Monday, 23 June 2008 00:00 | and posted in Faith
Of all the classic Bible stories I heard as a child in "Sunday School," I wish the calling of the disciples* had been explained better to me. I don't know about you, but to me it was presented in a way that left me with the impression that Jesus was some kind of cross between a charismatic leader like Martin Luther King Jr. and the man in the Lynx adverts!
It didn't make sense to me. Why did these guys give up everything for a man they didn't know much about?
The Jewish education system was geared towards producing Rabbis (teachers of the Bible). At each stage, students who didn't have what it takes to become a Rabbi left school and began learning the family business. There were three stages:
(1) The boys would go to school at six years of age and begin learning Genesis through Deuteronomy off by heart.
(2) The best students would progress to the second stage at 10 years of age and by 14 would be able to recite the entire OT word for word.
(3) The best of the best students would then apply to a well-known Rabbi and ask to become their disciple. The goal of this discipleship was to become like the Rabbi. If the Rabbi thought the kid had what it took, the Rabbi would say, "Come follow me."
Noticing anything?
Simon and Andrew were fishermen. They didn't have what it took to be disciples; they had learnt the family business. So when Rabbi Jesus walks passed (wearing traditional Rabbi's clothes) and, breaking Rabbinic tradition, asks them to "Come, follow me," they drop everything...
I now think of this moment like the scene in Transformers where Sam looks at Mikaela and says... "Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car?"^
We talk a lot about believing in Jesus, but very little about Jesus believing in us! This is what Jesus was saying to these two fishermen and to you and me.** I believe you have what it takes to become like me.
But there's more... "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."^^
Jesus believes we will do greater things than he did...
What if
we
believed
this?
What would our lives look like then? Healing the sick, releasing captives, setting free the oppressed, the poor flocking to us to hear our good news? Challenging the status quo of the dominant worldviews perpetuated by the religious elite and the politically powerful? Seeking God's justice instead of our own health and security, fame and fortune?
Can you imagine what it'd be like?
Jesus believes in his disciples. He believes we can change the world. Do you?
FOOTNOTES:
* The Gospel of Mark 1:16-18
^ Quote from the Transformers (2007) movie.
** These disciples were told to make more disciples - i.e. you and me.
^^ Jesus from the Gospel of John 14:12