Recently I watched a couple of episodes of “The Mandalorian” on the Disney Channel. It’s a bit of fun and is part of the Star Wars franchise produced by Lucasfilm. The Mandalorians are a fictional group of warrior people in the Star Wars universe and come from the planet of Mandalore. Their appearance is often distinguished by gear and technology such as battle helmets, armour, and jetpacks. They first appeared in the Star Wars series in 1980 in “The Empire Strikes Back”, the second movie that followed “Star Wars – A New Hope”.
Beginning five years after the events of the film “Return of the Jedi” (1983) and the fall of the Galactic Empire, “The Mandalorian” follows Din Djarin, a lone Mandalorian bounty hunter working in the outer reaches of the galaxy. Basically, “The Mandalorian” episodes are American Sci-Fi westerns. Anyhow, Din Djarin, is hired by Imperial remnant forces to retrieve the child Grogu (think a cute baby Yoda), but instead forms a bond with “the child” and goes on the run to protect him. While looking to reunite Grogu with “his kind”, he is pursued by former Imperial commander Moff Gideon, who wants to exploit Grogu's connection to the Force. (Did you get all that?). The duo then travel to Mandalore so Djarin can redeem himself for the transgression of removing his helmet – a big no-no in the Mandalorian code often emphasised with the declaration, “This is the way” to which all other Mandalorians within earshot chorus, “This is the way”.
“This is the way” is repeated often in the series between Mandalorians when one individual may doubt something, or be tempted to break the Mandalorian code. He/she would be reminded of the requirements of the code and then that mantra, “This is the way” would end all further discussion.
What I found fascinating as Mandalorians discussed issues and challenges is that they always came back to the code and the reminder, “This is the way” – which had been the way for hundreds of generations. The code had never varied, was never modified and there were consequences for any violations. The Mandalorians’ code, albeit fictitious, is a sacred lifestyle – a way of life. Their helmet was never removed in public or private settings in the presence of others, for example. To do so was a grave breach of the code and required redemption via a sacred cleansing ritual - an actual “baptism”. I kid you not.
You don’t have to look too hard to see that “The Mandalorian” code concept and the “this is the way” mantra have been pretty much pinched straight from the New Testament teaching on Christian discipleship. Of course, New Testament discipleship doesn’t involve swashbuckling warriors and bounty hunters and so on. But “The Mandalorian” episodes capture well this idea that their identity and sacred code is a lifestyle – they live the code. It is not a job or career. This is the way!
One of the biggest errors of the modern church has been to turn discipleship and disciple-making into a program instead of a way of life. Let’s be clear. Programs, themselves aren’t bad. Seminars aren’t bad. But Jesus didn’t hand the disciples a curriculum. He gave them His life through time, teaching, and training. The disciples journeyed with Jesus as a way of life. In fact, in the earliest years of the church as depicted in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the Jesus movement was known as “the way” decades before it was ever called Christianity.
Acts 9:1-2 (NIV)
“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to The Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”
Acts 19:23 (NIV)
“About that time there arose a great disturbance about The Way.”
The Book of Acts records several other such references. The Way of Jesus was lived out. It was not a program or a religion, and centuries down the track, biblically speaking, nothing has changed though, in practice, much as changed. Many Christians today live quite compartmentalised lives and their discipleship – which the Bible teaches is a holy, spiritual way of living that glorifies God – is one of the smaller compartments. Compared to the fictitious Mandalorians the discipleship “code” does not govern the way of life for many believers. Discipleship is something adjunct. Something we fit in where we can which is the opposite of what our baptism is. This is a compromise of the Way of Jesus.
Matthew 6:32-33 (NIV)
[Jesus] “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
And …
Luke 9:23-26 (NIV)
Then Jesus said to them all: "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
This is The Way.
Disciple-making was never meant to be an event on a church calendar. It was meant to be a lifestyle that spreads from person to person, house to house, and city to city. Movements happen because ordinary believers start helping other people follow the Way of Jesus. If I could stretch the illustration a tad, we need to become “Mandalorian Christians”. Christ followers who cannot and will not compromise the Jesus Way code for anyone or anything. And here is the rub: when we follow the Way of Jesus faithfully and without compromise, with an undying gratitude and passion for the One who died to bring us into The Way, Holy Spirit power wells up in us, it flows to us and through us …
John 4:14 (NIV)
[Jesus] “… but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
This is The Way - and life is different now. Very, very different!
The future of the church will not be built on better services, bigger buildings, or better branding. It will be built on ordinary Christians who learn The Way of Jesus without compromise, and who decide to obey His command to make disciples and help others do the same. Disciple-making is not a department of the church, or a specialist program. Disciple-making is the mission of the church.* It is the way of Jesus lived out in uncompartmentalised commitment. If that is not you, or if there is some disagreement bubbling up in you as you read this, ask yourself one question, and honestly: “If Jesus was living your life right now, what would He change?” Because, this is the way it should be – this is the way it has always been from the beginning. It has never varied, it has never been modified, or compromised, or adapted to keep up with the times.
2 John 1:6 (NIV)
“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.”
This is the way.
Ps Milton
[Sources: Disney Channel; Wikipedia; *Discipology by Peyton Jones]