Note: If you haven’t read my post about why I am not your rabbi then please do so now.
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find the best way to communicate the truths of Christianity to the masses. This was a good natured goal, but there was a problem. Information, no matter how well presented, is just information if people don’t understand the essence of being a Christian.
Jesus was a rabbi, and as such, he had disciples whose ultimate goal was to obey him, imitate him, and generally be like him. They were called disciples because they were pupils, learners, students, or whatever word works for you. A disciple would hang on their rabbi’s every word, want to memorize his teaching, and follow them physically from place to place. This wasn’t like community college where all the students hated being there. This was serious. In Luke 6:40 Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” The goal of a disciple is to be fully trained. To be like his master.
Ready for the good part? In Acts 11:26 we are told that the word Christian and Disciple are synonyms. They should be able to be used interchangeably. A Christian should have the kind of relationship with Jesus that I outlined in the paragraph above. To be a Christian is to be a disciple of the rabbi, Jesus. Being a Christian is becoming a pupil of Jesus.
The heart of Christianity is being a student of Jesus, a very serious, devout, student. Consider the apostles as a model. They knew very little when they began to follow Jesus, but they were committed to him. Their understanding grew over a three year period as they they attended the “Jesus school.” They eventually discovered that he was the Christ, they learned about what his work on the cross was about, they were taught how to love, they were rebuked for their pride, etc. My point is this. If someone is committed to learning from Jesus and obeying him they will eventually get all the orthodox theology they need and they’ll be living the faith as well. Jesus is an ancient rabbi, but he is looking for new disciples.
