To Be His Disciple

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Luke 10:21-22

Jesus was a rabbi, which meant despite being a carpenter’s son he’d likely had other teachings in the Word. I have been listening to a lot of teachings from different sources on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. I pulled this information about Jewish education from another site, that was a good summary of what I have learned from multiple teachings, although some teaching have varied on the ages that these three levels occurred. Most Jewish boys spent their early years memorizing the first five books of the Bible in a school type setting, called Bet-Sefer. Those with promising talent would go on to learn in more of a synagogue based setting called Bet-Talmud. Here they would learn and memorize the majority of the Old Testament. Then an elect few would have the privilege of being called to follow a rabbi in Bet-Midrash, where they learned the rabbi’s interpretation of the Scripture and learned to live them out as that Rabbi did. For example Paul was a student of Rabbi Gamaliel.

I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today. Acts 22:3

Knowing that Jesus was 30 years old and that we have no information of His life from the age 12 when He was found in the temple with the elders until He appears on the scene which on the Baptist, we don’t know if He continued on to the second two stages of teaching in the Jewish culture or if he went on to be trained in the carpenter’s trade as Joseph’s son. Some scholars believe that he did go on in His education because he was identified as Rabbi. However, when Jesus showed up to teach, people were also surprised by His knowledge.

But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach. The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. John 7:14-18

And both Matthew and Mark have other’s referring to him as a carpenter.

Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Matthew 13:55

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. Mark 6:3

Regardless of what happened in those years from age 12 to 30 we can see that Jesus didn’t follow the traditional Jewish path in becoming a rabbi.

So the disciples who Jesus picked from their trade would not have been the wise of the Jewish culture, or the intelligent. They would have been the ones with the knowledge of the first 5 books of the Torah who had been sent back to work in their family’s business. The women would have had even less knowledge in religious training, as girls were not trained in such things.

So when Jesus said he was revealing the things of God not to the wise but infants, he was likely contrasting the Jewish elite with the 12 disciples he had picked from the streets. He was willing for the father to teach them the full truth.

The website reference two other things that I have only recently heard in regards to the way of the rabbis and Jesus’s words. The “come follow me” was a traditional way for rabbis to invite a new disciple into their ministry. And that the “yoke” is a tool for the rabbi and their interpretation of the law that they lived by, like their clarification of what specific words in the law meant.

I have always heard of the yoke being a tool for animals, like oxen to help increase the load they can bear, or to strengthen one of the animals. I have written from this perspective in the past, about taking on burdens I was suppose to share with Jesus and yoking myself to things I was not suppose to. I also shared from my trip to Israel and how certain communities interpret the laws and the yoke it puts on people.

But as I think about how each rabbi could define what words of the law meant my mind went to a different picture. I think about a woman saying “we need to get the house clean” to her husband and children. The word “clean” to the mother has a different connotation than it does to the child. The mother has a list of things that she expects to be done in order for something to be “cleaned”. The child may have a picture of everything shoved under a bed or in a closet as being “clean”. Generally, the husband or father will have a completely different picture of what “clean” means. They all use the same word “clean”, by each one interprets it differently. Each rabbi had their own interpretation of “clean” even though the whole Jewish culture followed the same scriptures of the law.

Jesus’s yoke was light. He did not try to complicate the Gospel. But in certain areas, He held His disciples to a higher standard than the law.

You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Matthew 5:21-22

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 27-28

It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Matthew 5:31-32

Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil. Matthew 5:33-37

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:38-42

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:43-44

As followers of Christ we are called to be his disciples. Does he say about these things? He is to be our standard, the life we try to emulate. Yes our denominations and pastors have become our rabbis but we have something that the disciples didn’t have when Jesus was with them. We have his spirit within us; guiding us, teaching us, helping to shape us into His image, helping us to become like Him.

We still have a responsibility to study His word, to learn and imitate so that we can become like Him. We have to spend time in His presence, just as the disciples did. That is what it means to be His disciple, not a degree or a number of years following Him, I can be a Christian and never be a disciple. My responsibility is to meditate on and memorize His word, to serve Him and then go and do what He says until my life is transformed into His image.

Lord, Rabbi I do desire to be Your disciple. I desire to learn more of Your Word and hide it in my heart. I desire to obey You completely and to be transformed into Your image. Lord, give me the desires of Your heart in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.