Following the Lamb

The Theme of Discipleship in the Book of Revelation

Keith T. Marriner II

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781498237390
  9781498237413
• eBook ISBN:
  9781498237406
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

Jesus' parting words to his followers were for them to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matt 28:19). This being the case, shouldn't we be concerned with gaining a full understanding of discipleship from the entire New Testament corpus? Many scholars recognize that the theme of discipleship is found throughout the New Testament, even in Revelation, with all of its symbolism and bizarre imagery. But how does it do this? The focus of this study, through the use of content analysis methodology, is to demonstrate that the theme of discipleship is not only found in the Apocalypse, but is also exceedingly relevant for Christians today. In many parts of the world Jesus' disciples are facing opposition and persecution for their testimony to Jesus Christ. It would do Christians well to read the book of Revelation once again. As they read it this time through the eyes of the oppressed, the content of the book will prove extremely valuable to aid disciples of Jesus in their efforts to "follow the Lamb wherever he goes" (Rev 14:4), no matter what the cost.

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Introduction

Introduction

There have been only a handful of general studies on the theme of discipleship in the New Testament (NT), all of which have been written since 1950.1 Only recently have scholars turned their attention to the motif of discipleship from the perspective of the Gospels.2 Still, few other NT books have received much consideration regarding the theme of discipleship. Among those neglected NT books is the book of Revelation. Michael J. Wilkins in his biblical theology of discipleship, Following the Master, looks at the theme of discipleship in Revelation only tangentially.3 Is this lack of interest due to the relative exclusion of the theme of discipleship in the Apocalypse? While it is true that the term “disciple” does not occur outside of the Gospels and Acts, this does not mean the rest of the NT fails to contribute to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Paul Helm and others have noted the idea of discipleship is neither “absent [nor] less dominant” outside of the Gospels and Acts.4 According to Michael Wilkins, this includes the book of Revelation: “The consensus in the history of the church—ancient and modern—is that the concept of discipleship is apparent everywhere in the NT, from Matthew through Revelation.”5 In fact, there have been three brief studies on discipleship in the Apocalypse to date, the authors of which are Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, David E. Aune, and Loren T. Stuckenbruck.6 Each contribution to the idea of discipleship in Revelation is summarized in the following paragraphs.

Schüssler Fiorenza’s essay briefly explores Rev 14:1–5 “to show how the rhetorical language of a text must be explored so that its symbolic-poetic images make ‘sense’ within its overall context and it has ‘meaning’ and the power of ‘persuasion’ in its own particular historical-social situation.”7 She proceeds to argue for Revelation’s genre as “poetic language,” which opens the text to a broader range of meanings, thus enabling the interpreter “to perceive the strength of the image with all its possible overtones of meaning for the writer as well as for the audience.”8 She goes on to discuss the author’s rhetorical strategy of Revelation, which she defines as a “visionary rhetoric” that provides its audience with an “alternate world” in order to encourage believers to persevere in the face of the Domitian persecution of Christians.9 Next, she describes how this “visionary rhetoric” functions in Rev 14:1–5. She concludes her chapter noting that the message of Revelation continues to resonate only with those Christians who experience a similar “rhetoric situation,” namely Christian persecution.10

While Schüssler Fiorenza’s essay does briefly explore the theme of discipleship in Revelation, it is limited largely to her interpretation of Rev 14:1–5, which is further interpreted in light of Revelation’s “visionary rhetoric” and particular “rhetoric situation.” This leaves the remainder of Revelation to be explored concerning the theme of discipleship. Further, her interpretation seems to limit the efficacy of Revelation to Christians undergoing religious persecution. This conclusion seems a bit too narrow. This argument would be similar to a Pentecostal or charismatic declaring that one must speak in tongues in order to truly identify with the guidelines for the charisma in 1 Cor 12–14. Contrary to Schüssler Fiorenza’s conclusion, it appears equally as likely that Rev 14:1–5 and the book as a whole are useful to prepare Christians who have as yet not encountered persecution for what it truly means to follow Jesus “wherever he goes” (Rev 14:4).

David E. Aune’s essay approaches the theme of discipleship in Revelation (a theme he believes was a central concern for John)11 by addressing Rev 14:1–5, a group of passages that speak of “victory,” and passages that look at having to be obedient to God’s commands and “witnessing to the salvific significance of Jesus.”12 Regarding Rev 14:1–5 he notes several characteristics of discipleship, including: (1) Christians who have given their allegiance to God and Christ follow the Lord wherever he goes, which in the book of Revelation often means suffering and death, and (2) believers are those who persevere in remaining faithful to God and the Lamb.13 Those passages that speak of victory do so paradoxically, for this victory is only won through suffering and death. Jesus’ own death that results in victory serves as a paradigm for Christian disciple...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Discipleship in the Ancient World
• Chapter 3: Literature on Discipleship in the Gospel of John
• Chapter 4: Discipleship in the Book of Revelation
• Chapter 5: Conclusion
• Bibliography