The Call of a Disciple

Happy Father’s Day!

Why did the bald dad use his credit card at the wig shop? Toupee.

What do you call a misleading commercial about Father’s Day? False dad-vertising.

What did the electrician do to his misbehaving son? He grounded him.

What did the father buffalo say when its kid left for school? Bison!

My dad is a great multitasker; he can garden and pretend to listen to my mother at the same time.

What do you call a bunny who’s going to take over his dad’s business? The hare apparent.

today we’ll be talking about…maybe not quite a next step in our look at being a disciple, but definitely an important understanding of what this means.

I’m going to be right up front. So, many of you will say occasionally, good message…or something similar. And I’ll respond something like I hope it was helpful or …I was preaching to myself.

Well, this time, this message....yes…preaching to myself for sure. And it was a hard one to hear....however, it was a good one to hear.

And really, this was just a study in the history of the idea of being a disciple...

What it meant for someone in the 1st Century.

What did they think about when they heard the word disciple?

More specifically, what did they understand to be true about not only the word…but the idea of being a disciple of someone? What did that mean to people back then?

This is important for us.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve examined this idea in several different ways. We’ve also examined Jesus's appearance on the scene when John the Baptizer was baptizing people. …He had John baptize Him. Then Jesus went into the wilderness to begin his mission…beginning to push back the effects of sin…bring His Kingdom to the here and now...

And, I think we can see that this is very much a battle for our souls, but it is also a spiritual battle…maybe in the same lines as we might think about star wars or something like that…the battle between good and evil...

The major difference being that the creator is here to take back what he created, take it back from the effects of sin and death…taking apart the hold Satan has. And then as He states in revelation…to begin to make all things new.

This includes us. We were at one time created in the image of God. We lost that. We lost what that once meant and what that once was.

And now Jesus intends to bring it back.

And as he begins his mission … he says this to some guys....

Matthew 4:18–22 (CSB)

As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

So when these guys heard Jesus say, “Hey, follow me...” what did that mean?

Well, let's start with an understanding of what a rabbi relationship meant in the 1st century.

Context is crucial when reading scripture. We need to imagine the thoughts and feelings of the writers and readers.

I think what will happen is this…if we can wrap our heads around what they thought and understood, many verses that many of us know well will make much more sense to us…and maybe a deeper meaning....a more personal meaning.

So, what we’re witnessing in these verses is the beginning of a rabbi, disciple relationship.

A rabbi being a teacher/leader…and the disciple a learner/follower.

In the 1st century jewish life, rabbis and disciples were common place relationships. The rabbi had authority and the disciple made major commitments.

So in the first century, a jewish person would definitly hold the sciprture up high! they had authority in the life of every israelite. The scriptures showed definitively how to live…behavior.

Good behavior was how you pleased God.

A Jewish person then would have the desire to honor God…so naturally, one might seek out someone who could interpret what the scriptures said when it came to behavior that would please God. Thus, you have rabbis - one who would define what behavior would or would not please God.

So if you were seeking this, you might look out for a rabbi that could help you please God. Now…when finding a rabbi, it wasn’t just like looking online for a life-coach. This wasn’t just finding someone who could, in 6 1-hour sessions, help you become a better person.

A disciple would seek the wisdom and teaching of a rabbi like this. The would-be disciple would submit completely to the rabbi’s authority to interpret scripture for his life. And this is what young Israelite men went after…this wasn’t just an option…this type of relationship would be sought after....a disciple came to this relationship willing to surrender to the authority of the rabbi and his view of scripture.

So the relationship was built on this principle. The rabbi would show the disciple how to live…in order to please God. What to do and what not to do.

So this rabbi/disciple relationship would rely on something…we might say…they relied on wrestling with scripture. There were debates…are debates between disciples. I watched some of these debates with discilples. They would read and decide things and then argue and argue…and then a rabbi would stand up and say something, usually in the form of a question…so that the disciple could further wrestle with the scripture.

These disciples were very much learning scripture and its interpretation according to the beliefs of the rabbi

Many of these guys would have large sections of scripture memorized. So it wasn’t about knowing the scrpture…it was about what the scripture said about daily life…daily decisions…that would please God.

Here’s a small example: The sabbath. We understand as they did in that time, even this time for Jewish culture, that no work is to be done on the sabath. That’s what the scripture says.

But through questions, you might be able to narrow this down. What exactly is work?…since you want to please God…you might ask questions like this...

“May I light a candle on the Sabbath?”

Or…how many candles can I light on the sabbath…what would be considered work here?

“If I know my taxes, paid to Caesar, are going to opress people, am I required to pay them?”

These questions and more like them were what might be asked of a rabbi. And why? To help someone live a life that pleased God.

So some disciples might say…so and so rabbi said this…and debate a bit…and then ask their rabbi.

And there was no hurry to interpret…why? because the point was to wrestle with scripture…in order to live a life pleasing towards God. A rabbi might ask questions over and over, leading a discussion out for weeks.

When a rabbi finally reached a conclusion…all debate ceased, and his interpretation was followed…without question. He was their rabbi; they were his disciples.

So when we think about learning about life…maybe even church structure…we might think in terms of series or curriculum or even a program for learning how to be a disciple. Learning about worship…a 5 week study. Or knowing more about God’s grace....4 (1 hour) sessions.

5 steps to a better disciple life wouldn’t have gotten it. The disciple’s life was basically given to a rabbi …so that…they might better live before God.

So instead of a step by step course, or a college type degree, a disciple’s life was observed and questioned. It was transparent to the rabbi. The rabbiu could daily speak into this persons life and this person could daily ask questions of the rabbi. The rabbi would act in hopes that the disciple would be able to grow and discern for themselves the ins and outs of life…so as to please go in all they did.

