Christmas Devotion (Day 22) - Rabbi / Teacher

When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" He asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than His master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
-- John 13:12-17

"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and He is in Heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
--Matthew 23:8

In Jesus' day, the name "rabbi" or "teacher" was normally reserved for someone who had studied under another rabbi for many years. Jesus offended the religious leaders of His day by ignoring this system. Instead of apprenticing Himself to a rabbi, He simply laid down His carpenter tools and called twelve ordinary men to become His disciples. Unlike other rabbis, who merely passed on the teaching of the rabbi under whom they studied, Jesus spoke with an authority that startled many of His listeners. His wisdom came from above -- a fact remarked upon by many who heard Him.

Jesus was an enormously popular teacher who drew crowds wherever He went, using parables, questions, discussions, proverbs, symbolic actions and even miracles in order to teach people the way to live. The content of His teaching is most powerfully and eloquently evident in the story of His life.

When He counseled His disciples not to follow the pattern of the Jewish rabbis and their disciples they saw around them, He wasn't discounting the benefits of learning from the examples or teachings of others. But He was warning His disciples against following or becoming self-important teachers who led others astray by their focus on externals.

Our call, like that of the disciples, is centered not on externals, not on adhering to a set of laws or regulations, but on following a person - Jesus. That's why faith is such an adventure. We are called to keep moving, growing, learning, becoming. We are lifelong disciples, bound to Jesus in a unique way, serving Him daily and relying on Him to provide for our needs just as the rabbis of old did for their disciples.

Two thousand years later, we are called to become His disciples, to stay as close to Him as a disciple would to a rabbi, studying His life, examining His teaching, and allowing His Spirit to remake us in His image. When you pray to Rabbi Jesus, remember that you are praying to the only Teacher who is all-wise, all-good, and all-powerful, able to transform not only your mind but also your heart.

Discuss: Why do you think Jesus cautioned His disciples against them using the title "rabbi?" Why do  you think Jesus washed His disciples' feet, making this one of the last lessons before His death?

Prayer: Jesus, my Rabbi and Lord. On the night before You died, You painted a picture by Your words and deeds of what it means to be Your disciple. Help me to advance in wisdom, love and grace as Your disciple. Give me opportunities to follow you by serving those around me. Help me to seek hidden and humble ways to do Your will. In your name I pray, Amen.

Songs: He Shall Reign Forevermore by Chris Tomlin, One Small Child

Devotions come from Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler