The Disciple Citizen
In this first session we will explore what the words disciple
and citizen could mean for us in South Africa in 2016.
On discipleship
Dietrich Bonhoeffer published a book in 1937 The cost of
discipleship. For him a disciple is
someone who not only believes in Christ but lives his words. And the most important words for the disciple
are those found in Matthew 25.
“For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when thirsty,
you gave me drink; when I was a stranger you took me into your home, when naked
you clothed me; when I was ill you came to my help, when in prison you visited
me.” 25:34 to 37
Bonhoeffer says bluntly:
"The only proper response to this word which
Jesus brings with him from eternity is simply to do it. Jesus has spoken: his
is the word, ours the obedience. Only in the doing of it does the word of Jesus
retain its honour, might and power among us. Cost of Discipleship, page 174.
On citizenship
A history of this concept reveals an ambiguous
combination of blood and values. The
values of a citizen in the new South Africa are best described in the Preamble
to our constitution:
“We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our
land;
Respect those who have worked to build and develop our
country; and
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it,
united in our diversity.
KEY QUESTION FOR THIS
FIRST SESSION
What does it mean to be a
disciple citizen in South Africa IN 2016?
How do we best live the
words ‘South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united
in our diversity?
How should followers of
Christ incorporate a love of country into obedience for the Sermon on the
Mount?
The rights of South
African citizenship are set out in the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. For the disciple citizen what are the
responsibilities of citizenship?
Disciple
In
the languages of our scriptures this word is found its its Hebrew form limmud;
in Greek machetes; and in Latin discipulus. In the New Testament this term
refers broadly to those who accept the teachings of others (John the Baptist,
the Pharisees, or Moses) and more narrowly to the adherents of Jesus. [The New
Bible Dictionary, page 312].
One
of the most challenging writers about this concept in contemporary times is
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and most directly in his first major book The cost
of discipleship. In this book he draws the sharp distinction between
cheap and costly grace. His concept of costly grace is well explained in this
quote:
"Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be
protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of
God, which he speaks as it pleases him.
Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes
as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels a man to
submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says;
'My yoke is easy and my burden light." [The Cost of Discipleship, page 37.
Bonhoeffer
pulls no punches in setting out the demands of discipleship.
"The only proper response to this word which Jesus brings
with him from eternity is simply to do it. Jesus has spoken: his is the word,
ours the obedience. Only in the doing of it does the word of Jesus retain its
honour, might and power among us. Now the storm can rage over the house, but it
cannot shatter that union with him, which his word has created." [The cost
of discipleship, pages 174 and 175]
The
crispest and clearest statement of what Jesus expects of his disciples is to be
found towards the end of Matthew’s Gospel.
There is rich content in both Chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew’s
Gospel. But verses 31 to 46 in Chapter
25 are a good indication.
“When the Son of Man comes in his
glory and all the angels with him, he will sit in state on his throne, with all
the nations gathered before him. He will
separate men into two group, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
and he will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right,
”You have my Father blessing; come enter
and posses the kingdom that has been ready for you since the world was made.
For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when thirsty, you gave me drink; when
I was a stranger you took me into your home, when naked you clothed me; when I
was ill you came to my help, when in prison you visited me.” Then the righteous will replay, “Lord, when
was it that we saw you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you a drink, a
stranger and took you home, or naked and clothed you? When did we see you ill
or in prison, and come to visit you? And the king will answer, “I tell you
this: anything you did for one of my brothers here, however humble, you did for
me.” Then he will say to those on his left hand, “The curse if upon you; go
from my sight to the eternal fire that is ready for the devil and his
angels. For when I was hungry you gave
me nothing to eat, when thirsty nothing to drink; when I was a stranger you
gave me no home, when naked you did not clothe me`: when I was ill and in
prison you did not come to my help.” And they will reply, “Lord, when was it
that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and did nothing for you?” And he will answer, “I tell you this: anything you
did not di for one of these, however humble, you did not do for me.” And they
will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter eternal life.”
Mathew 25: 31 to 46 New English Bible.
In
Bonhoeffer's times and circumstances this firstly called on all German
Christians to speak out and stand in solidarity with German Jews. Subsequently it required Bonhoeffer to join a
difficult, ambiguous and ultimately failed conspiracy to remove Hitler from
power.
What
does Jesus expect of his South African disciples in 2016?
Citizens
In
its earliest usage the term citizen denoted an inhabitant of a
city or town. In later and more general
usage it came to mean an enfranchised inhabitant of a country.
