From Admirers to Apprentices

 

“The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples—students, apprentices, practitioners—of Jesus Christ.” —Dallas Willard

Some years ago, I was studying what it meant to be called a "disciple" of a rabbi or teacher in the first-century context of Jesus' ministry.  

I was curious about the expectations that were part of the whole process of discipleship, and particularly what the twelve disciples of Jesus might have expected when they "left everything" to follow him. 

As it turns out, the relationship between a rabbi and his disciples in first-century Judaism was more like an apprenticeship than anything else.  The expectation was that, over time, a disciple would learn to do everything the rabbi could do.  

Many people claimed to be Jesus' followers, but to be a disciple you had to commit to something deeper.  You couldn't simply be an admirer; you had to become an apprentice. 

In Matthew chapter 21, Jesus tells a remarkably simple story about two sons.

A father asks both of them to work in his vineyard.

The first says no.

Later he changes his mind and goes.

The second says all the right things.

“I go, sir.”

But he never goes.

Then Jesus asks:

“Which of the two did the will of his father?”

The answer is obvious.  The religious people in the crowd answered, "the first." Meaning, the one who actually went.

Jesus doesn't praise them for answering correctly; instead, he chastises them: 

“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you."

Imagine the surprise of the religious folks in the crowd who got the answer to Jesus' question right, but found themselves being called out as the second son in the story.  

Jesus' uncomfortable point to these people was that religious language is easy; actually doing what God desires of you instead of merely giving lip service to your faith is another story. 

We can say we believe in Jesus.

Sing songs about Jesus.

Read books about Jesus.

Attend church.

Quote Jesus.

Defend Jesus.

Even argue with other people about Jesus.

And still avoid actually doing what Jesus taught.

There is an important difference between being an admirer of Jesus and becoming an apprentice of Jesus.

An admirer says, “Jesus was extraordinary.”

An apprentice asks, “How can I learn to live like him?”

That is what discipleship means.

We practice forgiveness because Jesus forgave.

We welcome because Jesus welcomed.

We serve because Jesus served.

We pursue reconciliation because Jesus taught peacemaking.

We become generous because Jesus gave himself away.

We love enemies because Jesus loved enemies.

We notice forgotten people because Jesus noticed them.

And when we fail—and we will—we receive grace, get up, and begin again.

Jesus makes a similar point at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. The wise person isn't simply the one who hears his words. It is the person who hears them and acts on them.

So perhaps the familiar question “What would Jesus do?” eventually leads us toward an even deeper one:

What is Jesus doing in me?

Is Christ making me more compassionate?

More forgiving?

More generous?

More courageous?

More peaceful?

More loving?

Because the goal of Christian faith isn't merely knowing more about Jesus.

It is becoming more like him.

And perhaps the truest confession of faith isn't something we say at all.

Perhaps it is a life that increasingly looks like Jesus.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I don't want merely to admire you; I want to follow you. Shape my heart, my habits, my relationships, and my choices. When I fail, give me grace to begin again. Make your love increasingly visible in the way I live. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Where is there a gap between what I say I believe and the way I actually live?
2. In what area of my life is Jesus inviting me to move from admiration to imitation?
3. If someone watched the way I lived this week, where might they see the character of Jesus?