There’s always been much discussion in Christian circles on the subject of discipleship. And rightly so. Becoming a sold out disciple of Jesus is Christianity 101. Understand, though, the discipleship piece is a dependence piece. Dependence means a life of coming to Jesus and relying upon Him. In our day to day life, in our moment by moment walk with the Lord, should we not ‘come to Him?’ Why wouldn’t we? What is holding us back?  This idea of coming to Him is featured in the gospels and in the entire Word of God for that matter. What can we learn about the potential benefits of living a life that involves a constant coming to Jesus?

Matthew 19:21 (KJV)
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

• Did you know that several times in the gospels, Jesus was referred to as Rabbi?

People Who Called Jesus Rabbi

• Nicodemus called Him Rabbi

John 3:2 (KJV)
² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

• The ‘crowd’ called Him Rabbi

John 6:25 (KJV
25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

• Andrew called Him Rabbi

John 1:38 (KJV)
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

• Nathanael called Him Rabbi

John 1:49 (KJV)
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

• Even Judas Iscariot called Him Rabbi.

[Tweet “The Jews prayed ‘May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.’ A picture of how close we should follow Jesus”]

Matthew 26:25 (ESV) 
25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

• Blind Bartimeaus called Him Rabbi

Mark 10:51 (KJV)
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

• Peter called Him Rabbi on several occasions

Mark 9:5 (KJV)
5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

Mark 11:21 (KJV)
²¹ And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

• In some cases, the King James version uses the word ‘Master’ instead of the word Rabbi. The words are identical.
• If anyone is an expert on being sold-out to God, it’s Jesus. Wouldn’t you agree?
• So when the Rabbi Jesus speaks on the subject of discipleship, we should listen shouldn’t we?

What Exactly Is a First Century Rabbi?

• A Rabbi was a man skilled in the Law of Moses and the Prophets who began teaching and training others in the Scriptures. Each Rabbi usually studied under another Rabbi or group of Rabbis and so had certain credentials within society.
• The apostle Paul studied under the highly respected Rabbi, Gamaliel, in Jerusalem (Acts 5:34; 22:3).
• The primary function of a Rabbi was to impart a lifestyle through a set of teachings under which a student placed himself.
• Those teachings were called a “yoke.”
• Not a yoke for animals but a yoke of doctrine. You could say a yoke of teachings.
• Notice how Jesus uses the word ‘yoke’ in connection with coming to Him.

Matthew 11:29 (KJV)
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

• Each potential student listened and considered what the Rabbi said. In doing so, he become more convinced of the call to follow and obey because this was the right way to live. Each pupil knew that through listening, learning, and following a Rabbi, he was taking his yoke upon himself. ¹.
• Students of a Rabbi were called Talmidim.
• Talmidim is the Jewish word for disciple.
• The relationship between rabbi and talmidim was intense.
• If the rabbi traveled, the talmidim traveled with him. Every detail of the rabbi’s life was copied, including his walk, talk, and mannerisms. The rabbi’s job was to teach his students along the way, testing them continuously to be just like him ².
• The twelve disciples were Jesus talmidim.
• The disciples copied Jesus just as any pupil would copy their Rabbi.

Acts 4:13 (NKJV)
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

• There is a prayer in the Mishnah.
  • The Mishnah consisted of the Torah, the 1st 5 books of the Old Testament, plus the oral law. Commentaries were written by the Jews on the Mishnah. Those commentaries were called the Gemara. Combined together, the Mishnah and the Gemara, are called the Talmud.
• The prayer illustrates the Jewish concept of the relationship between a rabbi and his talmidim disciple.

“May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.”

• The prayer implies that one should follow their rabbi close enough to be covered with his dust.
  • This was considered a great honor.
• Jews didn’t just come to the synagogue to listen to their favorite rabbi teach like some Christians do today who hop from church to church chasing all the big name preachers.
• A talmidim entered into intense study on the rabbi’s interpretation of Scripture. They memorized the first five books of the Bible, word for word. There were some master rabbi’s who memorized the entire Old Testament.
• They entered into passionate discussions about what other rabbis were teaching as their interpretation of Scripture, which brought heated debates.
• They didn’t just come to listen to a rabbi, but they had to be prepared to have lengthy discussions on their teachings. Passionately they asked questions back and forth, often in heated debates.
• In Judaism, this kind of studying was considered the highest form of worship.
• The teaching relationship between a Rabbi and his talmidim was based on questions.
• They taught using Rabbinic dialogue whereby a talmid would ask a question; the rabbi would respond with a question; the talmidim would discuss among themselves and respond with another question with the correct answer embedded in the question.
  • This dialogue could continue for hours.
  • The rabbis used this technique plus pithy sayings and parables to speak to the heart of the talmidim.
  • They believed that “if the heart is moved, the mind will follow, but if the mind is moved the heart may never follow.”
• There were lots of questions that went back and forth between Rabbi and talmidim, between Master and disciple.
• Do you remember Jesus in the Temple at age 12?
• What is He doing?

Luke 2:46 (KJV)
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

• At this point in his the twelve year old Jesus is not a Rabbi. He has the role of talmidim.
• He is 12 years old sitting among the Rabbis and asking them questions; taking part in this questioning dialogue. This was part of the Rabbi disciple culture.
• The Jewish discipleship model was an intense one.
• In light of this, Jesus commandment to us in Matt. 28:18-20 takes on new meaning.

Matthew 28:18–20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

• What is Jesus saying to us? How are we to understand His words in the twenty first century?
• What Jesus is saying is to incorporate the intense discipleship model of rabbi and talmidim and go do that with the world. In other words, win people to Jesus and disciple them to follow him with intensity.

Luke 14:25–26 (KJV)
25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

• “Jesus said, I want you to come to me and when you do make sure you have your stuff together in these three areas.”
  • Make sure you love me more than family.
  • Make sure you are willing to take up your cross.
  • Make sure you count the cost of following me.
• “And when you do this, when you take my yoke, when you embrace my teachings, then follow me so closely until the dust on my robe becomes the dust on yours.

Call to Action:

How intense is your personal walk with Jesus? Could you say you follow Him so closely that even the dust from His robe falls upon you? God is calling you to a higher walk with Him. Respond to the Spirit of God. Yield to Him and pursue His will for your life with passion.

Question: Have you come across any other picture of discipleship which spurred you to walk with Jesus more closely? Please leave your comment in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you.