The Audacity To Believe… (This Portion Based On ...

THE AUDACITY TO BELIEVE… (This portion based on Rob Bell’s Nooma video called Dust)

Why would Peter have the audacity to believe He could do what Jesus was doing? How would he believe in God and believe in himself enough to know he too could walk on water?

To understand this we must understand the historical development of the Rabbi and Disciple Relationship.

Jesus is a Jewish Rabbi, with Jewish Disciples, living in a First Century Jewish world…

As a child in the Jewish culture at age… they believed God had spoken to Moses and had given them the first five books of the bible… the Torah… the epicenter for their lives and focus of their educational system.

At age 6 – a kids would go for the first time to school… and this phase of education would be to learn the torah… probably taught by a torah teacher and held in the synagogue. The first level was known as Bet-Safare – and would last until they were about 10 years old.

And most by the age of ten would have the first 5 books of the bible memorized.

At the end of Bet-safare most would now be learning the family trade or apprenticing, learning how to manage a household.

The best of the best would keep going, and continue their education to the next level…

Bet-Talmude – and the best of the best now in bet-talmude they would memorize the entire Hebrew scripture… most at this point, about 14 or 15 would now be in the family trade or apprenticing… but the best of the best of the best would go on… to -

Bet-Midrash – go to a Rabbi and apply to become that Rabbi’s disciple.

A disciple was something far deeper… they don’t want to just know what the Rabbi knows… they want to be like the Rabbi and do what the Rabbi does…

Each rabbi was different… they would midrash (different sets of interpretations) of how they understood the scriptures. This set of interpretations was known as a Rabbi’s Yoke… so when you went and applied to become the Rabbi’s disciple you were wanting to take that Rabbi’s Yoke upon you… so you can learn and become and be like the Rabbi…

So these kids would go to the Rabbi and apply… Does this kid have what it takes to be like me…

Are they the best of the best… if not go and learn your family trade…

But if they think the kid has it… the Rabbi would say come follow me… you would leave your family, friends, synagogue and village… devoting your entire life to learning to do what your Rabbi does..

THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A DISCIPLE… TO BELIEVE.

May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi.