Radical Discipleship in Mark’s Gospel and Its Implications for the Synodal Church

Dalmacito Cordero Jr.; Isaac Yiadom Boakye

doi:10.57106/scientia.v15i2.216

Authors

Dalmacito Cordero Jr. De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8062-1242
Isaac Yiadom Boakye Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete / De La Salle University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57106/scientia.v15i2.216

Keywords:

Synodal Church, Gospel of Mark, Radical Discipleship, Self-denial, Mission

Abstract

This study examines discipleship in the Gospel of Mark and its relevance for the Synodal Church. It highlights how Mark portrays disciples as both committed followers of Jesus Christ and flawed individuals who struggle to understand his identity and mission fully. Through narrative criticism, the Gospel of Mark is analyzed synchronically to examine its stories and language of discipleship, and to explore how the ancient text has evolved, focusing on how modern scholars perceive the Markan narrative as it is experienced by readers today. This literary analysis emphasized that the Gospel reflects the challenges of Jesus' ministry, including rejection, suffering, and misunderstanding. Mark presents discipleship as a journey marked by faith, self-denial, and perseverance despite failure. True disciples are those who remain with Jesus, learn from their mistakes, and ultimately follow him even to the cross. The study concludes that this model of discipleship offers guidance for the Synodal Church today — believers are called to walk together in faith, actively participate in Christ’s mission, and remain steadfast amid difficulties and persecution.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Isaac Yiadom Boakye, Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete / De La Salle University

Isaac Yiadom Boakye is a priest of the Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete. He studied Sacred Theology and earned a Master of Arts in Sacred Scripture from the Don Bosco School of Theology, an affiliate of the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. He has been a missionary in the Philippines for nearly twenty years. He completed his graduate studies in the Formative Counseling and Spiritual Accompaniment program at De La Salle University in Manila, and he is currently working on his doctoral dissertation for final defense. His interests include sacred scriptures, counseling, and spiritual guidance.

References

Aprilia, J & Lasti, L. (2026). The Kingdom of God in the Gospel of Mark. J-KIM: Journal

Kreativitas Ilmiah Mahasiswa, 2(1), 01-08. https://journal.irsyad.org/index.php/J- KIM/article/view/93

Brown, E R. (2008). Christ in the Gospels of the Liturgical Year, ed. Ronald D. Witherup, Minnesota: Liturgical Press.

Brown, E R. (2010). An Introduction to the New Testament, First Yale University Press Impression.

Brown, R. (1990). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Edited by Brown, Raymond E., Fitzmyer, Joseph A., Murphy, Roland E. O. Carm, Prentice Hall: New Jersey.

Company. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14388a.htm

Di Pasquale, L. (2025). The Faith That Saves: A Narrative Journey from Blindness to Discipleship (Mark 10:46-52). Ruch Biblijny i Liturgiczny. https://doi.org/10.21906/RBL.3755

Heimbigner, J. (2024). The Gospel of Mark: Themes, Exploring Faith, Discipleship, and the Messiah’s Journey. Medium. https://jackheimbigner.medium.com/the-gospel-of-mark-

themes-7e3677003460

Henderson, S. W. (2006). Christology and discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511487989

Huebenthal, S. (2022). "Additional Notes to an Unfinished Symphony: Resurrection and Afterlife According to Mark". In Social Memory Theory and Conceptions of Afterlife in Jewish and Christian Antiquity. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill | Schöningh. https://doi.org/10.30965/9783657796212_010

Igbokwe, I. (2023). “A Synodal Church: The Church in a Journey or a Journey in the Church?” The Catholic Voyage: African Journal of Consecrated Life. Vol. 20, No. 1, Accessed on 31/8/2026 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368713371 ASynodalChurch

TheChurchinaJourneyoraJourneyintheChurch

Illathuparampil, M. (2023). Making Disciples by Walking Together: Seminary Formation Toward a Synodal Church. Asian Horizon, Vol. 17, No. 1, Pages: 119-127 Accessed on 31/8/2026 from https://dvkjournals.in/index.php/ah/article/view/4889/3892

International Theological Commission. (2014). Towards a Theology of Synodality. Towards-a- theology-of-synodality-(ENG).pdf

Jung, D. H. (2024). Markan Spirituality of the Way. Religions, 15(10), 1210. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101210

Kartika, E., Willison, H., Sastro, D. S., & Antonius, Y. (2026). Jesus’ Discipleship and the Failure of the Disciples in the Gospel of Mark according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Asian Journal of Philosophy and Religion, 5(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.55927/ajpr.v5i1.16390

Keown, J. M. (2018). Jesus in the World of Colliding Empires: Mark’s Jesus from the Perspective of Power and Expectations, Vol. 1, Wipf and Stock Publishers, Eugene, Oregon.

May, D. M. (2026). A Retrospective on ‘House’ in the Gospel of Mark: A Reflection. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 48(3), 556-567. https://doi.org/10.1177/0142064X251409257

Malbon, S.E. (2000). In The Company of Jesus: Characters in Mark’s Gospel, Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000.

Moloney, J.F. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 119. Mark 6:6a-13

National Catholic Partnership on Disability. (2021). For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission 2021-2023. NCPD: Alianza Nacional Católica Sobre La Discapacidad. https://www.ncpd.org/es/synodal-church-communion-participation-and- mission-synod-2021-2023

Orchard, B. (1996). Dei Verbum and the Synoptic Gospels. EWTN. https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/dei-verbum-and-the-synoptic-gospels-12292

Palakeel, J. S. (2020). Journeying Together to Evangelize. A Look at the Synodal Church of Pope Francis. Asian Horizons, Vol. 14, No. 1. Pages: 119-136, 119–136. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.8145394

Powell, M. A. (1990). What is Narrative Criticism? Minneapolis, MN, 55440: Fortress Press.

The Anchor Bible Dictionary. (1992). Vol. 4. ed. David Noel Freedman, New York: Doubleday.

The Catholic Encyclopedia. (1912). Vol. 14. “Synod.” New York: Robert Appleton

Theißen, G. (2026). The Synoptic Gospels: Creativity through Genre Variation. Studia Aarhusiana Neotestamentica (SANt), 347.

Wardle, T. (2016). Mark, the Jerusalem Temple and Jewish Sectarianism: Why Geographical Proximity Matters in Determining the Provenance of Mark. New Testament Studies, 62(1), 60–78. doi:10.1017/S0028688515000375

Wheatley, P. D. (2023). The Ritual Bridge between Narrative and Performance in the Gospel of Mark. Religions, 14(9), 1104. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14091104

Ziemińska, A. (2026). Beyond Spiritual Blindness: Agency, Honour, and Discipleship in Mark’s Bartimaeus Pericope (Mark 10:46–52). Biblical Interpretation, 34 (2), 189-205. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685152-bja10076