[Disciples] are called away and are supposed to “step out” of their previous existence, they are supposed to “exist” in the strict sense of the word. Former things are left behind; they are completely given up. The disciple is thrown out of the relative security of life into complete insecurity… (58)
Bonhoeffer opens the second chapter of Discipleship with a discussion of Mark 2:14 and the call of Levi. There’s nothing in the text that suggests Levi prepared for this moment; there was no grand calculation in which he weighed the pros and cons. As Bonhoeffer puts it, “The disciple’s answer is not a spoken confession of faith in Jesus. Instead, it is the obedient deed.” (57) Jesus calls Levi, and he follows. He gives up his prior life to enter of life of insecurity. Everything that shaped his identity—culture, family, religion, vocation—are all left behind. Here, Bonhoeffer wants us to know that discipleship is not some articulation of abstract beliefs that make no demand, discipleship is a call to concrete action. It is a new way of life shaped by Jesus Christ.
What is said about the content of discipleship? Follow me, walk behind me! That is all. Going after him is something without specific content. It is truly not a program for one’s life which would be sensible to implement. It is neither a goal nor an ideal to be sought. …Those called leave everything they have, not in order to do something valuable. Instead, they do it simply for the sake of the call itself. (58)
Bonhoeffer recognized how the German people sought security in a mythical German past. They heard the soaring rhetoric of their political leaders who promised the restoration of people, land, and nation. They longed for power and prosperity and found a group of people to blame for their troubles. Bonhoeffer opposed Nazi ideology as idolatry, a return to the Tower of Babel in which humanity sought to make a name for itself—the venomous whisper of the serpent with the satanic temptation to become gods.
The 2024 election has its own religious fervor related to political ideology. On one side we hear about democracy in peril, on the other the existential threat to a way of life. Bonhoeffer reminds us that Christian discipleship means stepping outside of every ideological narrative. The cross reminds us that true power is paradoxically found in weakness, and new life is found only by letting go. The call of discipleship stands firmly against the way of Cain and Lamech who murder and enslave their brothers as they build fortifications for protection. Instead, we follow a Jesus who has no place to lay his head, the one who welcomes the outcast and marginalized with open arms. No amount of Christian jargon or justification can change the reality that, as Tony Campolo once put it, Jesus is neither Republican nor Democrat. Like the angel in Joshua who emphatically declares to be on no-one’s side, the cross of Jesus Christ dismantles every political agenda and power play. According to Bonhoeffer, “This means completely breaking through anything preprogrammed, idealistic, or legalistic. No further content is possible because Jesus is the only content.” (59)
For Bonhoeffer, the politics of discipleship is grounded in the sermon on the mount with its declaration of blessing for the poor, the peacemaker, and the meek. It is a way of life grounded in the law of love that is willing to sacrifice for the well being of my neighbor. Regardless of which political party or candidate we vote for, Bonhoeffer demands the Christian community remember that our allegiance is not to any party, candidate, or nation; our allegiance is to the crucified and risen Christ who calls us to follow him.