Day 1…I think deep down inside we are all very similar. There are times we all feel inadequate. There are times we all feel insecure. There are times we all feel unworthy.
This week we are going to find out about disciples…who they were…what they did…how they were chosen. We are going to find out that Jesus did not do things like the typical Rabbi of his day. What we discover will be special. I believe it will give us hope. Try to find a few quiet moments today to reflect on this verse.
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan — The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:1-2
Let's start with a little simple geography. Some of us may already know this information…some of us may not. That's ok. We are on this journey together.
The Sea of Galilee used to be a volcanic lake. Let's take a quick look at the lake and the area surrounding it. The Sea of Galilee is a fresh water lake. It gets its water from the Jordan River and from wadis on the east that carry rain and melted snow. There are several hot mineral springs that surround it. Just thinking about hot springs makes me want to sink right down in one and relax in its warmth.
Today, the Sea of Galilee is full of fish…just like in Jesus' time. There was quite a fishing industry in many of the small villages and larger towns along its shore. The climate of the Galilee area is and was quite tropical…its soil…very fertile. The land around the sea produced beautiful crops of wheat, barley, figs, grapes, and olives.
Now you might imagine that people were attracted to this beautiful fertile area…and they were…but they were not all alike in their passions and beliefs. Not all the people who lived around the lake were religious or Jewish. At the time Jesus lived there, the area could be divided into four main sections. Let's take a quick look at them.
- Western side of the sea – the land called Tiberias – home to the Herodions (that would be people that hang out with Herod)
- Eastern side of the sea – the land called the Decapolis – the land of the Pagans
- Northeastern side of the sea – around the town of Gamla – that's where the Zealots lived…they wanted to overthrow the Romans
- Northwestern side of the sea – in the area of Capernaum, Korazin, and Bethsaida – Religious Jews
Each group had unique characteristics and lifestyles…simply put…they were really different from each other. In our lessons this week, we are going to take a closer look at the religious Jews that lived on the northwestern side. This is the area that Jesus moved to…the area where Jesus chose his disciples…you might even call it the very headquarters of Jesus' ministry.
Good for you…You finished Day 1. As I drift off to sleep tonight, I am going to ask the Lord to give me hope…hope that he will show me what it means to be a disciple and that he will lead me into his Word…and teach me.
Day 2… Have you ever had big dreams of being "discovered…becoming famous?" Yes? No? Well, regardless of your answer you probably know where people go to be "discovered"…some head east…to New York City…and some head west…to California…some head to the internet…to youtube. Try to find a few quiet moments today to reflect on these verses.
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." … On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." Others said, "He is the Christ." Still others asked, "How can the Christ come from Galilee ? John 7:37-38, 40-41
I don't know about you, but as a child I imagined Galilee as an out of the way place…kind of off the beaten path. I have learned that nothing could be farther from the truth. The Via Maris…the "Way of the Sea"…the major international trade route… ran right through the Galilee area…right near a town called Capernaum. We've talked about the Via Maris is previous lessons. We have talked about how God placed his people at the crossroads of the ancient world…right at the crossroads of the main trade route…so that the world would know about him. It doesn't surprise me at all that this is where Jesus came to minister…that this is where Jesus choose his disciples.
Jesus chose Capernaum as his home to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would live in Galilee…by "the way to the sea." "…he (Jesus) went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah." Matthew 4:13-14
Did you know that most of Jesus' miracles were done in the northwestern area of the Sea of Galilee? Sometimes people call this area "the triangle". The towns of Capernaum, Korazin, and Bethsaida form the points of the triangle…each point about three miles apart. Let's take a quick look at each town.
Capernaum— This major town was located on the shore of the sea. Fishermen and farmers lived there. A Roman garrison was located there and a customs house…where tax collectors worked. There were many tektons (stone masons) in this town. Capernaum had a large synagogue. Many of the New Testament stories about Jesus take place here. Jesus' disciple Matthew, a tax collector, came from this town.
Korazin—Korazin was a village located three miles north of Capernaum. It was a town of about 2000. The Bible tells us that many of Jesus' miracles took place here. It was large and prosperous and had a synagogue with a large synagogue school. This town also produced olives.
Bethsaida—Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Philip were from Bethsaida…"Fishington." This town was located on the northern end of the sea near the mouth of the Jordan River. It probably had about six hundred to eight hundred people, living eight to ten extended families. Jesus fed the five thousand and healed a blind man here. The ruins of this village are being uncovered for the first time, revealing a prosperous town constructed of basalt, a black rock common to the area.
These were towns…nothing like the large city of Scythopolis. This was an area made up of family units…no theaters…no stadiums…no university gymnasium…just simple rural villages. This was an area of insulas…extended family units surrounding a courtyard. An area where grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins lived and worked together.
