... About the Dust of my Rabbi?

(I had a request recently for me to put my "Apprentice" sermon on this blog, so here it is. I've edited it down a little but left the main points. This sermon appeared during my "God's reality" series last fall when I used different Reality TV shows as a springboard for each lesson.)

This week we want to use as a springboard the show The Apprentice. Donald Trump’s (and now Martha Stewart) attempt to get into the reality TV biz, with a competition style show with the prize being a “lofty” appointment to one of Donald’s many businesses. I guess it’s a good opportunity for someone to fight tooth and nail for a prize. It misses the mark as far as the Old World definition of what an apprentice is though.

An apprentice was someone (usually a young male) that signed away his life for a couple of years to learn a trade. After finishing, he was gainfully employed and took on the responsibility of the job. With the technological revolution, our mobile society, and public schools taking on a lot of these ”Industrial Arts” programs, Our culture has gotten away from that whole concept of “learning at the feet of” someone else. It is making a comeback though. There are a lot of corporations that want to start doing this type of program for younger potential employees. It’s an interesting aside here but some of the driving forces behind getting “apprentice” back in our vocabulary are video games such as Star Wars (Jedi apprentice).

There is a biblical word that fits pretty closely to the definition of apprentice. The words actually have a similar ancient meaning. The word is: disciple. Now, I know that over the last generation this often-used-in-scripture word has taken on some extra meanings, not all positive. A long time ago disciple would bring to mind “winning souls to Christ – evangelism” but for others it meant social action, doing what Jesus would do for others. In our fellowship, some reacted so strongly to the use of the word by movements within our group that the word is no longer used in some circles. This is unfortunate.

I would like to study DISCIPLE today and find a challenging common ground where we can look at how to be a follower of Jesus at a deeper level. The way to do this is to embrace the word as scripture does. Some definitions – a learner, a follower of one’s teaching, not only a pupil but an adherent, accepts the teaching AND puts it into practice.

My favorite definition comes from an old Jewish blessing called the “Dust of the Rabbi”. Part of it reads this way: “May you always be covered by the dust of your Rabbi”. Think about following Jesus this way. Some of you may be wondering though, “Hey Jim, that’s fine for the super-Christian that can grow, and learn and do all of that, but I have trouble with that. Well, let me answer the Super-Christian thing by looking at Jesus disciples: who they were and who they weren’t. Do you remember picking teams at school – some were the ones you wanted and others were left to last – even now – we still choose the best. And when Jesus was picking his team of twelve he probably could have had the pick of the crop at the time. He could have influenced society through its key leaders –But it seems he didn’t go chasing those guys. Other Rabbis were also keen to select their disciples from only from those who were strong adherents to the Law – the ceremonially clean – those with sufficient intellect to study the Torah - who had shown themselves to be potential future rabbis themselves. The intellectual and religious upper crust. Not Jesus!

But Jesus seemed to bypass the elite of society and the elite of the religious system and he picked ordinary blokes. And just by the way, if he were around today I think he would have had some women in his group as well – (he would have had to otherwise the equal opportunity board would have been on his case!) But the fact that its an all bloke squad is a 1st Century cultural thing and not a gender bias in Jesus – just in case you are wondering.
Ever looked at who Jesus did pick? If we’re honest it’s a pretty mixed bunch – a fairly motley crew – an unusual group to change the world with. Some were down to earth fishermen – maybe tradesmen types. James and John were sons of a zealot. The other Simon, not Simon Peter is almost certainly believed to have been a zealot himself. There was Matthew a tax collector and considered a traitor to his country men and we know that there was probably a mix of ethnicity with there being both Jewish and Greek names among the list. Just a cross section of society.

This was no elite crack squad – but Jesus chose them. He spent a night in prayer and then hand picked them. These were the ones he wanted. Ever wonder why?!Let’s look at some NT characteristics of disciples
• Love for the each other. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." JOHN 13:35
• Love for Jesus. "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” LUKE 14:26
• Be like Jesus. "It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.” MATT 10:25
• Commitment to Jesus. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” LUKE 14:27
• Abide in Jesus. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “JOHN 15:4
HOW ARE WE DOING?

Kierkegaard once said, “To become an ‘admirer of Jesus’ is much easier than to become a follower. ”You can admire from a distance and be relatively unaffected – but followers have their lives turned upside down. If the gospel doesn’t turn our live upside down then we need to ask why? Quaker writer, George Fox, “We are involved in taking people off men and onto Christ.” You never get fired following Jesus! And you’re not ultimately hired either, you’re loved!

Well, how do I grow, learn, follow and keep doing this over the long haul? My answer is to put one foot in front of the other and follow in the dust of the Rabbi – Jesus.