What is Discipleship? (It’s NOT What You Think It Is)
The Talmud has a very special “blessing” in it: “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi, and may you drink deeply from their words.” A disciple sought to follow and observe their rabbi so closely that they would become covered in the dust the rabbi kicked up as he walked down the road. And this was considered the highest of honors. This is what discipleship meant in Jesus’ day. I’ll prove it to you in less than 10 minutes.
In modern Christianity the word, “disciple” has become synonymous with the word “student.” While we may understand in a general way that being a disciple was following a rabbi or teacher and learning from him, for the vast majority of us, that’s where it ends. But Biblical discipleship – the discipleship of Jesus’ day – was so much more than this.
The Merriam-Webster definition of “disciple” is:
Not very exciting. Imagine Jesus saying, “You are the twelve in my inner circle. Go! And find convinced adherents or my teachings.” Boring.
Old School Discipleship
And here’s the problem: we define discipleship as learning something from a teacher. It’s academic. It’s about knowing enough information to recite it back and pass a test. If you grew up in church, you know what I’m talking about. We called it “Sunday School.” We sat in hard metal chairs. Listened to a volunteer teacher regurgitate Bible stories. Afterward, we answered some questions to see if we understood the facts. Then, we took a paper home with us so our parents could help us memorize the verse of the week. As children, this is what the church considered “discipleship.”
New School Discipleship
As we grow older, we realize that this isn’t going to work. It’s just facts and information. There’s no transformation. So, we add to it. It stops being about what we know, and becomes about what we do. We’re trying to be better disciples, so we start teaching the classes ourselves. We need to understand the Bible better, so we commit to daily Bible reading plans. And of course, we know that giving is part of being a good disciple, so we start tithing – or at least trying to. No sense in getting legalistic about it. But deep down, we know this isn’t discipleship.
Discipleship isn’t knowing what the teacher knows. It isn’t even knowing what God knows. Discipleship is becoming like our rabbi. But now, we have an even bigger problem.
Hitting the Mark
One of the most important keys to understanding what discipleship is, is being sure to separate salvation from discipleship. These are not the same thing. Understanding this begins with being clear about what the Torah – the Biblical Law – really is.
The root for the Hebrew word “Torah” is “yareh.” It means, “to hit a mark” or “the goal to aim at.” Each Hebrew word paints a picture, and this picture is one of an archery target. Perfect obedience to Torah is the “bull’s eye.”
However, we know that we are incapable of hitting that target. It is simply beyond our ability to do. That is why Jesus came and lived a perfect life – hit the “bull’s eye” – and took our penalty for missing the mark. This is salvation.
But this does not mean we are now absolved of seeking to live according to the commands of God. We should still strive to “hit the mark” in our lives. A rabbi’s role was to live out the Torah in front of his disciples, so that they could clearly see how to “hit the mark.” This is discipleship.
Jesus fulfilled the Torah perfectly – He showed us what a Torah-filled life really looks like. He’s the standard. As His disciples, our life’s mission is to walk so closely behind Him, imitating Him in every way, that we finish our days covered in His dust.