A disciple could and often would have a family and a job, but sometimes not. On trips with the rabbi, the disciple would need to make sure with his wife if all was ok for him to travel…she would then take on more home duties…and often…other people would support that family and or disciple as they set out to learn under a rabbi for extended periods of time.

To spend time with a rabbi was highly thought of. To help a disciple or the family of a disciple was equally thought of too. This was the culture. This is how a person and or family would learn how to behave…make choices that would please the Lord. This was encouraged and honored.

The main goal of a disciple was to do this one thing…emulate their rabbi. Emulate meaning…to become like them in everyway possible. If the rabbi was pleasing God in how they lived, then the disciple would equally be pleasing to God…if they emulated, mimiced, or became like the rabbi.

So…you might say, “So where does belief come into play here?” Well, for this culture, the culture that Jesus lived in, to believe something wan’t just to understand it. Believe is to understand and live accordingly. Believe was very much a verb showing how you lived. So, in believing in what your rabbi taught and shared and showed…you submitted to live, to believe, meaning you submitted your whole life to look like theirs…understanding why they did things and then doing those things. A willing surrending to that way of life.

So, the essential qualities of first century disciples were desire and submission and emulation. They wanted this, and gave their life to this. Biblical literacy, community, transparency, and a willingness to wrestle with God’s word daily were all givens to a disciple.

It would make sense then that this would also be true…that they were willing to give up all of their pre-conceived notions of how to live one’s life and then to embrace, take on, and emulate the behavior and life their rabbi deemed best to honor God.

They were committed to a radical conformity to the interpretive authority of their rabbi.

Ok…now as I was going through that…what were you thinking?

I’ll tell you what I was thinking…all of those passages about how Jesus called his disciples to learn, to question, and ultimately to follow Him…they all came rushing back to my mind.

But…in a very different perspective.

Jesus was called a rabbi. He called disciples to Him. Do you think this is the type of relationship he wanted?

Absolutely.

A disciple of Jesus, totally surrenders to Him and His way of living and doing things. A disciple of Jesus is willing to give up their desires so as to conform to His desires. A disciple of Jesus lives under His direct authority. He is called Lord.

This is where there is some difference. Jesus knows our behavior can be modified to please God more…but what is God really wanting?

God’s wanting us to give everything to Him so he can begin to change our heart. To change us, to transform us, to recreate us.

What was Jesus doing? He was showing us the Father. Who the father is, and how the father does things.

I read this the other day....a disciple of Jesus is one who is always asking Jesus, more about who the father is and what his will is.

The interesting thing here is this…I’m not a rabbit…i might teach..but I’m not the true rabbi. The elders might teach and lead and care for....but they are not rabbis. There is only one rabbi that we are all under. Jesus said make disciples…he didn’t say…raise up more rabbis. We only have one. We’re all disciples together.

So....just to compare a bit of what we can do to be disciples like Jesus ultimately wanted.

How do we learn and take in biblical truth? I think often …we’re probably not ones to wrestle often with God’s word...

The rabbi…even Jesus, in the Gospels, would respond to a question with a question. Jesus did this often. The wrestling wasn't just for the answer to a particular question…it was learning how to possibly wrestle with upcoming questions…when the rabbi might not be around. However, we have a rabbi who said…I’ll always be with you.

Today’s world doesn’t have much of an appetite to wrestle with truth. And I think this is true in the church today as well. We like 4 points to a better prayer life. The three principles of whatever. Now, sometimes those things might be helpful for learning…but for becoming like our rabbi?…we need more than just steps…we need to really wrestle with life. Learning His principles and then living them out…as best we can.

Why? So we can become more like Him....

You see the process now right?

Following Jesus can’t be narrowed down to a list of how-to steps. It might involve a lifetime of watching and observing and learning from Him…as He changes us to be more like Him.

Jewish rabbis were very interested in handing down principles that could help their disciples behave more like God would like them to.

We don’t submit to a set of principles, we submit to Jesus.

We kinda have an understanding about this…in a way, in others areas of life. If one wants to become an electrician, there’s the process of being an apprentice before working on your own. You work under and with someone who is really like a rabbi. You work under a master in order to become like them.

Physicians, teachers, counselors, golf pros…all go through the steps of learning, training, mentoring, practical experience…often times spending years under someone’s direction.

Let’s think about it though…all of us kind of learn like this don’t we.

WE are all disciples of something. This is where this gets tough. WE can be disciples of something or someone…be it a career, self absorption, materialism, a favorite cause, atheism, ....or Jesus.

We live in a culture that screams do your own thing…live like this…concentrate on these things…you rule.

Jesus says…carry your cross daily. die to yourself.

Jesus where your treasure is, that’s where your heart will be too. Is your heart with Him?

Some weeks ago we looked at why Jesus came to save us. It was so that we could return to be “reborn” into the image of God…we know this is a process. Paul talks about that over and over…that we have to run a race…and train…and train. This is truly a disciple / rabbi relationship.

Jesus wants us to become more like Him because in the beginning, in Genesis, before sin…that is what we were. We were like Him. Humanity was made in His image. We lost that.

The drive of a disciple is this…to become more and more like Christ. And to be honest....it takes time and it isn’t through us that this happens. Our willingness to change and be changed is something that is done through the Holy Spirit…and Jesus promised us this. That he woudn’t leave us...

questions....

Are you willing to be a disciple?

Are you willing to conform every issue in your life to the word of God? To be like Jesus in every way you can be? Knowing that denying yourself means that you’re allowing the Holy Spirit to do things in you that you cannot do for yourself.

Jesus saves us, forgives us…so this process an begin. To be reborn, remade into the image of God.

Is this something you want?

To be like the Father...

Want bless God today on Father’s day? Say yes....