Walking in Jesus' dust

Here's something that changed the way I follow Jesus.

There's a book called "God is closer than you think" and I bought it entirely because I liked how fancy the cover was. But God, as my mom always says, is an opportunist.

So there's this section of the book that tells why Hebrew Rabbis are important to God. Basically it comes down to this: Rabbi's aren't just teachers who blab on about God's law in a classroom lined with maps and dusty books. They definitely do that. But Hebrew boys like their Rabbis so much that they like to spend time with them outside of the classroom as well! So a typical Rabbi, upon leaving his dusty classroom, enters the dusty street tailed by a few eager boys. These boys watch the Rabbi intently. They immitate the way he walks, like schoolboys mimicking a headmaster. They follow him to the synagogue and gather in a ring at his feet and nod in agreement while he discusses the law with other Rabbis. They stand and watch him eat, and they hold their cup with both hands like he does. They follow him to market and watch what he buys and who he gives alms to. These boys are daring: the book mentions that some were so intrigued by their Rabbi that they hid beneath the Rabbi's bed while he and his wife slept. These students would go to any length to discover how their Rabbi lived.

Rabbi's devoted their life to studying the law, and applying it in all situations. Eager students followed Rabbis closely, and watched their every move, to learn the intracasies of applying the law: it was easier to see the law practiced by a human than to attempt to memorize every detail of written words (imagine Leviticus times a million). This is how Hebrew culture worked: there weren't schools for everything. You learned by watching someone. Fathers passed skills to their sons. Rabbis passed the law to these young men who then became Rabbis and passed the law on again.

So why is this important to me? Why do I care if Hebrew boys watched their Rabbi's eat? I care because Jesus' disciples referred to him as Rabbi. Jesus' disciples were not a group of mature, responsible men -- not at first at least. They were not an orderly group, organized heirarchacly. They were raggamuffins. They were lonely college kids with zits, looking for a way to apply the gigantic books of the law in such a way as to attain righteousness. They were young men who weren't even interested in becoming Rabbis themselves -- they had to catch fish with their fathers. But then Jesus came along and they said, "Here is the fulfillment of the law. Here is the one who saves us, the one the stories tell about." And they were fascinated. He lived differently than any other Hebrew. He ate with sinners. He healed people on Saturdays. He loved without reservation, touched lepers, stayed with tax collectors, smelled like fish, even while he taught at the synagogue, raised people from the dead and made really good wine.
He also called the other Rabbis names and told them their interpretations of the law were only there to make them look better and everyone else look worse. He told them they were unrighteous, even though they observed the letter of the law perfectly.

These twelve boys wanted to be just like Jesus. So they followed him around and ate with him, sailed with him, fished with him, visited with him, traveled with him. They did everything they could to become like him. And he taught them. He revealed God to them. He opened the scriptures so they could understand. He commissioned them to do as he did, and to do more.

And it didn't stop when he died. A couple of Thursdays ago I was zoning out during a sermon when my ears tuned in just in time to hear the speaker say, "Paul's telling the Philippians that if all the rules are too confusing, they should just do what he does. He's saying they should follow his example." Paul, who followed a Rabbi, basically offers to be a Rabbi to the Philippians. He tells them that he is doing his best to be like Jesus, and if they want to be like Jesus, they should try to be like Paul. He's saying the Rabbinical tradition didn't end with Jesus. He's saying learning by example is a valid way to learn God's ways.

So I see now the importance of mentors -- how dearly important it was to God that I have three mentors my first two years of college. And I'm seeing now that I too am intended to become a Rabbi -- first to the boys who look up to me, and later to my sons. I am to follow Jesus' example and then provide that example to those who follow me.

And you are to provide an example to those who follow you. Suddenly our dreams for our lives aren't only for us. What we do with our lives will reach farther than our own satisfaction. If we live mediocre lives, then those who inevitably follow us will also live mediocre lives. But if we live like Jesus, then we will transform those who follow us -- they will also live like Jesus.

It's a lot more responsibility, but it's also an amazing affirmation. God told us to do this -- be holy even as I am holy, etc -- and this means he also TRUSTS us with this responsibility. He thinks we can do it. And he's going to help. He wants to be our Rabbi.

So what are you going to do?