I want you to think about this word disciple for a minute. What comes to mind? I think our instinct is to say the apostles. Of course, that would be correct. The apostles were disciples, but what about you, and what about me? Are we disciples? Do we understand what a disciple is?
A disciple is a student, a follower, one who is seeking to be like his master. We might associate the concept of an apprentice with this same idea. A disciple in Jesus' day would not merely be an apprentice or student. A disciple would be wholly dedicated to his master and hence would try to be just like him. What the master taught, the disciple would learn to teach. How he thought, his disciple would learn to think. What he did, that would be his disciple's life work.
There is a saying in what is known as the Mishna by a man named Jose ben Jo'eser, "Let thy house be a meeting-house for the wise; and powder thyself in the dust of their feet; and drink their words with thirstiness" (Aquila, p14). Now keep in mind the Mishna was not inspired by God but contains the writings of rabbis who studied and taught the law throughout the centuries leading up to Jesus. I guess you could say it was an extensive commentary. However, the wisdom in this statement is so powerful it gives us a springboard to consider what it would mean to be a disciple of Jesus.
Remember, a disciple is one that seeks to be as much like his master as he can be. It is to this dedication and commitment that we are called, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20. Paul tells us to "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," Philippians 2:5. And Jesus emphasizes, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed." John 8:31.
To be a disciple of Jesus, we should invite "The Wise" into our home. Jesus should be a welcomed guest in our home, but more importantly, he should be honored as the wise master who is indeed an important part of our home. We should sit at His feet as we open his word and study from it. We should be so dedicated to following that we would be covered in dust from the dust of His feet. May we so thirst for His words that we might seek to quench that thirst with nothing short of the living word of God. It is in this pursuit that we will experience the real richness of being a disciple of Jesus.
God bless you in your pursuit of the Christ.
Bibliography:
Sayings of the Jewish Fathers: Comprising Pirqe Aboth in Hebrew ..., Volume 57
Aquila (of Pontus.), Cambridge University Press University Press, 1897 -Mishnah - page 14
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