This "triangle" of towns was a place where religious Jewish folks lived at the time of Jesus. Scattered in this triangle are the ruins of many synagogues. People who were passionate about their way of life…about God…about obedience…about the text…lived here. It was right in this area of Galilee where the idea of disciple was the most prominent in the ancient world.
More famous Jewish teachers came from Galilee than anywhere else. And, it was right here that Jesus came to find his disciples. He chose them from simple villages.
Good for you…You finished Day 2.
Day 3… Today we are going to look a little closer at disciples and the building blocks that made up discipleship. Try to find a few quiet moments today to reflect on this verse.
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom…" Matt 4:23
At the time of Jesus…what was a disciple? Was it a pupil…student…apprentice? One building block of "disciple" was community. To be a disciple meant to live with your rabbi. A disciple lived in a community of disciples that followed the same teacher. That is hard for us to really understand. We tend to think of ourselves as individuals. In their world, they were willing to set their "individualism" aside… they were willing to live in community.
I think their daily life helped to prepare them for discipleship. In the lesson, "No Greater Love" we learned about the family life of the insula. Each son built a home onto the home of his father and raised his family there. Each insula could house up to one hundred extended family members that blended their lives together in community. They worked together, played together, went to synagogue together…traveled to Jerusalem for the feasts…together. They supported one another, corrected one another, encouraged one another…and worshiped with one another. They didn't go to family reunions…they lived right in the middle of one. This type of community life was a perfect preparation for the community of discipleship.
Another building block of "disciple" was the Text. The synagogue was the heart of the town. You might say their whole world revolved around it. They would gather at the synagogue on the Sabbath and other days to hear the rabbi's teaching.
The person that was going to read the Torah, got to sit in a special seat called the "Moses Seat." The people all remembered that the words on the scroll were the very words that God had given to them through Moses. Another special place in the Synagogue was the Torah closet where the most precious possession of the town was kept…the Torah and the rest of the Hebrew Bible called Tenach. Nothing was more sacred and special to them than the scroll.
When the scroll was brought out, the people's heart and sometimes feet would begin to dance. Can you imagine how Jesus…the "living Word made flesh" must have felt when he saw the love that the people had for God's written Word. Jesus' heart must have been moved with joy when he saw the people touch the scroll and then touch their lips…as they wanted the very Words of God to taste sweet to them.
Let's look at Psalm 19:7-10 together…let's find some of the sweetness.
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. Psalm 19:7-10
There was no building block more important to discipleship than the building block of the Text. Because the Text was at the Synagogue…that is where everyone would come and hear the scriptures read. They would then hear the rabbi teach. There would be debates because not everyone agreed on how to interpret and read the Text. Can you imagine Jesus raising the scroll over his head before he began to share with those listening…."the Word"…reading the Word.
Good for you…You finished Day 3. As I drift off to sleep tonight, I am going to think of the Text…my very own copy…of the Word…and I am going to thank my Abba for it. I am going to consume it. I want to taste its sweetness.
Day 4…Today, let's look a little closer look at synagogue. Try to find a few quiet moments to reflect on these verses.
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Mark 1:21-22
By the time Jesus was born, a synagogue was found in most of the towns and villages of Galilee. Most of the time, they were built on the highest point or on a raised platform.
In some cases, the front portion had three doors. Inside there were benches on three sides of the room. There was a small platform where the speakers or readers would stand, and it is possible that a small menorah (a seven-branched candlestick), like the one in the Temple, stood on that platform. The floor was usually dirt or flagstones, and common people probably sat on mats on the floor, while the important people sat on the stone benches
Local elders were in charge of the synagogue. All adult members of the community could belong to the synagogue, but only adult males age 13 or older could be elders. A local caretaker called the hazzan, was responsible for maintaining the building and organizing the prayer services.
The hazzan was sometimes the teacher of the synagogue school, especially in smaller villages. He would announce the coming Sabbath with blasts on the shofar (ram's horn). Although the hazzan was in charge of worship services, the prayer leader, readers, and even the one who delivered the short sermon could be any adult member of the community. All were recognized as being able to share the meaning of God's Word as God had taught them in their daily walk with him. In this way, the community encouraged even its youngest members to be active participants in its religious life.
The synagogue was truly a multipurpose building. It was a community center, school, court, and place of study during the week. On the Sabbath it served as the place where the community met for prayer. When the first three stars were seen on Friday evening, the hazzan blew the shofar to announce that the Sabbath had begun. The people gathered at twilight to eat the Sabbath meal in their homes. The food had already been prepared…no work was permitted during this time in most traditions.
