Apprenticeship to the Rabbi - Gillian Brechbill

Lesson Transcript

So, to start off, why the title of apprenticeship? I hope you saw that before. My title is Apprenticeship to the Rabbi this morning. So, why the title of apprenticeship? I'll get to the Rabbi part in a minute. First, we'll talk about apprenticeship. Here's a definition for you: Apprenticeship is the system by which a person learning a craft or trade is instructed by a master set for a set time under set conditions.

I've been intrigued recently by the idea of apprenticeship and what the word can mean when it is associated with the Jesus. Discipleship is a word that we use a good deal in our circles, and discipleship and apprenticeship is somewhat similar in what I want to talk about.

Apprenticeship, at least for me, puts in my mind the idea of a learner, someone who's learning from a teacher in whatever trade it may be, and is trying to gain and understand and internalize the same understanding, skill, and practice as the teacher by spending lots of time with him. So, I would like to talk for just a moment about first-century discipleship and the education system of Jesus' time. So, bear with me for one moment.

From what I understand, there were three levels of the education system during Jesus' time. The first phase was Bet Sefar, a Hebrew phrase meaning house of the book. It's a good name for your school and was essentially a grade school where you could learn to read and write, do basic math, which was mostly learned through the book or the Bible. On top of that, you were to memorize most, if not all, of the Torah or the first five books of what we now call the Old Testament. Take that for a challenge.

The first level ended around age 12. At this point, most kids would move on to help with a family business by apprenticing under their father or a—yeah, where was I at here? Yeah, help with family business by apprenticing under their father or family member. However, the best of the best were allowed to move on to the second level of schooling called Bet Talmud, which means house of learning.

There was a building built often beside or near the synagogue, and this is where men ages 12 through 15, around that age, would go to learn under a full-time paid teacher who would then interact and instruct them in the Hebrew scriptures and often have them memorize again most, if not all, of what we now call the Old Testament. Now, most people were done at this point, but there was one last level you could go and do. This was for the elite. These kids were given the opportunity to apprentice.

They were getting older at this point, so not really kids anymore. They were given the opportunity to apprentice under a rabbi, which was a Hebrew teacher. And I told Sy that this kind of looks like a long-lost relative of his. He says it looks like Santa, but anyway, I get the impression this was a Hebrew teacher or rabbi, gives you the idea of one anyway. I get the impression these guys were nothing to sneeze at.

If you got the opportunity, the first thing that would happen if you were able to get apprenticeship under them was that you would sit down with an interview with the rabbi, and he would just grill you. How well do you know the Torah? What about the Mishnah?

Interrogate you until if he decided that you were smart enough, the talent, the worth ethic, he would then turn and say something like, "Come and follow me," or "Come and be my apprentice." And at that point, you are very happy because you have the coveted apprentice position of a rabbi. It was very difficult to get. Being an apprentice under a rabbi was 24/7. You literally followed this guy everywhere he went. You ate together, you talked together all day, every day.

Supposedly, an ancient Jewish blessing said something like this, "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi." This was to symbolize the dedication to, again, quite literally follow your rabbi around, and hopefully by the end of the day, you were "blessed." You would be covered by the dust of your rabbi. There were three things you did as an apprentice. These three things were your pathway to become a great apprentice. So, listen closely. The first was to be with your rabbi.

Follow him everywhere, do whatever he did. Second was to be with your rabbi. Follow him everywhere, do whatever he did, which soaked in his character into your own life. Third was to do what he did. The end was to become a rabbi yourself. At some point, your rabbi would turn and say, "Well done, you're ready. Go and make disciples for yourself." Matthew 4:18 through 22. We're all probably familiar with this story. Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother.

And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat with Zebedee and their father mending their nets. He called to them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. If you're like me, you've always wondered why the disciples were so quick to drop their nets and their jobs, go find, follow this random guy just to get all dusty.

However, this understanding of the rabbi changes things. The disciples were normal guys who were out working in their family trades. This means they didn't make the cut. They'd already dropped out of school and resigned themselves to the fact that they would probably never be able to follow a rabbi or become a disciple. But when Jesus came along and made his offer, they jumped at the opportunity. They dropped what they were doing and followed without hesitation. This was an opportunity of a lifetime.

Here's a slightly lame example, but imagine you're a basketball player in junior high, and Michael Jordan walks in and is like, "Hey, man, you're pretty good. How about you come practice, hang out with me, and I'll teach you how to be a really good basketball player." Obviously, if you play basketball, you're going to sign up. It's an opportunity to learn from the best. So, history lesson over. Let's bring it back to 21st-century Chambersburg.

Our apprenticeship under Jesus should follow these same three goals I mentioned earlier: to be with Jesus, to be like Jesus, and to do what Jesus did. So let's break down the first one: how to be with Jesus. Well, obviously, we can't follow him around and get all dusty, but what we can do is maintain that connection through him with the Spirit, to live in constant awareness of the Spirit of Christ in every waking moment. Prayer plays a huge part in maintaining this connection and ongoing conversation with God.

Take time only if it's a moment of your day to check in and just be aware of God and his presence. He is always there, but it is us who are not always there for God. This kind of conversational awareness creates the basis of which we build our relationship with God. This leads us to the next goal: be like Jesus. There's a slightly scary fact that is that we are all apprenticing to something or someone. We all have a narrative and a worldview that is shaping us into something, regardless if it's intentional or not.

So take a moment and think on the trajectory of your life. What will I be in 20 to 30 years? Will I rightly represent Jesus and be the image bearer and expression of his character that I desire? Personally, I want to become the person that finds it easier to love his enemy than it is to get angry and hate them. I want to be the person whose first response is kindness, not gossip. I want to be the best representation of my rabbi that I can be.

The third and last goal is to do what Jesus did, mature to the point where we can be a part of what God is doing in the world, which is to usher in the kingdom of God. Our goal is not just to be heady and know a lot about the Bible, but to actually be a part of what God is about in the world.

Here's a short list of a few things to have to do with bringing about Jesus' kingdom: preaching the gospel, teaching the way, community, hospitality, praying, peacemaking, healing the sick, and showing love to those far from God. So, quick recap. What were the three goals? Be with Jesus. Take time for God. Keep him in the front of your mind always. This builds character. Become like Jesus. Become an accurate and authentic representation and image of our Lord and rabbi, Jesus.

But God, you're in the kingdom of God and bring Jesus, help bring Jesus' way of living into the lives of others. Our Christian lives are built around, though not limited to these three goals. This is something that does not happen overnight. It takes dedication, community, and practice. These three things, these things come about. I myself am working on level one. Lastly, John 12:26, "If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my Father will honor."