Messianic Musings ~ The Dust of His Feet

Several years ago I took a course that was required for those entering the profession of grade school teacher. The class was called Principles of Education. The purpose of the class was to instill in teachers an understanding of the foundational educational principles  of the American school system.  The course began with an overview of the great philosophers of history and their contribution to the framework of the system that we have all been a part of. Two of the men who had the most significant impact were Greek philosophers  - Socrates and Plato.  

The way that the ancient Greeks taught was very different than the model of Jewish education. The Greek style of learning was basically concerned with the transfer of information from the teacher to the student. The Jewish model went much deeper. In the Jewish tradition, when a rabbi saw students who held promise, he would call them to become his apprentices and he would be their mentor.  The students (or talmid) would follow the rabbi closely, day in and day out. Spiritual lessons were not just a matter of transferring information but rather the talmid would learn from the rabbi as they watched the rabbi live his life. They would follow the rabbi so closely that it was said that the talmid would be covered by the dust of the rabbi's feet.  The goal wasn't just acquisition of information but of a fully transformed life.

In Chapter 10 of Matthew, as was the Jewish custom, Rabbi Jesus called his disciples. The gospels are full of accounts of the disciples following Jesus. We see how they sat at his feet as He taught. They were with Him as He ate. They were with Him as He prayed, as He healed, as He walked....as He lived. Their lives were transformed as they followed Him closely.

I think we all "get" learning as the transferring of information. It has been ingrained in us since the earliest years of school. In the secular world this has its place but I think we have to be wary of bringing this mindset into our spiritual lives. Yes, there is biblical information that we should know. We worship God with our minds as we study His Word. But if Jesus is our Lord and Savior and we call ourselves His disciples we are called by Him to go deeper. He doesn't just want us to know about Him. He wants us to know Him. That means following Him closely.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself take up his cross and follow me". (Matt. 16:24)