The following morning, the community gathered in the synagogue building. The service began with several blessings offered to God. The congregation recited the Shema:
Hear, 0 Israel: The LORD our God, the Lord is one. Love the LORD your Deuteronomy 6:4.
The Torah scrolls would be brought out by the hazzan and would be read in several portions, sometimes as many as seven. Different people were scheduled to read a portion each week. The readings were determined according to a set schedule, so the reader would have no choice about the passage that he was to read.. These same portions are read by Jews today.
Following the Torah portion, a section from the prophets (called the Haphtarah) would be read by the same or another reader. After all readings, a short sermon would be offered, often by the reader of the Torah or Haftarah. Any adult member of the community was eligible to speak the sermon called the derashah. The sermon was frequently quite short. If a priest was present the service ended with a benediction using the Aaronic blessing found in the Torah.
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24
Jesus spent a lot of tme in synagogues. He taught in them…healed in them…and debated the interpretation of Torah in them. Clearly, he belonged to the community of the synagogue. The early Christians continued to attend synagogues, though with a new interpretation of the Torah, now that Jesus had been revealed as Messiah.
The new community of Jesus was born out of the synagogue. Believers were to become assemblies, not single individuals seeking God alone. This is why we address God as our Father…our Abba… because through Jesus we are his assembly…his community…his temple…his body…his family. We live in a world that in many places, is fractured and broken…all the focus is on self. Understanding synagogue can help us understand the picture of the community of God…and that in turn can help us understand discipleship.
Good for you…You finished Day 4.
Day 5…There is a picture of me in our family's album. There I am…standing in front of the car…my first day of kindergarten. When Jesus was 5 or 6 he probably started school. I wonder what it was like to be in his class? Try to find a few quiet moments today to reflect on this verse.
"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying…" Matthew 5:1-2
So…what did it take to be a disciple? What was it? How did you become one? Well it started in the community and in the synagogue but it really started in the school. If you were a little Hebrew boy or girl, you probably went to grammar school.
Study began at age five or six and the school was called Beth Sefer. The students would learn to read and write. Their curriculum was the Torah…the first five books of our Bible. Our children today can recite commercials…movies…and music. The children of Jesus' time could recite the Text. The goal for girls…memorize Deuteronomy and the Psalms. The goal for boys…memorize the Torah…Genesis through Deuteronomy. If a boy had memorized the Torah by the age of 13 he would be allowed to sacrifice the passover lamb. By the time the students finished Beth Sefer…around 12-13…many of them knew large portions of the Torah by memory and could recite it…as well as understand it…and explain it. They truly became people of the Text.
It was around this time, 12 to 13, that the girls left school…preparing to marry and the boys left school to learn the family trade of their insula. The boys would join the men of their family as leather workers…or tektons…olive producers…etc. There would be a few outstanding students…a few who seemed to have the ability and the passion to move up to the next level. These would move up to secondary school…called Beth Midrash.
A rabbi would teach Beth Midrash and people of the community who weren't too busy at the teaching time would come and sit and hear the teaching. Not all were adult listeners…some were students. These students had "made the cut". They were ready to move farther up the "ladder" of learning. These students were usually young men ages 13-15. They would study the deeper meaning of the Torah and then on to the entire Tenach. They would begin to read the prophets and the writings…their goal…memorize most of what we call the Old Testament.
Around the age of 15, the "best of the best"…those very few who displayed unusual ability…entered the possibility of becoming a disciple, a talmid. What did it mean…to be a disciple? Did it mean that they wanted to know
what the rabbi knew? Did it mean that they wanted to learn
from the rabbi? Yes. But it also meant much more than that. It meant that they wanted to be
just like the rabbi. They wanted their walk with God to be just like the rabbi's walk with God.
Gifted students approached a rabbi and "applied" for the position of disciple. They asked, "May I follow you?" in effect, saying, "Do I have what it takes to be like you?" The rabbi would then quiz the applicant. Recite Genesis. Name all the birds of the Tanach from beginning to end…in order…and on…and on. The rabbi might let the applicant follow him for a few days to see if the applicant could be like him…could be his disciple…his talmid. Then the rabbi either accepted the student as a talmid or sent him away to pursue a trade.
If you are thinking that this disciple stuff is sounding harder and harder…you're right. It was hard. Some scholors say only 1 in 1000 students were chosen to be disciples. Most simply did not have what it took to make the cut…they did not have what it took to be like the rabbi.. But remember our first lesson this week…I said there was hope? Stay with me…because there is!
