Bonhoeffer’s words really cut through (the link I gave here has good brief history and pictures – this is where I got this younger looking Bonhoeffer). As I’m reading his classic book Discipleship which I seriously think God is using my interaction with its pages to shake me up, stir me, and shape me …
(refering to Mark 2:14)
“The call goes out , and without any further ado the obedient deed of the one called follows. The disciple’s answer is not a spoken confession of faith in Jesus. Instead, it is the obedient deed.
… the text is not interested in psychological explanations for the faithful decisions of a person. Why not? Because there is only one good reason for the proximity of call and deed: Jesus Christ himself It is he who calls.
… Jesus calls to discipleship, not as a teacher and a role model, but as the Christ, the Son of God.” p. 57
“The disciple is thrown out of the relative security of life into complete insecurity (which in truth is absolute insecurity and protection in community with Jesus): out of the foreseeable and calculable realm (which in truth is unreliable) into the completely unforeseeable, coincidental realm (which in truth is the only necessary and reliable one); out of the realm of limited possibilities (which in truth is that of unlimited possibilities) into the realm of unlimited possibilitiies (which in truth is the only liberating truth.” p. 58, typing this made me pause a few times!” p. 58
“No further content is possible because Jesus is the only content. There is no other content besides Jesus. He himself is it.
… Christianity without the living Jesus Christ remains necessarily a Christianity without discipleship; and Christianity without discipleship is always a Christianity without Jesus Christ. It is an idea, a myth.” p. 59
Sivin,
You keep reminding me of the things I read last year in that book. Man!! Isn’t it sort of weird, though, that there is so much interest in Bonhoeefer’s work today? Fifteen years ago, there wasn’t much interest at all. A movement of the Holy Spirit, perhaps? I hope so. Hope all is well with you Sivin.