FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OF THE RABBI

Faith Lesson (4 minutes)

S[rhen talking about the people of Beths aida,Ray said, "'Sfe tend tothink of ourselves as individuals. In their wodd, they . . . ultderstoodrhat community is more important than the individual."

1. Sflhat role does community play in your walk with Jesus?

Sessio n One: When the Rabbi Says "Come"

Walking with the RabbiDay by DayIn-Depth Personal Study Sessions

DayOnelGalilee:The Heart of Jesus'Ml inistryI

l The Very Words of God| !ou" -"tt ttttot?bout Galtlee, ted&tna tn tbelr syagogues, p@cbing

2. In what way(s) Etght yorr indiYidualsm affe"t rytl:*- l *" s*a tuux or tbe htnsdom, ard beauns eoerx) dr'ease and st knessof discipleshil - attd your commitment to be a disciple ofJesus? ;

ama^e tuep@Pt.

M.dlth'w1.23

i Bible Dlscovely

i wnyeonet

3. whtch a6p€cts of spiritual comouljtF lo Chorazin mght I atnoWu.sus traveled through much of Isra€l from Pho€Dtcl4 to)ou want to lncorpofate into youf llfe? i J.",oA"-, he focused hts mjlnistry in the smzll ar€a of Galilee. Here,

I withln about 4 four'by_six_sllc ar€a on dre north and nordlw€stemI shorts of the Sea of c'alilee, he llved and taught in places named

I Bethsatda, Capemaum, chot:azin, Megdala, and G€rmesareth.

Closing (l minute)R€ad 1 John 2:6 aloud: "Whoever claims to llve in him must v.alk as

Jesus dld.?

Then ask c'od to us€ this session and J,our tlme ofpersonal study toh€lp )ou s€e disciplesh.tp as Jesus s€es it. Ask hlm to glYe J'ou a heaftthatdestr€sabove arretsetowrrkrnthedustoftheRabbr. t

Jffffiffi"5#;"*ff"H;i.?,trfllilg:il::]thew 1Ot5 -7t 15t21 -24)

Memorize

vboetet cl4htts to ttue tn Um Mt uqlk 6Je s .UiL

1 tohn 26

3.

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OF THE RABBI

Like any rabbi, Jesus taught using metaphors and images

familiaf to his audience. (See Matthew 7:L5 - 20; 13 47 - 52;

Luke ZO:9 - Lg.) \flhat do these passages reveal about the life

and people of Galilee? How do you know the people under-

stood what Jesus said?

4. How did Jesus respond when his message of repentance

and prepararion for the kingdoln of heaven moved people to

action? How dicl he respond when it did not seem to have an

impacr? (see Matthew LL:20 - 24; L5:2I - 28; Mark 2:L - l2-)

Session One: When the Robbi Says "Ceme"

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No matter where he went, people paicl attention to Jesus. W.hetherthey wanted to or not, it seems they recog nized in him the authorityand presence of the kingdom of God.

.What have you learned about Jesus and his message through his

ministry in Galilee?

What about his message has caught your attention? 'W.hat is yourfesponse?

I

DayTwo lWhat ls a Ra bbi?I

Thm Wwry Wwrds mff ffiwd

I{otu tbere u)as a. mtn of tbe Pbarisees natned lt{icodemLtrs, a, member oftbe Jeuish ruling council. He came to Jesus at nigltt and said, "Rabbi,

ue knou) you Are a teacber uho bas conte from God."

John 3:l - 2

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The Role of the frabb;i

In Jesus' clay, becoming like the rabbi was the driving motivation ofa disciple's life! For years a disciple wanted to hear everything therabbi said, know everything the rabbi knew, and do everything therabbi did. Today, however, the idea of, respecting someone so muchthat we would dedicate great effort to following hirn so closely isforeign to us. 'What was so special about a rabbi?

r . -.:. .: . , ... ..-'.:. '::

Foi,the first'fiity'to bevbnty;five Veais after Jesus ascended to

Christian community was stronger,in Galilee than anywhere else

ferf rafs .ifrC:' neopte'of ChOruZln; Bettrsaida, and Capernaqm

tebuke to,heart (Nlatthew 1:l :20-24)',, ' , ..,..'. . . t. , .;l ,,.,.,,',

heaven, the

in the world.

took Jesus'

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST CF THE RABBISession One: When the Rabbi Says "Come"

1. A first-century rubbi had a uniclue lifestyle, and the Scrip-tures give us insight into what his daily life was like.

a. Where did a rabbi live? How did he find food and shel-

ter? (See Luke 7:35; B:I - 3; 10:5 - 11")

b. 'W.here did a nbbi teach, and who listened to him? (See

Matthew 5:L -2; Mark 6:6; Luke 4:I4- L6;7:36, 40 - 43.)