Roman
Citizenship
Sean
A Adams has written an excellent paper entitled "Paul the Roman
Citizen: Roman Citizenship in the ancient world and its importance for
understanding Acts 22: 22 - 29," To
access this 18 page paper in full go to www.academica.edu>Paul the Roman
Citizen.
In
Roman times citizenship could be acquired in five ways:
* by birth (also
through the father's line)
* By manumission -
freed slaves were often made citizens
* By service in the
Roman army
* As a gift conferred
by the Emperor on prominent citizens
* Or bought (often
through unofficial means).
The
benefits of Roman citizenship included:
* immunity from at
least some taxes
* Access to the courts
* The right to vote,
at least in local elections
* The right not be
tortured, scourged or crucified.
The
missionary life of Saint Paul benefited enormously from his Roman citizenship.
British
Citizenship
The
citizenship of empires and also rich countries has often been attractive to
outsiders.
As
Britain progressed from a small island at the edge of the civilized world (as
in the time of Julius Caesar) to being one of the largest empires in human
history the nature of British nationality and citizenship became more and more
confused. Essentially the battle for
who could claim British citizenship, with full rights, became the contest
between blood and conquest. This contest
is most clearly indicated by the British Nationality Act of 1948 which
created a new class of Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies. CUKC's This applied to British
Subjects who had a close relationship, through birth or descent (blood)
with the United Kingdom and its Colonies.
Note that Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa at this time
has the status of Dominions (not colonies) unlike the not white parts of the
Empire such as Ghana and India. These
unfortunately anagrammed CUKC's were to obtain citizenship of either Britain or
the de colonized independent states which remained in the Commonwealth such as India. Until they did they were subjects but
not citizens. They did have the
right however to enter and remain in Britain, and tens of thousands of such
CUKC's, first from the Caribbean, and then from India and Pakistan did so.
From
1960's onwards Britain has progressively narrowed the concept of its
citizenship. Descent from a Grandparent
still may be a ground for this status.
And those with both the intent and capacity to invest at least one
million pounds in Britain can become citizens through investment.
South
African Citizenship
Until
1994 the right to citizenship of our country was defined by race. Indeed the Bantustan project involved tens of
millions of South Africans losing their national identity and even limited
rights of citizenship.
In
terms of the 1995 South African Citizenship Act people become citizens in four
main ways:
* by being born within
the borders of South African;(birth)
* By being born
outside these borders but to a parent who is a citizen (descent)
* By becoming a citizen
after a period of residence in South Africa (naturalization)
* By entering into a
spousal relationship with a South African citizen (naturalization).
Subject
or citizen?
Simon
Schama chose a one word title for his history of the French Revolution. That word was citizen. For in that Revolution, with its consequences
both wonderful and terrible, every French person changed from being the
subjects of the French KIng to becoming citizen co-governors of the French
Republic. That republic was founded on
the core values of Liberty, equality and fraternity.
South
African citizens enjoy a similar, but even better defined and defended set of
rights. The rights are set out very
clearly in section 2 of the 1996 South African Constitution. They include the right to equality, human
dignity, life, freedom and security of person, freedom of religion, belief and
opinion, freedom of expression, assembly, association including the right to
form and participate in political parties, movement and resident, trade, occupation
and profession and many more.
But
as Victor Frankel observed in America the Statute of Liberty which dominates
the sea entrance to New York City needs to be balanced by a Statue of
Responsibility, which American citizens are hoping to erect in San Francisco.
What
is expected of A south African citizen is set out in the preamble to our new
constitution, adopted in 1996.
Preamble
We, the people of South Africa
Recognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice
and freedom in our land;
Respect those who have worked to
build and develop our country; and
Believe that South Africa belongs to
all who live in it,
United in our diversity.
We therefore, through our first
freely elected representatives, adopt this constitution as the supreme law of
the Republic so as to –
Heal the divisions of the past and
establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental
human rights;
Lay the foundations for a democratic
and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and
every citizen is equally protected by law;
Improve the quality of life of all
citizens and free the potential of each person; and
Build a united and democratic South
Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of
nations.
May God protect our people
Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika. Morena boloka
sejthaba sa heso.
God seen Suid-Afrika. God bless South
Africa.
Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurike. Hosi
ketekisa Afrika.
Surely
the responsibilities of a South African citizen who is also a disciple of Jesus
are those most emphatically set out in his words, perhaps most clearly as
Bonhoeffer has argued, in the Sermon on the Mount.
So
in 2016 in South Africa what are the duties, the responsibility, what is the
costly grace of South African citizens?
Bobby and Gillian Godsell February 2016
