Next to preaching, one of my favorite parts of my job is teaching others how to preach. We have seen Youth Ignite speakers, again and again, do amazing Biblical sermons! And my heart is full of pride every time I see my students do an amazing job. This past Sabbath, however, was particularly special for me. Several people came up to me after Kyle’s sermon and said, “he is definitely your student.” While Kyle was unique in his own powerful way, people could see the teacher in the student.
And this reminded me of Jesus' relationship to His own disciples. When Jesus invited Peter to follow Him and promised to make him a “fisher of men,” what was Jesus hoping to accomplish in Peter? In his book Meet the Rabbis, Brad Young (an expert in second temple Judaism) explains that a teacher would have brought his students into every aspect of his life in order that his students may become like their teacher in word and thought. Just as we distinguish accents, people could distinguish a student’s teacher by the way they lived their lives. In other words, the goal was for people to see the teacher in the student.
We like to call ourselves disciples of Jesus, but can people see the Teacher in us? Having faith and believing is one thing but following is another. I can believe a storm is coming but not move. I can believe Jesus is the Son of God but not follow. The invitation that Christ has extended to all of us is one of life-altering proportions. If you want to truly follow Jesus so that people may see the teacher in you, here is a short list of things you can do:
Wake up early and pray (Mk 1:35)
Side with the brokenhearted and disenfranchised (Matt 5:1-12, 25:31-46)
Comfort the afflicted (Psalm 34:18)
Read the Gospels and put listen to Jesus' words.
Read the Gospels and observe Jesus' actions.
Live out Jesus' teachings and copy His actions.
Be gentle, meek, and kind (Matt 11:29).
Yes, this takes work. But you need to remember that you are a disciple. And what is a disciple? A student. The best students are the ones who do their homework. Let us learn from our Teacher that the world may see Him in us.