New Testament Chaplaincy Assignment
Martisen Harmon
CHPL 500: Introduction to Chaplaincy Ministry
Professor Thomas Cook
January 21, 2024
Page | 1
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
New Testament Chaplaincy Assignment
Table of Contents
PG,1: Title page
PG,3: Introduction
PG,4-PG,8: Three examples of Jesus actions and ministry paralleling with Chaplains actions and
ministry.
PG,8: Conclusion
PG,9: Bibliography
Page | 2
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
When I think of Jesus and the actions that He conducted throughout the
course of his life, or the words he spoke that quoted by believers and no-believers
alike even in the current environment that we live in today, it makes me think
about the word balance. It’s my belief that besides immortality, the next thing that
everyone long for is balance, and I believe that Jesus was the greatest example of
the word in the sense that He was always present and accessible to perform a
miracle but also constantly sharing the word, and every action matches his word,
and every word matched his actions. And it is my belief that each chaplain desire
or should desire to be just as balanced as Jesus, which is a difficult test because
even the bible says that if all of Jesus miracles would be listed the world wouldn’t
have enough books to record them (Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic
Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.). In the book of Mark there are many of
Jesus actions and words can be an example of what a chaplain is called to imitate
regardless of the environment of which they serve.
Page | 3
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
When reflecting on the parallels between Jesus and the role of chaplaincy,
there is one very well-known passage that comes to mind which in the book of
Mark the first chapter verses 16-20: 16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he
saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were
fishers.
17And Jesus said unto them, come ye after me, and I will make you to
become fishers of men.
18And straightway they forsook their nets and followed him.
19And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of
Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the
ship with the hired servants and went after him. This passage is significant
because this the start of Jesus building the foundation of His ministry by selecting
people to follow Him, presenting them to salvation but also offering them an
opportunity serve with Him as perform miracles, cast out demons, and give life
changing sermons throughout the region. Even though majority of the time in the
work of chaplaincy, it’s just the Chaplain and 1 or 2 Religious Affairs
Specialist/Chaplain Assistant serving in the ministry, but many times in the
Page | 4
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
Military I have heard Commanders refer to chaplains as force multipliers. Which
means to that most commanders in the Military expect their chaplains to help the
service member to understand how important their position is to the country and
show them that God do call people to serve in the military. So just as Jesus
selected 12 disciples to help spread the Gospel and convert others, a chaplain can
spread the word while listening or counseling military personnel.
Another parallel that I observed in Mark is Jesus feeding the 5,000 people
with 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread (Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic
Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982.), but it’s not necessarily the
feeding aspect of the story but the fact is that the people went on to inform the
disciples of a need of food with no solution and the disciples understanding that
the only way whereby the people would eat is if they involved Jesus to resolute
the issue. It is the chaplain responsibility to gage the morale of the personnel and
to create solutions for the issue or to involve those who have the qualifications to
resolve the situation, and in this passage, Jesus recognize the seriousness that the
lack of food could compromise the information that the people gained the sermon.
and He acted immediately. A chaplain mut always check the morale of the people
which whom they serve and whether its acting in a physical manner like feeding
the crowd the fish and loaves, or in a spiritual manner like Jesus blessing the food
Page | 5
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
allow it to be enough, but whatever the case maybe a chaplain must spring into
action to preserve morale.
The final example in Mark that I find where Jesus actions and ministry
should relate to a chaplain’s is in Mark 11: 15-19, which shares the story of Jesus
flipping the tables in the temple because the leaders or lack thereof, were allowing
the house of God to be turned into a place of earthly greed. Of course, a chaplain
must always serve as a great example of self-control of emotions or maintain a
level of decorum that foster an environment of unity. However, Jesus actions
towards the pharisees and their followers were courageous, because even though
He was aware that were trying to create a situation where they could be justified
in killing him, but still Jesus made the bold public display of His malcontent with
the sins being conducted. Also. even though Jesus words refer to the temple as
being His house and a house of prayer, His actions was not made based on what
He personally wanted to see in such a sacred place, but it was more so about the
place being able to be utilized for its proper purpose by all who seek to become
closer to God through Jesus Christ and need their inflictions resolved through
prayer. Now as this relates to chaplains, they do not just serve the people working
in organizations, but they also support the leadership by being a resource of
spiritual and moral counseling that can help a leadership staff guide their
Page | 6
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
subordinates through paths and goals that will enhance e them individual, foster a
strong organization, and more importantly to please God. In the same manner as
Jesus did, a chaplain must also be courageous and speak up on behalf of
subordinates when immoral, unethical, and illegal actions are taking place. Just
recently in a chaplain sustainment class that I was fortunate to attend, the
Louisiana National Guard General inform the chaplains that it was his intentions
to root out any corruption or misconduct that may be allowed to take place within
the organization, and implored the chaplains to participate in this mission through
the understanding that if anyone can spot unsavory behavior it would be the
people who has dedicated their lives to being Holy and acceptable in God eyes.
But the method by which the General suggest that the chaplains assist in
thwarting this behavior, are supported by scripture. The General instructed the
chaplains that if they witness wrongdoing whether it’s from a leader or soldier, to
approach them make them aware of it, which Jesus did with the Pharisees in Mark
and the other Gospels, and if the unethical actions persist he encouraged the
chaplains to begin to alert people up the leadership chain until the violating
person is corrected or the issue is resolved. But correcting these issues take
courage, the likes of which Jesus had, but just like Him the chaplain should be
Page | 7
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
less concern of what repercussions they might face, and focus on the physical,
mental, and spiritual implications those of whom they serve might suffer.
In conclusion, Jesus actions and ministry is a model which all
should follow regardless of status, creed, or position, because the results from His
actions are still affecting people lives in a positive manner in present day, and
days to come. Jesus’ ministry as it is described in the book of Mark makes it clear
that in order for a chaplain to be truly effective their action and words should
match those of Jesus, and if they seek to go out into organization and make
disciples, if they be keen an perceptive to the people whom they serve morale and
act with haste, and if they dare to be courageous and challenges those who
intentionally or unintentionally seek to lead an organization astray by leading in
actions that are at odds with God then they would accomplish their ministry just
as Christ did.
Page | 8
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
Bibliography
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
Page | 9
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. John 21:25 KJV., 1982.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA03095415.).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 1:16-20 KJV.,
1982..).
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 6:41 KJV., 1982
Wycliffe, John, Josiah Forshall, and Frederic Madden. The Holy Bible. Mark 11:15-19 KJV.,
1982
Bohlman, Brian Laurence, and Brian L. Bohman. “Chapter 3.” Essay. InFor God and
Country: Considering the Call to Military Chaplaincy (Revised Edition). West
Columbia, SC: Chaplain Resource Center, 2013.
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