The Disciple, Part 1
After the resurrection of the Messiah, Yeshua tells His disciples this, Matthew 28:18-20, “And Yeshua came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, (baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, since this is not a Jewish concept most likely Yeshua did not say this), teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We see here that Yeshua did not tell His disciples to go out and convert people to Christianity. He said make disciples. So what is a disciple? Well, to have a disciple, one needs a teacher. In Yeshua’s day that would have been the Rabbi. Today we do have Rabbis but in Chrisitan churches that would have to be the Pastor except the Rabbi had pupils (disciples) who learned and emanated everything they saw or heard. They lived with the Rabbi back then and walked with him among the people. They learned how he prayed and how he taught and how he even spoke and they, well, you could say, they mimic him completely.
Yeshua was a Disciple of His Father. John 12:49-50 records this, “For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” Again in John 5:19-20, “Yeshua gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all he does. Yes, and He will show Him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.”
In John 10:30, “Yeshua said that He and His Father were one.”
You could say this about the Rabbi and his disciple. I think you understand that today we are not disciples of our Pastor and yet, we are to go out and make disciples. Well, the answer to that is that Yeshua is our Rabbi. Up to the Second Century the Apostles did make disciples and their disciples made disciples, but many crept in and taught their own ways and thinking and today we do not even come close to praying or thinking like Yeshua or His disciples. We ask that you take a look at our series, The Sins of our Forefathers. https://judeochristianclarion.com/special-teachings/sins-of-our-forefathers-part-1/
So let’s look at how we as disciples should emanate our Rabbi Yeshua.
Philippians 2: 5-8 tells us, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Messiah Yeshua, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”
We too, must empty ourselves as Matthew 16:24-25 says, “Then Yeshua said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
God so loved us that He sent Yeshua to die for us and now we too must have this great love for one another. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
1 John 3:16, “By this we know the love of God: that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
1 John 4: 10-11 says, “In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we must also love one another.”
Yes, Yeshua became our sacrifice and now we too must be a living sacrifice.
Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
This takes us to the beginning. God sent His Son and now He sends us.
If we are disciples then we too will go about doing good. Acts 10:38-43, “You know of Yeshua of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things that He did throughout the countryside and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He be revealed, not to all the people, but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and to testify solemnly that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify of Him, that through His Name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
1 John 3:17-18, “Whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, but closes his heart of compassion from him, how can the love of God remain in him? My little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.”
Are you a true disciple, or are you just a convert? Yeshua’s disciples followed Him, not converts. We must be like our Master if we are going to follow Him. We too, must go out and make disciples. 1 John 3:9-21 goes on to say, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”’
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