I grew up in church my whole life. Sunshine choir, church punch, junior usher board, youth crusade, small groups, “quiet times,” alto on the praise team—you get the picture. As a new Christian in my early 20’s, I remember reading Matthew 28:19-20 and wondering, “How can I make disciples? I’m a mess. How can I do something that it seems like only God can do? How will Jesus “be with me”? 

Jesus’ final command to His followers was “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age”  (Matthew 28:19-20). For the past 20 years, I have taught Bible studies, led discipleship groups in local churches, worked in campus ministry, and most recently, I serve as the discipleship director at a nondenominational church in Brooklyn. And, as a result, I needed to ask, “What is discipleship?”

Over time, I realized that Jesus’ discipleship command is the fulfillment of God’s original calling for humanity to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). Biologically, we all can not give birth, but every Christ-follower is called to be a spiritual midwife as the Holy Spirit brings about “a birth that comes from God” (John 1:13).

A disciple is basically a follower of Jesus. 

In the New Testament, we see Jesus Christ call men and women to follow Him and promise to transform their lives. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus proclaims, “Follow me and I’ll make you someone new” (my paraphrase). He called those first followers to a new and abundant life in Him. The Gospel of Matthew describes how the disciples followed Jesus, learning as they watched Him redefine leadership with His life. They witnessed how Jesus engaged and loved the marginalized as whole people, worthy of love and instruction.

One of the best discipleship models I’ve ever seen described is in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John. In this passage, Jesus crossed sociocultural boundaries to reveal Himself as the Messiah to an ignored and discarded Samaritan woman.

As they spoke, Jesus engaged with her as a whole human being, to the shock of His male disciples. She then recognized that Jesus was like no other man she’d ever met. And she’s known more than a few. She experienced Jesus’ humanity and prophetic insight as He asked her for water and told her all about herself.

Because He’s God in the flesh, Jesus knows that she’s been abandoned five times by men, but Jesus doesn’t condemn her. She shared her understanding of who God is with Jesus and, because He’s not a stingy Savior, Jesus revealed His Messianic secret to her.  A disciple was made that day! 

But that’s just the beginning.

The Samaritan’s encounter with Jesus is so transformative that she sprints off in the direction of the same community that rejected her. She introduced anyone who would listen to this Messiah! She even left her water can behind at the well! Her soul thirst has been quenched. 

And it still didn’t end there.

Her testimony about Jesus caused other Samaritans to want to encounter the truth, love, and beauty of Jesus for themselves (John 4:30, 39). 

May we introduce people to Jesus so that they can experience love and truth for themselves.

Adapted from Discipleship as Holy Collaboration: Helping Others Follow Jesus in Real Life by Yolanda Solomon

*For deeper reflection, listen to John 4 today!