Making Disciples: A Practical Guide for Everyday Catholics

Part One: Rediscovering Jesus’ original vision for discipleship.

(Photo: Lightstock)

The evangelist, Matthew, concludes his Gospel with the famous “Great Commission” of Jesus: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19).

It’s because of this Great Commission that the Catholic Church “exists in order to evangelize…” (Evangelii Nuntiandi 14). Jesus’ command set the Church on her course until his Second Coming. Ever since he spoke those words to his apostles, the Church has been, is and always will be a disciple-making institution.

Go.

And make disciples.

For the better part of the last century, the Church has emphasized the reality that every baptized Christian is called to help fulfill this Great Commission. Many of us today are in tune with this reality. Many of us know that we’re called to evangelize. Many of us want to make disciples!

The problem: we just don’t know how.

We lack a clear vision of what making disciples tangibly looks like.

Therefore, over the course of the next year, I hope to use this monthly column to lay out a practical, repeatable method by which each of us can do our part in fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission.

In essence, this model looks like this:

• Be an authentic disciple of Jesus yourself

• Discern who to intentionally accompany

• Build authentic friendship with that person

• Build freedom zones within that friendship

• Share the Kerygma and intentionally invite that person into discipleship with Jesus

• Share the vision of discipleship with the person you accompany

• Build them toward an encounter of the person of Jesus

• Build them toward an initial or secondary conversion

• Build them toward spiritual leadership

• Share the call to fulfill the Great Commission

• Build through the person you accompany

If this looks intimidating or daunting, fear not. 

We can easily overcomplicate things, so this really boils down to just two things: build someone up and share Jesus with them.

I know myself, though, and I need things broken down as practically as possible. Otherwise, it ain’t happening.

So, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to break things down a wee bit more so that you can go and make disciples as God called you to do.

And let’s start there.

That phrasing from Jesus is key.

I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t say, “Go and make believers…” or “Go and make supporters” or even “Go and make followers…”

When Jesus said to “Go, therefore, and make disciples…” he called us to perpetuate the rabbi-disciple system that he was a part of 2,000 years ago.

To be clear, this system was not unique to Jesus. It was implemented by many rabbis before and after his earthly life.

The rabbi-disciple system of ancient Israel was an intentional process by which a rabbi (“teacher") would impart the ways of God to his students.

If someone was “in discipleship” with a rabbi, then they had a crystal-clear goal: to become a replica of their rabbi. This is why Jesus taught in Luke 6:40, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher.” (Other translations say “…when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.”)

When Jesus instructed us to “make disciples,” he called us to undergo an intentional process of training one another to imitate him better.

If we can understand this process, then life-changing evangelization will not only be possible but repeatable and expandable. Making disciples “of all nations” will be attainable and not impractical.

We will gain a better understanding of this process if we understand what discipleship was in ancient Israel. During the time of Jesus, the Jewish education system was comprised of three levels:

• The first level was called Bet Sefer, or “House of the Book.” You can think of this like elementary school. Everyone went through it. From the age of 5 until about 10 years old, boys and girls would learn the Torah and memorize it.

• Boys who proved adequate in their learning would advance to the second level of education, Bet Talmud, or “House of Learning.” This was a more intensive period of study in which the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures were memorized.

• At about 14 years old, most students would have completed their education. They would then focus on learning a trade, getting a job, finding a wife, starting a family, etc. But the very best students (think summa cum laude) would go on to present themselves to a rabbi in the hopes of studying under him. If the rabbi deemed the student worthy, they would say, “Lech Acharai” (“Come, follow me”). This student would then enter the third and highest level of education, Bet Midrash, or “House of Study,” and become a disciple of that rabbi.

A young man in Bet Midrash would leave everything to follow his rabbi, focusing on becoming a carbon copy of that rabbi. The art of discipleship was really the art of imitation.

If a young man’s rabbi had a beard, for example, then that young man would grow out a beard. If his rabbi had a limp, he would take on that limp. If his rabbi spoke with a raspy voice, he would incorporate that rasp into his speech. Above all, whatever his rabbi taught about the sacred Scriptures, he would allow to form his worldview.

A common Jewish blessing to a disciple during this time went something like this: “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.” In other words, “May you follow your rabbi so closely that the dust of his sandals kicks up and covers you. May you look like him, smell like him and one day teach like him.” 

This is a wild concept for our modern minds. In our hyper-individualistic society, a world in which “You do you” and “Live your truth,” this is completely antithetical to our modern ideals. You want me to become a replica of someone else? Mm, no thanks.

It’s hard for us to understand what an incredible honor it would be for a young man to disciple under a rabbi, but think what it would be like for a high school football player to be told by Tom Brady, “Come, follow me, and do what I do.” Any aspiring quarterback would jump at that opportunity!

When Jesus tells us “Come, follow me” (see Matthew 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, etc.), he extends the ultimate honor.

He invites each of us to leave everything and to learn from him in a lifelong journey of studying under him and imitating him. He invites each of us into discipleship so that we can become his mini-Christs for the world.

And as we embrace becoming mini-Christs, we step into the abundance of life that our rabbi won for us on the hill of Calvary.

Our discipleship with Jesus is an incredible gift.

Our discipleship with Jesus also requires us to do as he did.

As mini-Christs, we too must invite others into discipleship. We must “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…”

How exactly we do that will be the subject of my ongoing discussion for the following year. Stay tuned.