What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? We can answer the question according to what we think. Or we can answer the question according to how a rabbi (teacher) – disciple relationship functioned in Biblical times.
A quote from the book Joining Jesus Show Me How: How to Disciple Everyday Missionaries says, “Back in the days of rabbis and disciples, everybody understood what it meant to cross the line from being an admirer of a rabbi or a student of a rabbi to being a disciple of a rabbi. You see, someone who admires a rabbi honors the rabbi. Someone who studies about a rabbi is a student of the rabbi. But according to rabbinic tradition – and what we see in the gospels – only someone who wants to become like a rabbi is a disciple of the rabbi. Disciples would follow their rabbi not only to hear the rabbi’s teaching but to imitate how the rabbi lived out his teaching. They followed the rabbi to become like the rabbi.”
With this in mind, Jesus chooses us to be His disciples as we are baptized in His name. Jesus then calls us to be His disciples as He says, “Follow Me.” And Jesus sets a discipleship pattern before us that we are not only called to learn but live. In John 13:13, 15, Jesus says, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am…For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” And Jesus goes on to say in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.”
So, being a disciple of Jesus means that we follow Him with the goal of being like Him. What He does, we seek to do. How He lives, we seek to live. Of course, He is God and we are not. He is perfect and outside of Him we are not. But He lives in us…and we live in Him…and as the Holy Spirit lives in us we seek to be like Him as His disciples.
In August, everyone is highly encouraged to sign up for the next round of small groups as we discuss the book mentioned above: Joining Jesus Show Me How: How to Disciple Everyday Missionaries. It is the follow-up book to the previous book discussed in small groups called Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to be an Everyday Missionary. Come be a part of the conversation as we seek to faithfully respond to Jesus’ call of being His disciples.
Pastor Tuma