I want to share with you a story. A story that was given to me a few years back, before the realities of real life smacked me in the face. During high school, my only care in the world was to make it five minutes early to every baseball practice or risk running poles! Everything else was just there, no worries, I just took one thing on at a time. What was ahead of me was unclear, but I didn’t care. The future was like some far away object in time that I would just never reach, so why bother thinking about it, right? I was a Christian, I knew I was trying to live for Him and I was cool with that.
Then came this insane opportunity to go to Israel with my graduating class, to hike the ancient paths and experience every perceptional level that our Rabbi would have felt. The mental, physical, and spiritual strains that would come from traversing the promise land! To immerse one’s self in the Jewish culture; to be physically present where Christ and His disciples were present would be the ultimate teaching tool of a lifetime. So of course, I took hold of that opportunity that God had provided and ran with it!
One morning we woke in a kibbutz on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was early, the sun was cresting over the Golan Heights while we gathered as a group before the bus. It was already eighty plus degrees as we circled around our rabbi (RVL) to hear what word would come from the LORD that morning. RVL preceded to tell the group an old Rabbinical story and as I would come to find out, after hearing that story it would be fundamentally, the most challenging and heart riveting story that I would ever hear. It was a story in the form of a question that God used to stir my soul and light a flame in my heart that would never be diminished.
This Rabbinical parable is how God grabbed my attention:
“A rabbi was walking home from the synagogue after a long day of teaching. It was later than usual, and as he walked home, the sun was settling down to it’s resting place. Lost in deep meditation while reciting the days scripture, he took a left as the narrow path ahead split, when his destination was right. Unaware of his comings and goings he journeyed onward. Suddenly a voice boomed in the distance, “WHO ARE YOU!?” “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?” Shaken from his thoughts, the rabbi looked up in search of the voices owner. Again the voice cried out, “WHO ARE YOU!?” “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?” Just then, a massive centurion stepped into view, and the rabbi realized his mistake. The Rabbi paused and then inquired “How much is your days wage? The centurion, puzzled with the answer he received snarled back, ”THREE DENARI A WEEK JEW, WHY?“ “I see,” said the rabbi. “I will pay you twice as much to stand by my door each morning and ask me these two questions.
Who are you, What are you doing?
Boom! The vale that was this world was torn away from my eyes and I began to see for the first time a glimpse of what was true, real discipleship. Yes, I could answer the questions; I am a child of God, my goal is to live for him. But God plunged me deeper into what it meant to be a child of God, and what it meant to truly live for him. He began to define that path for me as we studied the life of Jesus. I began to understand that we are called to be His disciples and honor Christ’s name.
A Rabbi was seen only successful, in ancient times, if others could see the teachings and actions of the rabbi through His disciples. Jesus is our Rabbi, then to live for God is to walk as Jesus walked. To be dedicated to bringing God’s kingdom to the lost, the broken, the oppressed, the orphaned, the outcast & downtrodden.
Christ lived a radical life counter cultural to his time. He was seen interacting with the hated people group, touching the unclean on the Sabbath, and seeking out the lost so that they may hear His fulfilling message.
Mark 2: 16-17 “When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
So why the World Race?
Because God has called me to exactly that! To be His hands & feet!
