Bible Text: Matthew 28:19 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | What is a disci\u00adple? To get to the bot\u00adtom of this ques\u00adti\u00adon, we look at the ori\u00adgin of all disci\u00adple\u00adship, rab\u00adbi\u00adnism in Jewish Gali\u00adlee. This is disci\u00adple\u00adship: I respond to Jesus\u00bb invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to fol\u00adlow him and now set out to share all of life with him and beco\u00adme like him. The disci\u00adple is an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce or trai\u00adnee of Jesus.<\/p>\n
\tGod had sent Jesus to Gali\u00adlee becau\u00adse he wan\u00adted to app\u00adly the disci\u00adple\u00adship model that was lived there. In Caper\u00adna\u00adum and the sur\u00adroun\u00adding area, peo\u00adp\u00adle pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly stu\u00addi\u00aded and deba\u00adted the Tanakh (the OT<\/span>) in order to know God\u2019s will and to be obe\u00addient to Him. It is pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly no coin\u00adci\u00addence that Caper\u00adna\u00adum play\u00aded a major role in the Gos\u00adpels as the place whe\u00adre Jesus lived and work\u00aded (Matthew 4:13). The\u00adre Jesus cal\u00adled some of his disci\u00adples to fol\u00adlow him (Matthew 4:18\u201322; Mark 2:14), taught (Luke 4:31) and per\u00adfor\u00admed many signs and won\u00adders (Matthew 8:5\u201317). Jesus deli\u00adbera\u00adte\u00adly cho\u00adse the Gali\u00adlean model of rab\u00adbi and disci\u00adples. Today we reflect on the Hebrew school sys\u00adtem and learn what was unders\u00adtood by a disci\u00adple at that time and how to beco\u00adme a disci\u00adple of a rabbi. \tMark 2:13\u201317 is an exam\u00adp\u00adle of how Jesus cal\u00adled his disci\u00adples. What is cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adristic about it? Bible Text: Matthew 28:19 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | What is a disci\u00adple? To get to the bot\u00adtom of this ques\u00adti\u00adon, we look at the ori\u00adgin of all disci\u00adple\u00adship, rab\u00adbi\u00adnism in Jewish Gali\u00adlee. This is disci\u00adple\u00adship: I respond to Jesus\u00bb invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to fol\u00adlow him, and now I\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","wpfc-sermon-single","post-2741","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\n\u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre go to all the nati\u00adons and make disci\u00adples of them\u00bb (Matthew 28:19 NL<\/span>). Befo\u00adre this order Jesus says to Peter: \u00abFrom now on you shall be cal\u00adled Peter. On this rock I will build my church\u00bb (Matthew 16:18 NL<\/span>). Jesus is buil\u00adding church, we are to make disci\u00adples. Most churches are over\u00adbur\u00adden\u00aded with rea\u00adching peo\u00adp\u00adle who are distanced from the church and tur\u00adning them into devo\u00adted fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus. May\u00adbe that\u2019s why we have it the other way round: we build church and hope that Jesus will make disci\u00adples. What is a disci\u00adple in the con\u00adtext of Jesus?
\nRay Van\u00adder Laan is an excel\u00adlent expert on the Jewish envi\u00adron\u00adment at the time of Jesus. He belie\u00adves that disci\u00adple\u00adship would be dra\u00adma\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent and richer if view\u00aded in the set\u00adting of that time. In other words, disci\u00adple\u00adship takes on a very dif\u00adfe\u00adrent colour, a very dif\u00adfe\u00adrent shape, when we under\u00adstand what a disci\u00adple was at that time. That is why it is cru\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly important that we start from this point.
\nRay Van\u00adder Laan goes on to explain that the model of rab\u00adbis and disci\u00adples was inven\u00adted and prac\u00adti\u00adsed in Gali\u00adlee. Not in Judea or Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem, nor in the Dia\u00adspo\u00adra in Baby\u00adlon or Egypt, but in Gali\u00adlee. Gali\u00adlee is a hil\u00adly pro\u00advin\u00adce sur\u00adroun\u00adding the Sea of Gali\u00adlee. The peo\u00adp\u00adle from this rural area were not par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly edu\u00adca\u00adted, but they were pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte about God, pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte about the scrip\u00adtures, pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte about deba\u00adting to get the right mea\u00adning of the scrip\u00adtures. And they were pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte about wai\u00adting for the coming of the Mes\u00adsiah. The cent\u00adre of the rab\u00adbis and their disci\u00adples was Caper\u00adna\u00adum, a small vil\u00adla\u00adge on the north shore of the lake with less than 2000 inhabitants.
\nVan\u00adder Laan puts for\u00adward two theses:<\/p>\n
\n\tJesus had been a disci\u00adple of a rab\u00adbi for some time and then cal\u00adled and trai\u00adned disci\u00adples hims\u00adelf at the age of 30.<\/p>\n
\nBet Sefer (House of the Book)
\nIn Gali\u00adlee, pri\u00adma\u00adry school was atten\u00added by all child\u00adren bet\u00adween the ages of about 6 and 10 (in Judea, inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00adingly, only the boys). As a rule, the les\u00adsons took place in the syn\u00adago\u00adgue. The syn\u00adago\u00adgue was thus not only a place of wor\u00adship, but also a house of dia\u00adlo\u00adgue and deba\u00adte, as well as a place whe\u00adre child\u00adren were edu\u00adca\u00adted. The goal for boys was to read and memo\u00adri\u00adse the Torah (five books of Moses). Becau\u00adse for girls school was com\u00adple\u00adted after this level, they memo\u00adri\u00adsed parts of the Torah and parts of other scrip\u00adtures. This exten\u00added basic edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon was to prepa\u00adre the girls for their ear\u00adly mar\u00adria\u00adge. Why this con\u00adtent? The Israe\u00adli\u00adtes were deep\u00adly con\u00advin\u00adced that God had spo\u00adken to their ances\u00adtors. It was clear to them that the five books of Moses were a tran\u00adscript of what God had com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adted to Moses on Mount Sinai. Torah means tea\u00adching, ins\u00adtruc\u00adtion, also \u00abthe way\u00bb. It con\u00adta\u00adins law, but it is not law. The best way to live is to live accor\u00adding to the Torah. That is why their thin\u00adking revol\u00adved around the Torah. They wan\u00adted to learn it and live it. The\u00adre is a quo\u00adte: \u00abUnder 6 years old, we do not accept a child as a stu\u00addent. From 6 years old, take him in and fat\u00adten him up with Torah like an ox.\u00bb Child\u00adren are sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to have the scrip\u00adtures insi\u00adde them. Edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon was not a luxu\u00adry or a choice in tho\u00adse days, but the key to sur\u00advi\u00adval. It could hap\u00adpen that the tea\u00adcher sme\u00adared honey on the children\u2019s fin\u00adgers or on the wri\u00adting tablet. He would let them tas\u00adte this honey and say: \u00abEven swee\u00adter and more pre\u00adcious than honey, this is God\u2019s word. Take this word into your\u00adsel\u00adves.\u00bb Then they star\u00adted with Levi\u00adti\u00adcus. That was part of the cur\u00adri\u00adcu\u00adlum. It was beg\u00adin\u00adner mate\u00adri\u00adal. The goal was to have the five books memo\u00adri\u00adsed by age 10. That\u2019s why ever\u00adyo\u00adne always knew what Jesus was tal\u00adking about when he quo\u00adted a Bible ver\u00adse. They had lear\u00adned this at school. It was insi\u00adde them, their life\u00adb\u00adlood. This memo\u00adri\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon could be a model for us! How much is it worth to us to know God\u2019s Word?
\nEar\u00adly on, dif\u00adfe\u00adren\u00adces in apti\u00adtu\u00adde beca\u00adme appa\u00adrent among the stu\u00addents. Some demons\u00adtra\u00adted a natu\u00adral approach to the Scrip\u00adtures and were cle\u00adar\u00adly ahead of others. If they knew the Torah by heart, they rea\u00adched the next level: Bet Tal\u00admud. The others, after Bet Sefer, lear\u00adned a fami\u00adly trade such as tan\u00adner, fisher\u00adman, far\u00admer or stone\u00adcut\u00adter. The girls got married.
