Throughout the Christian world today multitudes of men and women are earnestly striving to the best of their ability and understanding to follow the great Master in the way he pointed out, seeking the highest of callings, true discipleship. Yet the most superficial observer must be impressed with the many and various ways that are being followed by these seekers, and also by the fact that each honestly believes the way he has chosen to be the right one. The question then arises, Are there many ways of being a disciple of Christ Jesus? If not, how is one to know whether the way he has chosen is the right one?
A dictionary gives the following as one definition of "disciple": "A follower who has learned to believe in the truth of the doctrine of his teacher." Obviously, then, the disciple must first understand the doctrine of his teacher, and then accept it as true. If one did not correctly understand his teacher's doctrine, but accepted his own false concept of it as true, he would fall short of true discipleship no matter how loyal he might be to his teacher. Since the true disciples of a teacher are those who clearly understand his teachings and accept them as true, there can be no place for conflicting opinions between them as to the meaning of what their teacher has taught.
Now, Christ Jesus taught by both word and deed, and much of his teaching was by means of parables. His works, and his words, including the parables, embody and illustrate profound spiritual truths, and spiritual truth is discerned through spiritual sense. Each individual in his real being has spiritual sense, but humanly we seem to have it in widely varying degrees. In the multitudes that listened to Jesus and witnessed his great works there were many types of human thought, ranging from that of the gross materialist to that of his immediate disciples, whose spiritual sense was being enhanced through the true education they were receiving from the Master concerning the things of Spirit. Each listener was able to grasp the true import of Jesus' words, works, and parables in proportion to his spiritual sense. Consequently, since there was a wide variation in the spiritual sense of the listeners, there was a wide difference in what was understood. Perhaps some heard nothing more than the simple story Jesus told. Others caught a gleam of the spiritual truth the story embodied, while still others were able to grasp this truth in fuller measure. In several instances it was necessary for the Master to interpret the parables to his immediate disciples, as even they grasped the import of his teaching only in small degree, until after his crucifixion and resurrection. Today the same conditions prevail among those who study these same words, works, and parables as recorded in the Scriptures, each one grasping their spiritual meaning in proportion to his spiritual sense.