If someone was chosen as a disciple…a talmid…It took an incredible burning passion lived 24 hours a day to be like the rabbi. They watched everything the rabbi did…went everywhere the rabbi went
So this is the process of a disciple…they were raised in community…part of synagogue…went to Beth Sefer…sent to Beth Midrash…they knew the Text and when it was time to say I have the ability and fire…they would find a Rabbi that they wanted to be like. They would approach the Rabbi and tell him they wanted to be like him. He might observe them…invite them to walk behind him for a while. He might ask questions…if the student made the "cut"…the Rabbi might invite the student to "come, and follow me." Most people were turned down. If they were accepted, they would walk with the Rabbi every day twenty-four hours a day for several years…until…the Rabbi told them to, "go…and make disciples of your own."
Good for you…You finished Day 5. Dear Father…Abba, I am so glad I know the end of the lessons this week. If I didn't know how this lesson ended I would be discouraged by now…because I am so ordinary. Thank you for having Jesus "break" the rules about making disciples. Thank you for what we are all going to learn tomorrow.
Day 6…Today…the incredible hope of discipleship. Try to find a few quiet moments today to reflect on this verse.
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last." John 15:16
How did Jesus choose his disciples? Did he follow the practices of his day? Did the "best of the best" find him and ask to follow him? No…he went to Peter, Andrew, James and John…guys that were fishermen. Ordinary guys. These guys were not the valedictorians of their schools. These guys are the ones who didn't go on to become disciples…they went back to fishing. He went and found them. He asked them to follow him. He did everything backwards…he went to the dropouts…those that didn't make the cut. He went to the ordinary…he went to young men that other rabbis wouldn't even consider.
Has there been a time in your life when you felt inadequate, insecure and unworthy? Can you imagine what it must have felt like for those young men to have Jesus affirm them...choose them? Jesus thought they could be like him. Jesus believed in them. Jesus asked them to, "Come, follow me." By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit…these guys knew that they could be like Jesus. That's why they dropped the nets and ran to him. The rabbi had chosen them.
Do you see what hope that holds for us? If he chose them…he chooses us. They made his "cut"…we make his "cut". He chose people just like you and me. This is HUGE! This is INCREDIBLE! It means we can be his disciples too.
We need the consuming passion of the talmid in our Christian world today. The best way to let the Holy Spirit…the Spirit of Christ…work in our lives to make us his disciples…is to truly know the Rabbi Jesus. How do we know him? We go with a passion to the living Word of God. We immerse ourselves in the Text…the Holy Spirit will teach and guide. Like the original talmid we spend three years with the Rabbi…reading one gospel a month (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)…that's about 1 chapter a day…for three years.
Jesus' disciples, the ones he called into a relationship with himself as talmidim, made such an impact on the province of Asia Minor…the most pagan of all the Roman provinces…that it became the most Christian province in the Roman Empire. Jesus desires the same kind of relationship with his disciples today. To have that kind of relationship in our world means that we….
- know the Text and Jesus' interpretation of it
- be passionate in our devotion to the text and Jesus' example
- follow him…allowing the Holy Spirit to lead… even if we are not sure of the final destination
- live by his teaching, which means we must know that teaching well
- be obsessed with being like him…realizeing his Spirit lives and works in us
- develop community…meaningful relationships with others so that they will become hungry for the Jesus that we know
- allow the Holy Spirit to love others through us
- allow the Holy Spirit to permeate us with love and commitment to Christ
Today, most of Jesus' followers lack the passion of the talmidim. We think of discipleship as learning theological knowledge rather than devoting our lives to the Rabbi. It is so much more than a "Christian Check List."
All too often, God's people miss opportunities to experience God's power and walk on water. We are just too busy with our own schedules and goals. Maybe we are just too afraid to leave our security behind.
As we look at Jesus' talmidim, we are challenged to radical discipleship…we follow the Rabbi….no matter how scared we may feel...and no matter where he leads us…no matter how inadequate we feel. It is a relationship unlike any other…it is an incredible fellowship of love.
Jesus truly believes we can become like him, even when we feel tired, fallen, or incapable. The first twelve disciples were ordinary people, but with God's power, they transformed the world.
Our world still needs transformation. It is filled with longing and lonliness…pressures and pain…shallowness and selfishness…and people long for something real. They aren't impressed by hypocrites (Greek word for actor), but rather take notice when someone puts everything on the line for their God.
If Christians are willing to demonstrate radical discipleship and love, the people around us may just want to meet our Rabbi for themselves.
How about you…are you a disciple?
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:18
As for us, we always thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation, a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and by your belief in the truth. He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:4-6
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:26-27
He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:28-31
Good for you…You finished Day 6. Thank you Father…Abba…for the incredible gift of salvation and discipleship you have given to us. May we realize that we have been chosen. May we realize that with you all things are possible. May we realize that in you we are a new creation…with your Spirit and power working in our lives. May we realize that you think we can be like our Rabbi. .
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