Sever months ago, I was invited to go on a trail run with a friend. He rans with several runners. I am not much of a runner, so when they took off I gave everything I had to keep up. It was a dry day, and their trail shoes threw tons of dust. There were 4 of them and they were all ahead of me. So 4 peoples worth of dust cloud lingered infront of me. I already couldn’t breath from running, now add their dust to this and I think I am running in hell. By the time I got home I looked like I had fallen and rolled in the dust.
The word “disciple” was a common word in Jesus day. Everyone went to school until they were 10. The smart ones were invited to another 8 years of school where they would memorize our old testament, while the rest went to learn the family business. Then at the end of the 8 years, they ask a rabbi if they can be their disciple. The word disciple comes from the greek work Diakonis, which mean to be “caught in the dust.” They only had dirt roads and if you traveled close enough to someone you would be covered in their dust. So when an 18 year old would ask to be a rabbi’s disciple. He was asking to follow them so closely that they would always be covered in their dust. They would talk like their rabbi. Teach like them. Live like them.
Matthew 9:9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
Being a disciple of a rabbi was only for the most intelligent and when the rabbi believed you truly could be their disciple. So when Jesus invites 12 men to be His disciples, everyone was floored. Rabbis did not ask and the 12 had already been told they were not good enough. Jesus was making a huge statement! You are good enough to be my disciple and I choose you. Then Jesus invited all of us to be His disciple.
I am here to tell you that Jesus chose you and you are good enough to “be caught in His dust.” He was able to look at you through the lens of grace and see you as you could be not just as you are. When He looks at you, he does not see your brokenness and sin. He sees you as He designed you to be and invites you to become that person as you are caught up in His dust.
So I encourage you to follow Jesus, obey Jesus, worship Jesus, and like Jesus so closely that you are caught up in His dust. May you ever be caught up in the dust of your rabbi!
Recklessly, obsessively following Jesus
Brandon Sereg
