St. Mark 2:13-22
Dearly beloved,
How blessed is the relationship between Rabbis and
disciples, teachers and students. We don’t often think about the centrality
of this relationship in the New Testament Scriptures, but it is everywhere.
It must be this way. There must be those who teach and there must be
students to learn it. Not only is Jesus God and Lord, but in His earthly
life He was a Rabbi.
The relationship between Rabbi and disciple was an intimate
one. The Rabbi didn’t just teach information. The Rabbi taught his
students how to live. The disciple would follow the Rabbi everywhere he
went. The disciple would learn the information and how to present and teach
the information. The disciple would learn how to pray, which is precisely
why Jesus’ disciples ask Him to teach them how to pray. The disciples would
learn how to live like the Rabbi. This was a very intensive endeavor.
In other words, the student could not be indifferent to the Rabbi. The
disciple literally gave up his life to be like and to follow the Rabbi. It
was an ancient belief that if the disciple was to learn anything from his
teacher, he had to love his teacher. An ancient document recorded that the
pagan philosopher Socrates even believed this. He once sent a student back
home with a note saying, “I cannot teach him anything because he doesn’t
love me.”
This belief holds true in the Holy Scriptures, as well. Proverbs 23:26
speaks thus, “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my
ways.” We must live by this proverb today. In this verse is the
relationship between Rabbi to disciple and vice versa. This relationship
has a way of trickling down. We see it in the gospel. The beginning of the
gospels shows Jesus going and getting disciples. Jesus grabs fishermen. Mark
tells of Jesus’ grabbing Levi who sits at the tax office.
Levi doesn’t go and sit in on one of Jesus’ classes. No. Instead, Levi
leaves his old life behind in order to follow Jesus. Levi becomes a
disciple. Not only is Levi going to learn how to confess the Christian
faith, but he is going to learn how to live, as well. We see this later on
in the gospel lection when we are told that the disciples of John and of the
Pharisees were fasting. John the Baptist’s disciples and the disciples of
the Pharisees come to Jesus and question Jesus as to why He is not teaching
His own disciples to fast. Jesus isn’t being criticized by His words, but
by the manner of life that He is teaching and demonstrating.
This is where we fall down in the church today. Disciples are made by
parents. Parents are the best educators of their children in the church. Our
Lord is showing us that we make disciples out of our children by living as
examples. Fathers have the responsibility to raise their children in the
teachings of the Scriptures and in living them. Fathers and mothers teach
their children what it means to be a Christian through their ongoing
practice of going to the Divine Service.
Parents make disciples of their children by teaching them how to pray, by
teaching them how to reconcile differences through Christian love and
service. Parents are best equipped to teach their children what confession
and absolution is all about. But how many of you did it or are doing it? If
you think that you fulfill your duty by sending your kids to Sunday School,
then you will be sadly mistaken. In other words, if you think your
Christian duty as parents is only by going to church and Sunday School with
no Christian influence during the week, then you will see a train wreck down
the road.
Children, in most cases, grow up to emulate their parents. What you do,
they will do. What is important to you will be important to them. Your
actions will become their actions. Your words will become their words. The
Rabbi—Disciple scenario is really quite accurate. That proverb I quoted is
true—“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” Your
children will give you their hearts for a time. When they are young, they
watch closely. They listen, they observe. Teach them.
If you are like me, then this may frighten you. To think that your kids
have learned who they are from you can be a lot of responsibility, and it
is. When God gave your children to you, He gave them to you to make them
Christians. You have a huge task, and if you are like me, then you will be
frightened at the thought of how you may have failed. I think about my own
failures as a parent, and I realize that I must be on my knees. This is
exactly where God wants us—on our knees. We cannot make disciples of our
children on our own. We need Christ in the midst of our families. We need
Christ in the midst of our lives.
On the other side of the coin, we are all disciples ourselves of Christ. For
this we, too, need to get on our knees and pray. We must seek God’s help
and His forgiveness. And this is precisely why Jesus went to the cross. When
Jesus taught His disciples, He taught them differently than the Pharisees’
disciples were taught. Christ’s disciples, as we see in the gospel, were
sinners. They were adulterers, tax collectors, and the despised in society.
These people were taught what it means to live as people of repentance. Jesus
teaches in Luke the comparison between the Pharisee who goes into the temple
and thanks God that he is so good, whereas the tax collector goes into the
temple, beats his chest and says, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus
taught His disciples what mercy is. This is what I proclaim to you
today. Part
of discipleship is to not only confess the faith, but to live the Christian
life of love and mercy. For this failure we need Christ’s forgiveness—which
is yours, by the way.
The other part is to make disciples by raising our children in the faith. For
this we need not only Christ’s forgiveness, but His strength and guidance. For
all this Jesus showers His love upon you and beckons you to come to Him, sit
at His feet and learn His way. Jesus Himself says, “Come to me all you who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” It is yours. Jesus
continues to be your Lord, Savior, and Rabbi. He will continue to disciple
you as He loves you.
And as Jesus is accused by the Pharisees in the gospel for “eating and
drinking with tax collectors and sinners,” so Jesus gathers me, you and many
others who fit this category, yet find themselves loved to the extent that
we are all eating and drinking with Christ as we gather at the Lord’s altar
this day. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
www.frchadius.blogspot.com
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
