uses a parable to explain to his doubting hard-of-hearing listeners what discipleship is; that it is the act of servanthood, the act of service with obedience, and without any excuses. Indeed, Jesus demonstrates this very priority of obedience and servanthood by employing his very life, literally as a scaffold of sacrificial service to humanity. We get early foreshadowing glimpses of this even before Jesus begins his earthly ministry (see Luke 2:14-52) when, at age 12, he enters the Temple in Jerusalem during the Feast of the Passover, engaged in obediently carrying out the will of his Heavenly Father.
F. Depiction of Irony
It is ironic that Jesus’ own earthly parents, his siblings, and his disciples did not fully comprehend his earthly sacrificial mission of salvation for humanity; his parents even becoming anxious and worried, perhaps even impatient about his ‘other-worldly’ quest that seemed to them so remote from the necessity to perform everyday urgent daily tasks of survival as minority citizens residing in a Roman Empire of the First Century. How much more challenging it may be for us living in the highly technologically advanced materialistic world of the twenty first century, so remotely distanced historically, linguistically, and culturally from the first century of the common era, to grasp, acknowledge, and embrace the enduring wealth and power of the unseen but Indwelling Holy Spirit that, ironically, must be considered our very source of existence, both materially and spiritually.
G. The Nature of Discipleship Calling
Discipleship calling is undoubtedly the highest calling that anyone can make. It calls for all of us to recognize and acknowledge that there are various types and levels of calling; from the very basic of human survival and safety (welfare of self and of loved ones) to the very highest of sacrificial love for one’s family, one’s country, and for one’s neighbors (‘friend’ or ‘foe’). But, undoubtedly, the greatest and most enduring calling, as Jesus informs us, is that of the inner spiritual calling, the calling of the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven within us, at the beckoning of the Holy Spirit (Luke 17:20-21). Symbolically we participate in that calling when, within us, when among ourselves, and in our midst, when two or three of us gather together in his name; and especially when we, as practicing believers, partake of the Lord’s Supper.
H. The LORD’S Supper
For practicing Christians and believers, the Lord’s Supper is given by the Lord Jesus, at the invitation of the Holy Spirit. It is where, at this sacramental invitation, we partake of the blessing and breaking of the wafer, its consumption, and the blessing and imbibing of wine (grape juice), submitting our unworthy broken selves to a higher calling, to a sacrificial and healing Jesus as our Lord and Savior, as he invites us to do; even as he strongly commands us to do; in fellowship with him, in communion with one another; and in communion with the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; not just for a moment; not just at the hour of the Holy Sacrament, but for all our earthly lives, with each and every breath we take.
That is what our Lord Jesus, as the ‘Great Proclamation,’ to his disciples, commands us to do. That is what Jesus as ‘The Christ,’ as the Savior and healer of humanity commands us all to do; today, tomorrow, and always; to draw closer to him as his faithful flock; to be spiritually fulfilled. My brothers and sisters in Christ, are you ready to listen, to obey, and to serve, faithfully and obediently; even as Samuel did, and even more so, as Jesus did in carrying out the will of his Heavenly Father?