\nBet Tal\u00admud (House of Learning)
\nNow it was time for 11 to 14 year old boys to memo\u00adri\u00adse the enti\u00adre Tanach (OT<\/span> in our par\u00adlan\u00adce). Tanach is made up of the abbre\u00advia\u00adti\u00adons of Torah (ins\u00adtruc\u00adtion), Nebi\u00adim (pro\u00adphe\u00adts) and Ketu\u00adbim (wri\u00adtin\u00adgs). They also lear\u00adned about the oral tra\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon sur\u00adroun\u00adding the text and were intro\u00addu\u00adced to the art of asking ques\u00adti\u00adons. By the age of 13 or 14, the very best Hebrew stu\u00addents could memo\u00adri\u00adse the enti\u00adre Bible (39 books). Along\u00adside this, it was a mat\u00adter of being slow\u00adly intro\u00addu\u00adced to the Tal\u00admud. The Tal\u00admud is an inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon of the Tanakh and descri\u00adbes how the rab\u00adbis unders\u00adtood the\u00adse wri\u00adtin\u00adgs and how they were appli\u00aded in ever\u00ady\u00adday life. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing was about the art of asking ques\u00adti\u00adons. The tea\u00adchers were not con\u00adcer\u00adned with their stu\u00addents being able to spew out infor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon on demand. Rather, they were to learn to wrest\u00adle with the text and link it to other pas\u00adsa\u00adges. Good ques\u00adti\u00adons were a sign that this stu\u00addent unders\u00adtood some\u00adthing of the text.
\nThat is why Jesus so often ans\u00adwe\u00adred ques\u00adti\u00adons with coun\u00adter-ques\u00adti\u00adons (Luke 2:46f; Mark 2:18ff.24ff; 11:30). This has not\u00adhing to do with arro\u00adgan\u00adce, but was the usu\u00adal form of a tea\u00adching con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon. When Jesus was in the temp\u00adle at the age of 12, it says: \u00abHe sat in the temp\u00adle in the midst of the tea\u00adchers, lis\u00adtening to them and asking ques\u00adti\u00adons\u00bb (Luke 2:46). Jesus did not ask ques\u00adti\u00adons becau\u00adse he did not know the ans\u00adwer, but pro\u00adved pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly that he unders\u00adtood the con\u00adtext. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, \u00abAll who heard him were ama\u00adzed at his under\u00adstan\u00adding and wise ans\u00adwers\u00bb (47). Jesus, through wise ques\u00adti\u00adons, spun ans\u00adwers further.
\nBet Midrash (House of Study)
\nTho\u00adse who had also mas\u00adte\u00adred the second level and knew all 39 books by heart appli\u00aded to a rab\u00adbi. A boy of about 15 years of age expres\u00adsed that he wan\u00adted to take the yoke of this rab\u00adbi upon hims\u00adelf. Even more: he not only wan\u00adted to inter\u00adna\u00adli\u00adse his tea\u00adchings, but he wan\u00adted to beco\u00adme like the rab\u00adbi! It was not just about tea\u00adching, but about a way of life or a way of being. That is why the young man thought a lot about the dif\u00adfe\u00adrent rab\u00adbis. It is bet\u00adter to know who the one you want to beco\u00adme like is. At some point he approa\u00adched the rab\u00adbi: \u00abRab\u00adbi, you are a wise and under\u00adstan\u00adding man, your repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon has pre\u00adce\u00added you. I have a ques\u00adti\u00adon: may I fol\u00adlow you?\u00bb Actual\u00adly, he was asking the rab\u00adbi if he could pos\u00adsi\u00adbly be like the rab\u00adbi. So it was not just about points scored in the final exam, but about per\u00adso\u00adnal life.
\nThe rab\u00adbi then let the can\u00addi\u00adda\u00adte lis\u00adten for per\u00adhaps six months. After\u00adwards, the rab\u00adbi repli\u00aded: \u00abI am hono\u00adu\u00adred by your ques\u00adti\u00adon, it is won\u00adderful that you are stri\u00adving to fol\u00adlow God, and if I can help you, I would like to be your rab\u00adbi. So reci\u00adte Levi\u00adti\u00adcus \u2013 this is beg\u00adin\u00adner mate\u00adri\u00adal. And then: seven\u00adteen times Amos uses a phra\u00adse from the book of Num\u00adbers, which are then fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by seven\u00adteen pro\u00adphe\u00adci\u00ades. Plea\u00adse reci\u00adte the\u00adse seven for\u00admu\u00adla\u00adti\u00adons with the pro\u00adphe\u00adci\u00ades from Amos to go with them.\u00bb Almost always the rab\u00adbi would then say, \u00abYou are a god\u00adly young man, you know the scrip\u00adtures, but go home and beco\u00adme a far\u00admer. God has gifted you, but he has not given you the gifts to beco\u00adme like me.\u00bb
\nHowe\u00adver, if a boy was accept\u00aded after this test\u00ading time and the test\u00ading inter\u00adview, the Rab\u00adbi said to him, \u00abFol\u00adlow me!\u00bb (cf. Matthew 4:18\u201320). Whoe\u00adver heard the\u00adse three words beca\u00adme a talm\u00adid and pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte about beco\u00adming like us his rab\u00adbi. This invol\u00adved a lot of effort. He wan\u00adted to see, hear and expe\u00adri\u00adence ever\u00ady\u00adthing: How he got up in the mor\u00adning, at meals, how he met fri\u00adends and enemies, how he reac\u00adted to unkind words. It was about wal\u00adking in the dust of the rab\u00adbi. He wan\u00adted to be cover\u00aded in the Rabbi\u2019s dust, to walk so clo\u00adse\u00adly behind him that the dust that was kicked up cover\u00aded his face. Disci\u00adple\u00adship is a 24<\/sup>\u20447<\/sub> pro\u00adject. Does this fire burn within us to beco\u00adme like the Rabbi?
