UNDERSTANDING DISCIPLESHIP IN MARK’ S GOSPEL: WOMEN AS SUBALTERN ALTERNATIVES

Abstract

The way and strategy in which the gospel of Mark teaches discipleship goes beyond the inner circle of the Twelve Disciples. Mark chooses to depict true discipleship through the “Minor Characters,” especially the women followers, who were neither specifically called nor named in the narratives. These minor characters usually exhibit true disciples when the Twelve would not. In fact, it was the women who, unlike the Disciples, did not betray and followed Jesus to the cross and the first to visit the empty tomb. They understood what is demanded of a disciple and the cost of discipleship better than the Twelve. Where the Twelve misunderstood and falter, the women comprehended and remained firm. However, at the end of the gospel the women failed in that they chose to remain silent out of fear after visiting the empty tomb. This shows that women too were fallible as humans, but restorable. The essay is a look at discipleship in Mark from a subaltern perspective. The approach is chosen because it enables the reader to see the egalitarianism envisaged by the Markan community in which everyone serves as equal partner in ministry.