I. Application of Message
As we reflect on this sermon, as we meditate on its message, it is important to recognize that, through the mediation of parents and caregivers in the rearing and guidance of children, the call to discipleship can be considered to be initiated at infancy. In the book of Proverbs we read that parents are asked to rear or train up children in the way they should be (their God-given spiritual inclination), so that when they are old, they will not depart from it (Proverb 22:6). As a prime example, we must consider the calling or dedication ritual of the church involving infants or young children in the Christian church, following the command of Jesus, in Matthew 19:13-14, which reads: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Similarly, it must be emphasized that the calling to discipleship is equally for men and for women. As example, we make note of the biblical calling of Mary, recorded in Luke 19:38-42, where Jesus visits the home of Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus. While Martha, as older sister (also, like Mary, a disciple of Jesus), bustles around preparing food for the many guests, including Jesus as the main guest; and is divided in her attention in performing many household tasks, her younger sister, Mary, assumes the posture of discipleship, prostrating herself, sitting at the feet of her master, Jesus, and listening to him attentively, with undivided attention. In Luke 10:41-42, we read that Jesus puts it this way to a complaining Martha, who wants her sister to help with the food preparation: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
J. Conclusion
For readers of this sermon, delivered as a meditation, it is instructive to note that Mary can be considered to be the archetypal or ideal image (masculine or feminine) of Christian discipleship; with Mary functioning at ‘full strength’ of the Holy Spirit, and her older sister Martha (a symbolic aspect of the assertion of the ego self) portrayed as having divided attention, preoccupied with other priorities, and, as a disciple, ‘partially filled’ with the Holy Spirit. Taken together, both Mary and Martha (collectively ‘The Mary-Martha Discipleship Phenomenon’) can be considered psychologically to demonstrate the potential each individual has to be at times either a ‘Mary Disciple’ or a ‘Martha Disciple;’ either partially engaged, or fully engaged with the Holy Spirit.
K. A Final Commentary
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, in your call to discipleship, you may at times like Martha, with partial strength of the Holy Spirit, be distracted by the many things of this material world, but the calling to discipleship requires us, like Mary, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to be undivided in our attention and our focus on Jesus; clearly a difficult task to accomplish, as Saint Paul confesses, in Romans 7:14-25, observing eloquently that as a master of the law, he is capable of morally distinguishing right from wrong; yet ironically, it is that very law, materially determined and and man-made, that ensnares him from obedience to the higher spiritual law; and even weakens him. While the spirit is always willing, it is the law of the flesh that weakens.
Finally, in our meditation of this sermon, let us return once more to the majesty and importance of the Lord’s Supper. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Communion, as the most important sacrament of the Christian church and the Christian Faith, is a powerful symbol and reminder of this responsibility and commitment. Whenever we, like Saint Paul, as reflective thinking adults, gifted with the Indwelling Holy Spirit, eat of the bread, and drink of the sacramental wine of the Lord’s Supper, at the Lord’s invitation, and at the beckoning of the Holy Spirit, we have, in good faith, consciously, and with conviction, renewed that vow, that sacred vow of discipleship. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us faithfully continue to break bread, and let us equally commit ourselves to not break that solemn vow. May Ye therefore, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Peace of the Lord Be With You.
About this poem
This composition was originally delivered as a sermon, on Sunday, January 8, 2023, at Elim Alliance Church in Valley Cottage, New York, where I serve as one of two Elders. That sermon bore the title of “The Call to Discipleship.” Now, I am of the opinion that when a sermon becomes a poem, it becomes circumstantially transformed into a conscious reflection of the message, or a meditation; hence the title of this composition. Indeed, the sermon of Sunday, January 8, 2023 was itself originally developed and delivered, based on a poem, “Everyone is Called,” composed earlier by me, on May 25, 2022, and posted online, on poetry. com. This present composition can be justly considered to be an amplification of the underlying theme of discipleship and the associated theme of servanthood, with its spiritual goal of attainment of the metaphysical ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ as well as, in secular terms, the related analytical psychological goal known to some as individuation. In any case, the format of this composition maintains its original narrative style and objective, but with some minor editorial changes. This composition is introduced with an introduction of a portion of the main scriptural text (1 Samuel 3:10) given in Hebrew, accompanied by Hebrew transliteration to accommodate for pronunciation purposes; followed by a King James English translation of that text. more »
Written on January 10, 2023
Submitted by karlcfolkes on January 10, 2023
Modified by karlcfolkes on January 14, 2023
- 11:06 min read
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Quick analysis:
Scheme | X X X A A XB X BC C X X D E E B D D XD X XD F E XF X |
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Characters | 13,092 |
Words | 2,218 |
Stanzas | 25 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1 |
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