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November 24, 2009
LiveBooking: "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus"
Chapter four has some very interesting things to say about discipleship.
Welcome to our fourth week of "LiveBooking" through Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg. I've been enjoying chapter four through different portions of my morning, and I'm bursting with things to share.
Culture Nuggets
First, another cool 1st Century cultural nugget.
The authors make it clear that the life of a rabbi in Jesus' day was expected to be rough and tumble. In fact, a rabbi saying from that time period went something like this: "This is the path of Torah: a morsel with salt shall you eat, and you shall drink water by measure, and sleep upon the ground, and live a life of painfulness, and in Torah shall you labor. If thou do this, happy shall you be and it shall be well with you."
That gives some added perspective on the way that Jesus was sometimes stand-offish toward those that wanted to follow him. "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" (see Matthew 8).
Apprenticing and Discipleship
What I thought was most fascinating from this chapter was the author's connection between apprentices and disciples in Jesus' day. Apprenticeship was the main method of education in that day, of course. It was also the main avenue of transformation. When a young boy became apprenticed to a carpenter or fisherman, he did more than learn the skills involved in those trades. He lived with his master. He worked to become like his master in all areas of life so that he could excel in his master's trade.
The same was true of rabbis and there disciples. There wasn't much difference between trade apprentices and disciples, really. The disciple travelled with his rabbi, served his rabbi, and tried to model is rabbi in every way. He wanted to become his rabbi.
Now, with all of that in mind, check out what the authors wrote here:
Why should we spend time talking about ancient discipling methods? Because we, too, are followers of a rabbi. Like Jesus' first talmidim, we are to become his faithful disciples. And like them we are called by our Master to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19).Remember what happened when Jesus' first followers carried out his great command? Within a few centuries the early church exploded with growth, as believers spread across the Roman Empire to transform the face of ancient history. Beginning with an army of only twelve, God took on the world.
Later on the same page, the authors make a suggestion that really got me thinking: "Perhaps we can recapture some of the original passion and effectiveness of Jesus' first followers by exploring how discipleship worked in the ancient Jewish world."
But here is the $64,000 question: Can the ancient method of apprenticeship/discipleship work in the modern world? Can it work in America?
If we set about the task of "making disciples," whether in small groups or not, is it possible to develop the kind of life-to-life relationship that a rabbi and disciple enjoyed? If we want to become a disciple of someone we deeply respect—someone we feel has a desirable connection with God—are we able to drop everything and begin a true mentoring relationship with that person?
What do you think?
posted by Sam O'Neal on November 24, 2009 3:06 PM
