Lose The Self and Find The Son

From early childhood we are encouraged to "be yourself, think for yourself, establish your own identity." As a parent of three young boys I am amazed at how even in their early years they are all uniquely their "own person." At a young age this doesn't appear to be a problem. I mean really, who doesn't want their children to "be themselves" But I think we as Christians (if your are not a believer then this really doesn't apply and you may stop reading any time) need to take some time and stop and consider if these words "be yourself, and establish your own identity" have deeper meaning then the way we use them.

Romans 8:29 "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers" (ESV)

In the discussion of establishing ones self, this verse should make us stop and ponder if it is personal identity we should strive for or is Christ identity we should strive for? Really for the believer we should never "be our self" but each situation in life should be directed to Scripture so we can live as Christ lived each day. In a follow up thought from the previous post this is the very understanding of the "Rabbi/ Disciple" model that Scripture teaches. To follow the Rabbi it means you leave behind all your identity and do everything in the footsteps of the Rabbi. A proper understanding of this relationship, makes the Scripture so much more clear.

Luke 14:27 "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." (ESV)

A man who is carrying a cross has no more "self" his will, his desires, his plans, his identity is found only in the cross that he carries and that identity is that of a man who is dead. In the same way we as professing followers of Christ should be dead to self. Our identity should be completely wrapped in the very image of Christ.

"Who am I?" seems to be a question often thought on by people of all ages. This question often creates all kinds of struggles and hardships in our lives. Youth who desperately run to one style of life after the next, from goth, grunge, jock, joker, prep. etc.... trying to find their own identity. Young adults who run wild after they leave home looking to establish themselves in this world. Middle aged men who go through the dreaded "mid-life crisis" leave their families, buy motorcycles and get tattoos. To seniors on their death bed wishing they had done everything different, a life full of regret knowing the person they should have been and yet never were. To the Christian the "who am I" should only have one answer. Who am I, I am alive in Christ and am walking in his footsteps striving to do all he did, the way he did it.

Next time you look in the mirror and start to ponder who you really are, instead go to Scripture open it, read it and place your identity in Jesus. Lose the self and find the Son.

Disciple/ Rabbi vs. Teacher/ Student

Matthew 4:21-22 "And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father mending their nets; and he called them.  And they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him." 

Do you ever wonder what it was that made the first disciples of Jesus, "immediately" walk away from everything and follow him?  They left behind their jobs, their way of life, their comforts, their previous plans, they even left their father standing in the boat.  Why?  What would possibly be so captivating about Jesus that they would drop everything to follow him?

This kind of radical commitment is rarely if ever seen in our American culture today.  This extreme step of completely changing everything in life at a moments notice has not traveled over the centuries and across the oceans to 2011 America society.  I would like to share a few things with you that would cause these ordinary men, these fisherman to commit their lives to following "a Rabbi" at a moments notice.

In the culture where our Text is pulled from common practice was for a young man to spend the first roughly 13 years of his life at Hebrew school.  There they would learn the Scripture, and  be instructed on God from a Rabbi.  At the end of their schooling there were two options. You could ask the Rabbi (the teacher) if you could be a disciple (a follower).  If the Rabbi said no, then you left school and returned to the trades, carpentry, fishing and other occupations.  Or if the Rabbi said yes, you would then completely surrender your life to following very literally everything the Rabbi did.  This was the greatest honor a young Hebrew boy could ever hope for. 

Now in Matthew chapter 4 we find some young men out fishing with their father.  So we can assume they either did not ask to follow the Rabbi, or they did ask and were not chosen by the Rabbi so they returned to enter into a life of "normal work"  How incredible it would be then for all off a sudden a Rabbi (Jesus) to come by and ask you (instead of you asking him) to come and follow him!   And they dropped everything to follow him.

This concept really has not translated to our western culture as we have translated the words "Disciple/ Rabbi" as "Teacher/Student" and in changing the wording we have lost the meaning.  Think back to your childhood days in school.  The teacher stands before the class and teaches on various topics.  The student sits and listens, picks up a few things, pays no attention to most things, graduates and moves on to establish himself/herself as an individual, with their own identity, and their own goals and plans.

Unfortunately this is what much of Christianity has become.  We attend church, we pick up a few things, pay no attention to most and then continue on with our own lives.  Is this what Jesus had in mind when he called us to follow him?  Should our relationship with Christ look like a modern day "Teacher/Student" model or the Biblical "Rabbi/Disciple" model?

Just something to chew on for a while.  Have you dropped everything to follow the Rabbi to become like him? Or are you just trying to pick up a few things and hang on to your own identity?