Discipleship is a Lot Harder Than You Think
First Century Discipleship was really hard. It required everything. And only a select few were given the privilege of following a rabbi. In fact, Jesus’ disciples had probably been rejected by other rabbis before He called them. I’ll prove it to you in less than 10 minutes.
Imagine this. You love playing basketball. You’ve been playing your entire life. You thing you might be pretty good. Others do too. Then one day, you’re in the gym, and Michael Jordan walks up. He’s been watching your game for a while. And he thinks you could be as good as him., So, he offers to personally mentor you on how to become the greatest basketball player of your era. If you can begin to grasp the enormity of this, you’re ready to learn what it means to be a disciple.
Galilean Discipleship
Discipleship in Galilee was much different than discipleship in the rest of Israel, especially that of Judea. It was a much more intense form of discipleship, and loyalty to the rabbi was considered its most critical aspect. In fact, when Galilean disciples chose a rabbi, they became devoted to that rabbi for life. It’s interesting to learn that 11 of Jesus’ 12 disciples were from Galilee; the only disciple from Judea was Judas – who would infamously become His betrayer.
All children – both boys and girls – attended school in Galilee. These schools were somewhat similar to our modern forms of elementary, middle school, and high school. The two major differences were that girls were only allowed to attend the first level of schooling, and the education was always centered on the learning through the Scriptures.
There were three cities in Galilee that were most focused on religious education: Chorozin; Bethsaida; and Capernaum. Fascinatingly, these are the three cities that Jesus spent the majority of His ministry in, with Capernaum being His hometown (Matthew 4:13; Mark 2:1; John 6:59).
It was recently discovered that the synagogue at Capernaum – where Jesus is described teaching numerous times in the Gospels – had a large educational center connected to it. In fact, this center is the largest Jewish educational center to have been in existence before the 15th Century A.D. That means that Jesus taught regularly in what could easily be considered the “Harvard” of His day.
Beit Sefer – The House of the Book
All children in Galilee between the ages of 8 to 12 attended Beit Sefer, which is Hebrew for “House of the Book”. The boys would spend their time focusing on memorizing all five books of the Torah, while learning math, history, and geography from the passages they were memorizing. The girls memorized Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, and much of Leviticus. The teaching was always led by Torah Teachers (Scribes).
There was a very important reason that the girls memorized different passages from the boys. In ancient Israel, the people only traveled to Jerusalem to worship in the Temple three times per year: at Passover; at Shavuot (Pentecost); and at Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). The rest of the year, worship was conducted in the home. That means that every Sabbath, the mother would lead the family in prayers and songs of praise. These girls were beginning their preparation to become the Godly wives and mothers they were called to be.
Upon completion of their training, the boys were given a very special honor known as their “First Passover.” This didn’t mean that the boys had never gone up to Jerusalem with their families for the Feast before, but that this time, the boys were permitted to conduct the slaughter of the Passover Lamb. Remember, this happened when the boys turned 12 years old. Luke 2 tells the story of Jesus going up to Jerusalem for the very honor when He was 12 years old, and during that trip, He held the religious men in the Temple spellbound as He questioned them regarding Scripture (Luke 2:41-52).
Beit Midrash – The House of Learning
As they did at Beit Sefer, the boys ages 12 to 15 continued their learning within the synagogues, still being taught by Torah Teachers. But during this time, they also spent time daily being apprenticed by their fathers, learning their family trade. While attending the synagogues, these young men would seek to learn and memorize the remainder of the Hebrew Scriptures – the Prophets; the Writings; and the Books of Wisdom.
Beit Talmud – The House of Teaching
At age 15, a decision would be made: to seek out a rabbi and continue their religious training, or to move toward working in their family business full time. For most, this decision was fairly easy. It was a difficult task just attempting to memorize the Scriptures, but to continue with a rabbi, they would be required to be able to do much more than quote passages; they would need to be intimately familiar with them.
Are You Good Enough?
Those who desired to continue their study would be very particular about their next step. They would seek out a “Shmeka Rabbi” – a rabbi with special authority to teach and interpret the Scriptures. The potential disciple would learn all they could about the different rabbis, and choose very carefully. Upon selecting their rabbi, they would humbly approach them and say like this: Rabbi, I know that you are a good man who loves the LORD and seeks to do His will. May I ask you a question?
The rabbi would reply: You honor me greatly. Yes, my son. You may.
And then the big moment came: Rabbi, may I follow you?
Again, you have to stop and grasp what the disciple is implying with this question. To be a disciple meant that they desired to be just like the rabbi. By asking if they may follow the rabbi, they are asking, “Am I able to be just like you?”
True discipleship is a full commitment of every moment of every day for the rest of your life. It isn’t something you try for a while. Or a class on Sunday morning. It’s not about more Bible reading or memorization. Understanding the Bible is a prerequisite for discipleship. But true discipleship is a pledge of everything you are to the rabbi you follow, and to commit to becoming just like him.
