“Come! Follow Me.”
When Jesus called his talmidim (Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9-13), they were all working; making a living in the family trade. Jesus went to their places of work and said, “Come, follow me.” The Bible tells us that they immediately quit what they were doing and began to follow Jesus. Why would they quit their jobs to follow him? It wasn’t because he was the Messiah; they didn’t even know he was the Messiah until after his resurrection.
The 1st-Century Galilean educational system was such that most boys and girls began school at age five. This first level of education was called Beth Sefer, and the children finished by age 12. The focus of Beth Sefer was the first five books of the Bible. After finishing Beth Sefer, many of the boys and all girls would go home to help with the home and learn the family trade. The boys who were exceptionally gifted in Torah learning would have the opportunity and be encouraged to attend Beth Midrash. These boys would be taught the writings and prophets of the Bible, as well as begin learning the Oral Torah and how to interpret and make personal applications of the text.
By age 16, those who finished Beth Midrash went home to learn the family trade, all except for those truly gifted students who would then begin to seek out a Shmikahed rabbi, whom they would live with and learn from until they were able to accept the role of sage at age 30.
Once the student decided upon a particular rabbi, he would approach that rabbi and ask him, “Can I be like you?” The interpretation of this very Jewish question for us would be, “Can I follow you and learn to teach and live just as you teach and live?”
Of course, a rabbi would be very humbled by such a request, and the rabbi would then thank the boy for his compliment of believing that this rabbi is worth learning to be like. Then the rabbi would test the boy for a while, listening and watching for the boy’s ability to learn the deeper meanings of God’s Word and his ability to apply them practically and through teaching.
After a time of testing, the rabbi would give the boy one of two answers:
1. Yes. I believe that you can be like me. Come and follow me. The boy would then move out of the house of his parents and literally begin to live with the rabbi. He would study the rabbi, learning to imitate everything from the way the rabbi speaks to the way he walks, eats, and prays. The talmid does not simply want to know what the rabbi knows; he wants to be what the rabbi is.
2. The rabbi could also give the young person another answer. No. You cannot be like me. You are truly a godly young man who loves God and is skilled in God’s Word, but you do not have what it takes to imitate me. Go home and learn the trade of your family, and live your life as a godly fisherman, tentmaker, brick mason, carpenter, farmer, etc.
Jesus’ talmidim immediately quit their jobs to follow him, because that is what any young Jewish male would have done, if he were blessed to have a rabbi call him. To be a talmid and ultimately a rabbi was the most sought after role that any Jewish boy could hope for. The dream of being a rabbi was comparable to the modern day desire to be a rock star or a fighter pilot. Most Galilean teenage boys could only dream of this happening to them. Because the disciples that Jesus called were working, it is safe to assume that they were not good enough to follow a rabbi. They had obviously either not made it far enough beyond Beth Sefer (1st Century, Jewish Elementary school) or they had been told, “You don’t have what it takes to be like me.”
Jesus went to the not-good-enough’s, and said, “I believe you can be like me.” Even James and John’s father, Zebedee, would have been kicking them out of the boat. He would even have jumped out of that boat himself, yelling all the way, “My boys are going to be rabbis!” My boys are going to be rabbis!”
It is truly amazing that God would call people like you and me to lead His Kingdom.
In His dust,
Johnny
© 2008 Jonathan P. Gainey and Flock’s Diner.
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