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ministry (see a concordance). One cannot teach persons who are not in a state where they are ready to be taught. Disciples have to be made before they can be taught (Matthew 28:19). It is probably true that many who listened to Christ’s teaching were not genuine disciples and because of this Christ often used parables (Matthew 13:10-17). |
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There is the question as to what Christ taught. This is far too much to go into here, but those that took Christ’s yoke upon them and learned from Him found that his yoke was easy and his burden light (Matthew 11:28-30). It was not like the burden that the scribes and Pharisees laid on their hearers (Matthew 23:4). Learning from Christ not only involved taking in his words but seeing his teaching exemplified in Himself. We might say he practised what He preached. To go back to the passage in Matthew 11 Christ refers to the fact that He was meek and lowly in heart, so that it was not just a matter of accepting his word but seeing the truth displayed in Him. As Christ said elsewhere He was: “Altogether that which I also say to you” (John 8:25). |
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It is worth noting that the idea of disciples is something that is prominent in the New Testament rather than in the Old. The only specific reference to disciples in the Old Testament is in Isaiah 8:16. The only other place where the word limmud is used similarly is with reference to Christ Himself (Isaiah 50:4). |
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Referring back to the quotation at the head of this article it may be worth noticing that Rabboni may be translated My Rabbi or my teacher. Mary had no doubt got the gain of what we have noticed above, that one is our teacher. The only other use of Rabboni is by the blind man in Mark 10:51 - one of those few places where Mark and John have something common to themselves: something which is not found in the other gospels. For another instance compare Mark 14:3 with John 12:3 where we have pure nard in both places. |
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February 2005 |
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