Part 1: We Are Christ’s Disciples
We profit greatly from reading, studying and meditating on the Bible. We gain wisdom when we put its teachings into practice. For that reason, the apostle Paul wrote, “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16) and “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:1).
Christ chose twelve disciples to travel with Him who became the leaders of the early church. We are disciples too! The word disciple means a learner or student. Christ is the Master, and we learn from Him. Of course, we cannot actually walk with Jesus, in the literal physical sense, as those first disciples did. However, like them, we can observe (watch) and imitate Christ (copy His actions). His life and ministry are recorded in the Gospels. We can discuss the significance of His teaching and apply it to our lives. When we do, we are basically doing what Christ’s followers did when they asked him questions and discussed what He meant.
Without doubt, Jesus Christ is one of the most influential (having much influence) and enigmatic (mysterious or puzzling) figures in the history of humanity. Jesus is more than an important historical figure, or an influential leader or a deep thinker. In Jesus, God has expressed Himself. Because of this, there is more to Christian discipleship than just studying the teachings of a great prophet or moralist. Philip, one of Christ’s disciples, asked Jesus to show them the Father (John 14:8). Jesus responded, “He that has seen me has seen the Father.” In other words, His life showed what God is like. To know Jesus is to know God.
Some think seeing Christ is a blissful, otherworldly vision or mystical experience. Not many have had such an experience, but we can encounter Christ as we thoughtfully read the scriptural accounts of His life and teachings and as we fellowship with Him in prayer. Whether or not we have visions, we can encounter Christ in ordinary days and consistent obedience.
Understanding Christ is not exactly easy. Many have studied and admired the life of Jesus. Some have tried to make him fit their ideals, but Jesus refuses to fit our molds. He was radically unselfish. He was indifferent to human status symbols (things people use to make themselves look important to others). He sometimes seemed brutally honest; at all times He was enigmatic (puzzling). Today, twenty centuries later, He still challenges people to move from the comfortable places where they feel safe and satisfied.
Christ said to His disciples, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” (Matthew 9:9, 11:29). Being Christ’s disciple is learning a different way of life. The yoke is an illustration of farmers who use oxen to plow. To train an unbroken ox, the farmer hitches it with one already trained. At the beginning, the young ox kicks and strains, and the yoke rubs and irritates as the animal resists and struggles. But little by little he yields and he learns to behave in the way which the older animal knows and teaches.
We learn in a similar way. The apostle Peter wrote that Christ told us we should follow in His steps (I Peter 2:21) and the apostle Paul urged his disciples to follow his example, as he followed Christ. (I Corinthians 11:1). The life and teachings of Christ are a model to us. To be sure, we cannot duplicate the conditions and culture of the first century, but we can and should ask ourselves in every situation, “What would Jesus do?” Then we should walk as Jesus would have walked and do as He would have done.
(Adapted from the writings of Mark Asp.)
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