Through discipleship it has to reach the hearts of people. A true disciple opens his heart to his teacher. A good mentor knows how to speak to the heart of his followers. Discipleship transmits feeling, emotion and power.
The first disciples of Jesus had been before John the followers of the Baptist then there were already people '' discipleship. Some disciples were called by other disciples to meet Jesus. And there were some who were invited by the teacher himself.
35 The next day again was John, and two of his disciples.
36 And looking at Jesus who was walking by, he said: Behold the Lamb of God.
37 The two disciples heard him speak and followed Jesus.
38 And Jesus turning and seeing that they were following him, said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him: Rabbi (what is translated, Master), where do you dwell?
39 He said to them, Come and see. They went and saw where he dwelt, and they stayed with him that day; because it was like the tenth hour.
40 Andrew, brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard John, and had followed Jesus.
41 He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah (who is translated, the Christ).
42 And he brought Jesus to him. And Jesus, looking at him, said: You are Simon, son of Jonah; you will be called Cephas [a] (which means, Peter [b]).
43 The next day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and he found Philip, and said to him, Follow me.
44 And Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law, as well as the prophets: Jesus, the son of Joseph, of Nazareth.
46 Nathanael said to him, Can something good come out of Nazareth? Felipe told him: Come and go.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching him, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.
48 Nathanael said to him, "Where do you know me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.
49 Nathanael answered and said to him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You see greater things than these.
51 And he said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, From henceforth you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. John 1: 35-51
Based on the call of Andrés, Simón, Felipe and Nathanael, we are going to reflect on some feelings related to discipleship:
Kindness: v.35-39
Andrew and another disciple of John the Baptist (V.40) went by the river listening to the sermon of the prophet and following the baptisms when they heard the double of John pointing to Jesus and declaring that he was "the Lamb of God" (v.29 and 36). The second time John pointed to Jesus declaring who he would be. Andrew and another disciple followed Christ immediately (v.37).
In the case of these first two disciples, they went on to follow Jesus voluntarily. Jesus asked them what they wanted and wanted to know where the Master lived to go to his house (v.38). Then they were invited by Jesus to him (follow v.39).
Discipleship often begins with affinity. Groups of people who identify in a certain way and together follow Jesus. Generally the leaders of discipleship conquer similar people, for example, young people disciple young people, women disciple women, men disciple men and so on.
This sympathy is essential for the discipler who needs to conquer people. When there is this sympathy of the leader towards his leader and vice versa, discipleship occurs much more easily and naturally.
Enpathy: v.40-45
Thus he met Jesus, Andrew just wanted to present the Master to his brother Simon, who was later named Peter (v.42). André identified himself with Jesus and cared so much about his brother that he did not wait long to lead him to Christ.
In fact André was a disciple born because Simon was the one to "think first" (V.41). Andrew was willing to talk about Jesus for whoever came before him. He had the ability to identify with people.
Philip also had this facility of people approaching and so he was called by Jesus also invited Nathaniel to follow Christ (V.45). When asked about Nathanel's response it was just "come and see" (V.46). Who feels empathy for the other does not care about discussions of opinion, because he understands his neighbor and knows that the truth will prevail.
Empathy means feeling the same or being on the same level as the other. To feel empathy means to understand what the other feels or puts himself in his place to understand what he feels. The discipler can not place himself above people, but must address his disciples as a close person.
That's why Jesus attracted crowds and that's why the Pharisees did not accept it. Jesus said "enough for the disciple to be like his teacher" (Matthew 10:25). To be a good leader, you do not have to be better than others. Ordinary people captivate more people than people who are important. The leader needs to be someone accessible.
God's love for us is a form of empathy, because Jesus came into the world to be like us and not just a different one (John 1:14). Discipleship can be understood as a 'disciple on the side', that is, a disciple with another helping to walk and follow the Master Jesus.
Disgust: v.45-51
Nathanael was frustrated with life when he received Philip's invitation to meet Jesus. I had already gone through so many disappointments that I had no motivation to try again. That's why he could not hide his antipathy.
The religious world of the time was permeated by the dogmatism of the Pharisees and the mysticism of the Greeks. There was much discourse and very little practice of the Word of God. Many people were repelled by Judaism and could not identify with their faith.
Nathanael had already seen prophets and religious from all places. Jerusalem itself was the focus of religiosity. When Philip told him that Jesus was the small town of Nazareth, then he did not believe (V.46). With that we understand Nathanael's aversion to hearing about another prophet.
Jesus surprised Nathanael when he said he knew and had seen (V.48), showing empathy. From this moment Nathanael believed in Jesus and the light of hope shone again in his eyes (V.49), he will sympathize with Jesus.
Due to the bad testimony of many Christians, every day the number of people disappointed with the Church grows. These people need to discover that they will never be disappointed with Jesus. To reach these lives again for discipleship, we must do as Philip did, being patient and motivating us to try one more time. Also like Jesus who showed acceptance and love.
Win a person disgusted with the Church is very difficult, so Jesus said "it is inevitable that stumbles come, but woe to that man for whom the scandal comes" (Matthew 18.7).
We must be careful not to throw away lives that Jesus bought with the high price of his blood.
So dear brothers we can conclude that there are several types of approach to conquer a disciple. Depending on how discipleship begins, everything else can be compromised. That is why it is necessary to be sympathetic, show empathy for people and try to captivate those who were antipatized.
Many people become disciples by affinity, when they sympathize with a leader or when in a difficult situation they are welcomed by a discipler who shows empathy. But when they go through disappointments these people are disliked, making it difficult to conquer.
