IN this season of Remembrance, it is worth remembering how sacrifice and service are built into the life of faith. Becoming a disciple of Jesus was then and still is, no small commitment.
In Jesus’ time, people would sometimes ask a Rabbi if they might follow him. In so doing they were not asking to enrol on a course, attend a series of lectures, or take an exam. Instead, they were asking to journey with their Rabbi wherever he went, watching him both in public and in private. The Rabbi, meanwhile, was careful to choose only men, and only those who had the best education, as their following would reflect on him.
Jesus’ approach was quite different. He initiated the invitation, and he called men and women, irrespective of their background, education, or, to the untrained eye, promise. However, he still called for a complete commitment. The follower of a Rabbi was meant to walk so close to their Master to observe every aspect of his life and speech that they ought to get the dust he kicked up onto their clothes as he walked!