\nAt the age of 30, this pha\u00adse was com\u00adple\u00adted and a disci\u00adple could beco\u00adme a tea\u00adcher hims\u00adelf. Jesus pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly began his public minis\u00adtry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23). He thus adhe\u00adred to the rab\u00adbi\u00adni\u00adcal model. How old were his disci\u00adples? Pic\u00adtures in art show men in their 50s with bald heads and grey beards. The\u00adre is much to sug\u00adgest that most of them were well under 20 years old. In Caper\u00adna\u00adum, Peter was asked if his rab\u00adbi did not pay a temp\u00adle tax (Matthew 17:24). Then Jesus said, \u00abGo down to the lake and cast a fishing line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch. You will find a coin in it. Take this coin and pay the tax with it for both of us\u00bb (27). And the others? They did\u00adn\u2019t have to yet! The Law of Moses sta\u00adtes that the temp\u00adle tax must be paid from the age of 20 (Ex 30:14). The majo\u00adri\u00adty of Jesus\u00bb disci\u00adples were teenagers!
\nThe twel\u00adve Jewish teen\u00adagers Jesus cal\u00adled from the fishing boats, from the cus\u00adtom house or else\u00adwhe\u00adre, were boys who had not rea\u00adched the third level but had been sent back to their fami\u00adly trade. They were not the best of the best. Jesus calls guys to fol\u00adlow him who did\u00adn\u2019t make it. It always ama\u00adzed me that the disci\u00adples just like that \u2013 not\u00adhing at all \u2013 got up and fol\u00adlo\u00adwed Jesus. Today I know: that was not\u00adhing spe\u00adcial, becau\u00adse the\u00adre was not\u00adhing grea\u00adter for Jewish boys than to be cal\u00adled by a rab\u00adbi to fol\u00adlow him. The disci\u00adples must have run home at record-brea\u00adking speed: \u00abMum\u00admy, Dad\u00addy, this Jewish rab\u00adbi thinks I can beco\u00adme like him!\u00bb Jesus belie\u00adved in tho\u00adse twel\u00adve, even though they often fai\u00adled. He belie\u00adved that the\u00adse twel\u00adve could car\u00adry on this mis\u00adsi\u00adon he gives them.
\nJesus tur\u00adned the tables! He approa\u00adched the young men and cal\u00adled them. Jesus calls to you too: \u00abCome and fol\u00adlow me!\u00bb That is grace! Jesus belie\u00adves that you can beco\u00adme like him. Have you ever expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced that someone belie\u00adved in you? The\u00adre is power released, not\u00adhing is impos\u00adsi\u00adble. This is disci\u00adple\u00adship: I respond to Jesus\u00bb invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to fol\u00adlow him, and now I do ever\u00ady\u00adthing I can to share my who\u00adle life with him and beco\u00adme like him.
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead Bible text: Matthew 28:19\u201320; Mark 2:13\u201317<\/p>\n
\n\tIn Juda\u00adism, a ten-year-old knew half the Bible by heart. What do we put into real\u00adly kno\u00adwing God\u2019s Word?
\n\tA disci\u00adple does ever\u00ady\u00adthing he can to be like his rab\u00adbi. Is this fire bur\u00adning in your chest? Do we wake up in the mor\u00adning with the thought: What can I do today to live like Jesus?
\n\tWhat can it trig\u00adger when we belie\u00adve in someone? Jesus\u00bb disci\u00adples took steps that would have been unthinkable befo\u00adre (Mk 6:7\u201313; Mt 14:28\u201331). Who encou\u00adra\u00adges me to dare to take steps bey\u00adond the nor\u00admal? Who do I help in this?
\n\tWhat role does the small group play in your discipleship?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"