Following Jesus and Discipleship

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"The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus." —John 1:35-37

"A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."  —Luke 6:40

Follow and See

What motivates you to follow Jesus, or to follow someone else? What are you seeking when you follow someone? 

We will not find what we are looking for unless we follow Jesus and “come and see.” We cannot stay where we are and go with Jesus where he is leading. It is only in following Jesus that we find what we are looking for. 

The Apostle John records Jesus’ calling of his disciples, telling us, “Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, ‘What are you seeking?’ And they said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and you will see.’” (John 1:38-39, ESV). 

In his chapter "Being a First-Century Disciple," from his book "The Rest of the Story," Doug Greenwold wrote about the willing submission to a rabbi’s authority, saying, "If a rabbi ultimately agreed to a would-be-disciple’s request and allowed him to become his disciple, the disciple-to-be agreed to totally submit to the rabbi’s authority in all areas of interpreting the Scriptures for his life."

These soon to be disciples were curious about who Jesus was and they wanted to know more about him and his teaching.

Jesus saw these soon to be disciples and asked them a very important and probing question, “What are you seeking?” They called Jesus Rabbi, recognizing his authority and identity as a teacher. They asked Jesus “where are you staying?” And He said to them, “Come and you will see.”

Doug goes on to write about how disciples emulate their rabbi, saying, "While not overtly required, disciples invariably had a deep desire to emulate their rabbi. This often included imitating how their rabbi ate, observed the Sabbath, what he liked and disliked, as well as his mannerisms, prejudices and preferences" (Being a First-Century Disciple).

To receive Jesus as our rabbi and to emulate him, we must see Jesus and recognize his authority. It is in seeing Jesus and following Jesus that we find what we are looking for. 

May we see our Rabbi Jesus and hear his voice saying, “Come and you will see,” and may we find what we are looking for as we follow Jesus.

A Collect for Seeking God, by Anselm of Canterbury: "Teach me to seek you, and as I seek you, show yourself to me; for I cannot seek you unless you show me how, and I will never find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you by desiring you, and desire you by seeking you; let me find you by loving you, and love you in finding you. Amen.” (#89., Book of Common Prayer, 2019).

Originally published at www.preservingbibletimes.org.