A Rabbi’s Disciple
Do you remember when John the baptizer was held by Herod Antipas in prison? John was, according to Josephus, held in the fortress of Machaerus, located in Perea, east of the Dead Sea. By all historical accounts Machaerus was a dark and spooky place, but John’s disciples stayed nearby in this barren land, to accommodate the needs of John as circumstances remained uncertain and bleak. Matthew and Luke both allow us a glimpse into the circles and loyalties felt by the disciples of both John and Jesus who believed and served their respective masters.
Matthew 9:14-17 “Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’”
John’s disciples had a teacher who was a Prophet awaiting execution. Jesus’ disciples would face the same fate on another day:
Matthew 11:2-11 “Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.
And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’
Jesus answered and said to them, ’Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.’”
John’s disciples were devoted and dedicated to their Rabbi and teacher until his death, continually responding and acting on his teachings. In turn, Jesus’ disciples would act and respond appropriately to their Lord and Master. They would be required to own a discipleship filled with joy, wonder, and ultimately sorrow just as the disciples of John (who would one day be disciples of Jesus as well).
The origin of the word disciple does not carry a religious meaning – a disciple is a student.
The definition of a disciple is simply “a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrine of another, a follower.”
Anyone can dabble in a discipleship – knowing bits and pieces of a doctrine or philosophy, but a true disciple is one who spends ample time observing the master, the teacher – they can quote the philosophies and understand the underlying principles that provide the hope of the promise of any given teaching. One can own many discipleships in life: diets, educational theories, childrearing, exercise – and religion.
Christians are not the only example of disciples in the religious world, of course. In fact, we learn something very fundamental about discipleships in observing other religious discipleships. True disciples can be identified by the way they look, talk, dress, and present themselves – they mirror their teacher. We see Mormon teenagers in their mission years, identified by their dress and actions. We see Muslim women who cover their heads, are called to prayer, and avoid certain activities. As Christians, disciples of Jesus our Lord, surely, we must understand our own discipleships on display. We must think about the way we dress, the words that come from our lips, the behavior we display.
In the last weeks of Jesus’ life on earth, He ramped up His discussions to include the cost of a true discipleship. In John 8, Jesus, Himself, defines what will drive His true disciples, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
In Luke 9, Jesus is approached by several followers who make promises and indications of great devotion to Him. Jesus reminds those who already believe in Him that a true discipleship will require deep belief, dedication, and devotion.
“And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’
Then another of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’ And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’”
The cost of discipleship is to be weighed carefully. The sacrifices and the motives are clearly seen in these words of Jesus. These conversations take place as the 12 are preparing to follow Jesus to Jerusalem for the last time before He is betrayed and killed. The costs were becoming clearer to those who were devoted to Him.
Our discipleships must be weighed and thought out very carefully. Who were the true disciples of Jesus then? Who are the true disciples of Jesus now? When the disciples left all to follow Jesus, it appears that Peter did not sell his house and his boat and give all he owned to the ministry. Peter did not ignore his responsibilities to his wife, his mother-in-law, and other family. There is no indication that Zebedee gives the entire fishing business up when two of his sons follow Jesus. Peter, Andrew, James, and John all return to the fishing business after Jesus’ death. So, what did this discipleship mean in their lives? What will it mean in ours? Perhaps their new discipleship would mean they had nowhere to lay their heads at times, but would it require them to never have a pillow? We know that James and John were furious at the Samaritan village when they were not allowed a place to stay there. We also know that Jesus and the 12 stayed in the homes of disciples both on the east and west of the Jordan River. Discipleship is not about communism or martyrdom – it is about priorities, dedication, and devotion.
What was becoming increasingly apparent to the 12, and to all the followers of Jesus, was that the circumstances of their lives – the” important events” (even burying a dead loved one) should not interfere or impede on a true discipleship. True discipleship, real devotion to a teacher, may demand us to give up some of our earthly comforts – if but for a night or two. True disciples do not allow the successes and sadnesses of this life to interfere with their service. We drop our nets on any given day to abide in the Word, to serve a risen Master, to obey a Commander, and to embody the principles and foundational truths of our Lord.
The type of discipleship one has is a choice made each day; a true disciple of Jesus simply puts Him, His Word, and His commands first. In the passage in Luke 9, the follower of Jesus clearly states this point; he tells us what will come first for him. He says “FIRST” let me go and bury my father. First let me take care of something that is dead, and then I will see to the living and eternal.
Have you ever met someone who will tell you why they do the things they do – or, for that matter, do not do the things they should? They will tell you why they are not comfortable serving our Lord in a certain capacity because of what their experiences in life have been. Have you ever heard someone say, “Well my parents didn’t do this or that, so I never learned” or “Well I just have this or that happening right now” or “I would be there or do that – but this important thing is happening right now. I have heard, “Maybe, one day I will learn how to serve in this way, but right now, I must think about me, or my family, or my work.” We must be honest with ourselves. What we are really saying is, “I just can’t make Jesus a priority right now…but maybe later, maybe later, I will think about my Lord.”
The type of discipleship in Jesus one has depends upon where that discipleship ranks in the priorities of life. We will dabble and own many discipleships in our lives; we will have discipleships that come and go. Again, as stated at the beginning of this article, in our lifetimes we will be disciples of diets, exercise, educational theories, childrearing philosophies, hobbies, sports, and so on. We will quote teachers, doctors, philosophers, and nutritionists in our quest to meet goals and in the hope of success.
Where will our discipleships in Jesus fit into our lives, where will His Word rank, and what will we give up to serve as true disciples of our Lord? We will decide, and perhaps we will ask Him to wait while we tend to the dead; perhaps we will tell Him we are too busy with our jobs and our households. But if we do, we will hear Him say, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
