Be like Your Rabbi....

Today, I was leading a Sunday School type thing we call 7-up at my church (7th grade and up, hence the name), and we pulled out a video from the Nooma series by Rob Bell (check it out) and popped it in. This video was about being Jesus' disciples and to be like Christ Jesus. Well in the video, Rob tells about Rabbi's and their disciples. He says that the disciples that the Rabbis chose were the cream of the crop, with the same ideals and visions about God as they did. He also goes on to state that if a Jewish man (we would call them young men like the ages 15-20) was working as a fishermen or any other job they were not considered "worthy" to be a disciple of any Rabbi. This next part is what really hit me. When Jesus chose his disciples, if you remember correctly, they all were working men, none of which were accepted by other Rabbis to be their disciples. None of them made the cut. So, think about that. Jesus selected everyday men and women to be his followers. To pick up their crosses daily and to be like Christ Jesus. That is kind of amazing to think about, that Jesus selected basically the B-squad of followers, the everyday people, the middle class of the faith to trust in them that they would spread his word and alter history forever by continuing Jesus' work.

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus."

- Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

This verse was our theme verse for my church's last trip to the Youth Gathering in New Orleans, and the theme that was decided to go along with that was "Think. Act. Be.........like Jesus," which is exactly what Rob Bell was saying in that video I was talking about earlier. To be like Christ Jesus, to be like your Rabbi. Now, if you all haven't inferred this already our Rabbi is no other than our Savior, Jesus. He selected people just like you and me, of the same age to drop what the work they were doing and follow him, to be his disciples. This may feel like I'm pounding this point into your heads, but it is worth repeating. The disciples were the same as us, ages 15-20 and were not the most faithful people in the world, even they had their flaws. The bible says that when Jesus and Peter were walking on the water that Peter began to sink. When he cried for help, Jesus asked him, "Why do you doubt?" He wasn't asking why Peter doubted Jesus. He asked why Peter doubted himself as a disciple, a follower of Christ.

Jesus didn't select the "all-stars" or the "superstars" of faith, he selected people from all demographics and told them to "come and follow me." I mean, Matthew was a tax-collector, basically what the IRS is today, and Peter was a fishermen. Now, think of yourself, we are also disciples of Christ in the here and now. We the new followers of Christ are his disciples, we are here to emanate God and to be like Christ Jesus. I ask myself how can I do this? But then I think back to the disciples, those 12 that dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. I then know that it is most definitely possible to be in the same mind and heart of our Rabbi, Jesus Christ.