“If we are called to be disciples of Jesus, we must remember that it is Jesus who trains us, transforms us, and makes us into disciples. Then, we are tasked with making new disciples. If we don’t make disciples, it means we are not truly disciples of Jesus.” -Richard Elofer, Former Director of the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center
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The World Seventh-day Adventist Jewish Advisory came together to meet at a retreat center nestled in the mountainous rainforest outside São Paulo, Brazil, for five days of participation in a series of meetings that focused on the present and future of the Seventh-day Adventist Jewish ministry. The gathering against the backdrop of mango trees and Brazil’s rainy season not only provided a rich environment for unraveling various spiritual matters but also opportunities for fellowship and strengthening working relationships around the world.
While the retreat covered a kaleidoscope of topics relevant to Jewish Ministries, it was the opening session that established a central theme for the remainder of the event: the theme of discipleship. This particular presentation invited attendees to explore discipleship not only from the framework of the modern church but from an often-forgotten Jewish perspective and reminded attendees that discipleship is in fact a Jewish concept, even if the Jewishness of the concept has been forgotten over the centuries.
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“When you study, when you learn, you become a disciple. And I would like to say that the concept of discipleship appears 28 times in the Bible,” Pastor Elofer continued. “It’s found only once in the Old Testament, in Isaiah, and then 27 times in the New Testament. Specifically, it’s common in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles…
“The disciple is the one who knows how to listen; that is the definition of a disciple in the Bible. But I would like to say that discipleship is a very internal concept because we don’t have too many disciples in the Old Testament. The word is there, but it appears much more in the New Testament. This concept was invented by the rabbis between the Old and the New Testament and was developed by rabbinic schools.
“Isaiah 54 says, ‘All your children will be taught by Adonai, and your children will have great peace.’ From this prophecy, we see the role of a disciple as someone who is directly taught by the Lord. This connects with the idea that being a disciple is about maintaining a relationship with God and being transformed by His teachings.”
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Attendees were reminded that Jesus’ was ultimately a rabbi and that His role as rabbi was different from other rabbis of the time. Jesus’ disciples were not called to participate in debates about theology, religion, academia, or law, but to follow Him in a transformative journey that chiseled away at their carnal hearts and allowed Christ’s ways to become their ways. Jews often liked to direct their discipleship efforts toward scholarly debates, but Jesus had a radically different call: to “follow me,” with the ultimate goal of emulating His life and His values. Paul’s statement, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me,” expands on this concept.
Discipleship, however, is more than acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah. It is not simply accepting that Jesus is King of the Universe. Discipleship is more than allowing our hearts and our ways to be transformed by Jesus’ teachings. The biggest challenge, and arguably the most forgotten aspect of true discipleship, is to make more disciples beyond ourselves. The goal is to take the gospel to the world, and we can only do that through making more disciples and spreading the love and teachings of Jesus to others.
The presentation outlined Matthew 28 and Acts 1, the essence of the Great Commission, in describing true discipleship and its role in a global mission. Jesus commands His followers to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe the commandments. These commandments were not necessarily legalistic only, for the greatest commandment of all is to love others as ourselves. Therefore, disciples were to teach not only the law but also Christ’s example of love, grace, and truth.
Attendees were encouraged to reconsider this more authentic Jewish definition of discipleship: a relationship between rabbi and disciple that goes beyond merely mimicking a list of dos and don’ts in religious teaching but also bringing this message of hope to others. Paul’s letters to the Greek and Roman worlds may have presented these concepts in a different light to reach the people in these cultures at this time, but this is not to negate or water down the concept that the Jewish roots of discipleship remain fundamental.
Many churches in modern times, sometimes even SDA churches, have lost sight of the Jewish origins of discipleship. Attendees were encouraged to consider how this Jewish concept of discipleship could be brought to the forefront of their churches and ministries to make Jewish outreach even more authentic, practical, transformative, and impactful worldwide.