What teaching technique comnlon to the Galilean rabbis did

Jesus use? F{ow did the \^/ay Je sus taught his disciple s differfrom how he taught the crowcls? (See Mark 4:33 - 34.)

3" \Yhat types of people recognizedJesus as a rabbi (teacher)?

W.hat does this tell you about his teaching? (See Luke7:39 - 40; 12:I3t 19:39; 20:27 - 28, 39 - 40; John l:35 - 3S.)

. PROFILE OF A RABBI

, tn .l'ei;;' dtt; i nubbi was: not the formal head 0f a religious community 0r

it#gbOUUis Weihin[ ot a rabbi today lnstead , ,:.bb.iy?- an honored term

oiiffii'giien-tOond'WHffitpffid ano taught the Hebrew Bible. Rabbi

..,:meani.,,my SuperiOrn oil"my, master" and Came from a Hebrew r00t mean-

,.,ing rgrgot,',0r,'mgil!,", Disciples and others used this term to refer to great

','iinolaii inu tAicherS,oi tne SCribtuie$ who were also known as "sages.n'

Att61. tngUeiiiuiiion oi ihe temple in ierusalem in 70 AD, rabbi became a

, tormaltitte tor,sage," ,:, :r , I ,'

i nannii piayea anlmp6ffiffiin the Jewish spiritual culture because there

, ' -.n0

ffi|1., 5Omin#6.b he time of Jesus. Each rabbi taught his dis-

: ,ciples how,the,Torah should be interpreted and obeyed, and his disciples will-

li:',.ihCIti submitibo toltrrailntdibieta{ion, A ranni, then, was an honored teacher

' *rlo *as weil vAised lfi:iffifi'bf ttre Hebrew Bible. He was highly respected'''ioi

ni* kn6w'ledgg, intl'rpretation,'end teaching 0f Scripture as well as for his

perso*ir'iigntafiuineis,'Foilowing a rabbi required a deep commitment on

, ihe'piri of tfiC oiscipid-ilho Wouidilive with and follow the rabbi day in and

d;i;ufior v*aii,iiloiuei to leain to be like him and live in obedience to God

.astneianbiuio'..'''fi;iffiiioinriU*n$Wim

00drook priority over everythins.so a rabbi

'lnn hii'di$CiBies itpieai1y'*eie highty respected by others in the communitv.' - ilt'0r';itrnabo farnily group usually provided housing and food for a

.labbi and his'di$cibies' Because of the high respect for study of the Torah,''ffiittneffililaiieiuingother.peopletothekingdomofheaven

'irh iid *',co *, each oiscibr* wut expected to honor the rabbi even

ffitr.ih,ail'his aW* iiuru* tr is diffiCult for Christians today to imagine such

r*l anocdilhiidilt"it'a fiuhan teacher, but that was the norm in Galilee'

2.

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OF THE RABBISession One: When the Rabbi Says "Cetrrre"

...':''.:r:;';i':..'..

,..'..,.t.h'el.,H b i.....tBXt...,in,.,.,t,he,education

of Jews in Galilee. A comparison of this

',,dC,Silil,,ildfi:',!d..i$$uS; riiA,,ihoWs that he closety fonowed the customs of his

,.'','time.,and. 'place: ,i i' i'

-'..* ',.{H$u$-'i$fe,W..ifi..Wi$d0m", as a boy (Lu[<e 2:52).

...S."u $U

.,.nddbfi$.d.ihe.';iuttitlins otthe commandments" indicated by his first

ii;.'i.|l.iii",P*$$$0Ver at age twOlve (Luke 2:41 - 47). His excellent questions for teach-

't.f

,..'....'.'.. ,,0tS,rin.,the'.tem$le.,id,U,ri,ng that Passover indicate the study he had done"

i .....,'.,.i

:,',,,, Ue'$,U$... H,arned'4.'traue With, h is fathe r (Matthew 1 3 : 55).

'i,,''s...,,..,il,0$U$.,'.S .Bntl,.fime. with,John the Baptist, a rabbi (John 3:22-26;4:1-3).

,i,"i,',ii.''. fHe''.fact..tHat..,,UB$u$ and his disciples were baptizing might suggest that

'.,..'..,.....'''....teS.U.$'..and..'J0nn,,maV,,,.haVe stUdied together 0r with the same teacher. No

l"'.1,....lt AUH,Hil,,'i,$.',,:ffi$.nti.oned:,.,in scripture, although Jesus did say he "learned"

l...l::......,.{ilbnfi.''t.5l1.5[1.1....l.....:....'.l

i''..,.3..N.,Ue$U$:i.b' caffiiri.fi'rfHbbi,.at,,",about thirty" (Luke 3:23).

DayThree I f<now, Love, and Obey the TextI

Y'hm Wery Wmrds mS ffimd

Blessed, rather are tbose utlto hear tbe uord of God and obey it.

Luke 1l:28

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Living by the Ward

Jesus came to people who knew the Scriptures. They expendeclgreat effort to study and memorize the texto to debate its meaning,to teach it to other people, and - above all else - to obey it. As youtake a closer look at Jesus' ministry, consider how essential the textwas to all that he did and said"

1" Read the following passages and note Jesus' love for theScriptures, his desire to learn and understand them, his

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OF THE RABBI

faithfulness in obeying them, and his commitment to teach-

ing them to othefs" How badly do you want to follow his

example?

a. Matthew 4:L - 11

b" Luke 2:4I - 47, 52

c. John I5:I4 - 15

Z. When he taught, Jesus continually referred to the Hebrew

Bible that was so familiar to his audience. In the book of Mat-

thew alone, he quoted the Hebrew text at least thirty-eight

timesl As you read the following passages, notice how easily

rhe rext flowed from his lips as he spoke. Vhy did he base

so much of his teaching on the Hebrew Scriptures? Could

Session One: When the Rabbi Says "Come"

Jesus have shared the Scriptures effectively if he had normemofized them? s0'hy or why not? (See Matthew 5:Zl, 27,

31, 33,38, 43;9:10 - 13; L2:1 - B")

3. s7hat do the following passages show you about Jesus'knowledge of Scripture ancl his commitment to obey it? (SeeMatthew 4:13 - 17;8:16 - t7; Zt:T - 6; Z6:jZ - 56.)

,, FOR,GREATER UNDERSTANDING, r,

.."ln.Maffh,bW, 5,iii;':.'le$US...iaid, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the

'i..,,.,,llaW.';...0,r...th0.'''...P.iO et$;'' t,laV0 not cgme to abolish them but to fulfill them."

...', ,iil.,.ihi$.....$tatafi nt';.,.,lbiui,uiao technical rabbinic terminotogy. Abotishmeant

..:....10'...ihterpf$t'...$Cnntufe'So, that it would not be obeyed as God desired . Futfiltr,',,meuafit.td,.,ht0r$ret,scriptuie so it woulo be obeyed as God intended. S0 when

.'.'.tle$u$,.u--- hb$e.,,.,t0rimS; ,his audience would have heard him say, "l did not

',..',',i.,.co.m0,.tCI.ffii,$lhierpiA

h0,,.Scripture s0 you would not keep it correctly. I came

',.,,.to,|nte,fpfet,iiS0'..that iou,Witl t<now how to keep it correcily."

4. In whatway didJesus use his knowledge of the Scriptures inLuke 24:13 -32? $fihich Scripture didJesus use? What do youthink his teaching must have rneant to the two men whenthey rcalized who he was?

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OF THE RABBI

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Jesus came from a community that knew the Scriptures, and he

expected his disciples to follow his example and become like him.He expects no less from his followers today. Yet many of us do notknow much about the text he knew and loved, and we have memo-

fized even less of it"

How cln we do what Jesus commands if we do not know his.Word?

Is it time to dedicate yourself to knowing your Bible and using itas the foundation for your life and witness? How will you begin?

Session One: When the Rabbi Says,'Come,, 3t

Day Four I tUnagogue: practicing Faith

'in Community

Thel/eryWords of God

Tbey utent to Capernaunt, and wben tbe Sabbatb came, lesus utentlnto tbe synagogue and began to tea.cb. Tbe peopte utere amazed a.t rtistea'cblng, because he taught thern as one ulto bad autbority, not as trteteacbers of tbe lau.

Mark l:21 - 22

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Discoveri ng the Syn agog ue

The synagogue was central to the life of religious Jews in Galilee.It was where the faithful learned the Scriptures, how to interpretthem, and how to obey God. So, how did Jesus and his disciplesrelate with the synagogue communities in Galilee? The scripturesgive us some surprising insights.

1. Matthew 4:zj -z5i 9:35; t2:9 - t3; 13:54- 58; Mark t:zt -zB;and Luke 4:14-30 arejust a few of the passages that showJesus participating in community worship in the synagoguesof Galilee.

a. When Jesus taught, how was his message receivecl? \il7hatimpact did his message have on the religious commu-nity?

.What do you think Jesus wanted to accomplish in

the synagogues?

b- 'What else did Jesus do in the synagogues besides teach?vhat was his purpose in cloing these things?

How would memofizingby its truth in your daily

Scripture reinforce your desire to livelife?

If you are serious about beinga disciple, ask

Spirit and give you a desire to become mofeand loved the Vord of God.

God to fill you with hislike Jesus who knew

fulmpmwr$mw

The prophet Jeremiah memo rizedso much Scripture that he literallycould not stop mentioning God or speaking in his name. How pas-

sionately do you want God's Tirord to burn within you? A good place

to start might be to memofize the following:

But if I say, "I will not mention Ltim or speak any more in bis name,"

Ltis usord is in my beart like a fi.re, a fi.re sbut up in my bones. I arat,

uentry of Ltolding it in; indeed, I cannot.

Jeremiah 20:9

Pray for the same love for the $flord as Jeremiah had.

\-

.PROFILE OF THE SYNAGOGUE

: griginally,:the synagogue was not a specific building but a place where God's

' pdpfe Oatfreied in his presence around his living Word, lt was sometimes

' liriao i-nruie ;t priyur, because in the Jewish mind the verb translated

,,,,, pffimeans worship as well as prayer, Synagogue began before Solomon's

temprewasffiidtedi'bUitnA pfactice became essential to the Jewish faith

'AS;*ir*a jffilili*ti0fi; rano of tsraet, they brought synasosue-the

,, :: Frflctice sf corning together as a community to study and worship in God's

,, presence r with them. By the firs"t cenlull]ilsrael, larger community build-

,,'ingi we;e nuift{o serVO aS'mbeting places for synagOgue. Soon the name

"iyriiliitiii*ui apptieotoihe buildings where community study and worship

ottfre:$eiiptures togk'blaie, S0 during Jesus'time, the synagOgue was both

.Scr:iptuieandprayer.''.';,

,.,Ii.,i t, . tl -

.' ilil;;;il[ffilh *tar*unt rote in the lives or relisious Jews who lived

atong the noittr anO northwe$tern shores of the Sea of Galilee, Although the

iew' traveleO to tn*temple in Jerusalem to worship three times a year, they

' *ops:niBeUffiriily'with family, friends, and neighbors in the local syna-

g6gue. Thdftffi iertolls were kept in the synagogue, s0 peOple went there

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OI" I HE RABBI Sessio n One: When the Rabbi Says "Coffie"

f,t..tO'r$Adlanid''$tu,ily,'t6e,$b,HptUies and listen to the rabbis proclaim their inter-

I1t'|pfi tm.6fi$''$f1tH,uffixt.t',.rnilr.children attended synagogue schools where they

j.i'.:le#fn H'ilff''fU'fi i:.....Wffte1.,'ehd,.m6morize the text. Thus the community worship,

i;1..'eXnre$$HH'.'.ifi| .HdndtUl'.,0f ,,$m.all synagogues in Galilee, contributed greatly to

.'tH$di$ut$fe$'.1fif pfirafidn ,tor,tollow

Jesus, their Rabbi, and become like him

, ' ,lil '8VBlly Way.' , I ,,''' - ",,, ' ,.

'.1.:..' :::.. . ::.: : i ..: .!. ..- '.. .

2. 'Sflho \Mas Jairus , and what cloes his relationship with Jesustell us about Jesus' relationship with the local synagogue?(See Luke B:40 - 56")

3. According to Acts 16:13 * X5; 17:l - 4, what clid Paul and Silas

do on the Sabbath as they traveled through h{acedonia?'Sflhat do these (and many other passages) reveal about thcirinvolvement in the synagogLte community? (Rememtler, ahouse of prayer is another way of saying synagogue.)

.:,...,,,,,,.::,i::..: ..i; ,i:. ',,,, .:

:,.',..,THE,.,TRUTF|:. 0F TH E, MATTER

...r'BHH$tififi$iitUdAV,,,,.t6nd,t6.,t ink tnat the theology and teaching 0f the Pharisees

1..,...w .,lilI[,,,,ffih$,. but i,t Was not. The Pharisees were faithful Jews who worked.ifr

fd,:$ i$ iG,$a.ifi, iati,::,,ifiet,did. That's why they had s0 many apptications

i..,6flBibl#text$:,,,the! Wbre trying to obey God! Jesus called some of the Fhari-

....sCIB$.,,,hVpoCfft0$.,,..H6cdil$e.,they Uidn't practice their own teaching (and some

,::,.:,0f ,theii'',,0Wn,,'Wfiting$ Criticize this as well). Some other Pharisees were s0

.lll,ili $.lni.fi $.i,fi.,.,,ifit fiil tfitiOni of the scriptures that they refused to consider the

,.intd,i$ildtaildni oi..'b'th;is-inctuding the interpretations of Jesus. Despite

,l::.,their'ifipe'rfOitiOn$l 'th,0,,,,::Phariiees made knowledge of the Scriptures and

i: obedienie't6,Gootop piior1tes in lite.

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OF THE RABBI

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Although many Christians today think that Jesus called his disciplesaway from theJewish faith and community, that is not the case.

Jesus and his disciples continued to participate in community life,

including synagogue worship, throughout his minisrty Even whenhis disciples went out into the wodd beyond Israel, they sought outand continued to be a part of the faith community of the synagogue.

This is not to suggest that you must join a synagogue in order to fol-

lowJesus, but active involvement inafaith community is necessary.

How essential is your faith community in your walk with God?

How does it help you focus on obeying God in all things at" alltimes?

Do you have a community of people with whom you share a

mutual love for and delight in the Scriptures - people whoencoutage you to learn and study the Vord of God? Remember,

the reading of the Torah in the synagogue made the peopledance with joy!

lf a spiritual community is lacking in your life, ask God to lead you

to such a community so that you can become more like Jesus.

Session One: When the Rabbi Says "Come"

Bible Discovery

Following the Good Shepherd

The image of the shepherd and his sheep is frequently used inScripture as a metaphor for the relationship between God and hispeople. Not only that, God often chose shepherds to lead his people.Abram (Genesis l3:l-5), Moses (Exodus 3:1), and David (1. Samuelt7:14- 15), for example, all were experienced shepherds. This imagesent a powerful message to the people of lsrael because even to thisday a flock of sheep in Israel is dependent on the shepherd for sur-vival. Israel is not a.land of knee-high grass and abundant water. Theshepherd must lead the sheep daily to gtaze on short tufts of grass

on hillsides and to drink from widely scattered sources of water.Without the shepherd's leading, the flock would die.

The shepherd/sheep image describes the intimacy, dependence,obedience, and faithfulness that charactefize the rabbildisciple rela-tionship as well. The rabbi walks ahead and leads his disciples byhis voice. Just as sheep follow their shepherd without understandingwhy the shepherd leads where he leads, disciples follow the rabbi byfaith, trusting him to lead them in the right way to the right place.Following the rabbi is just as much a matter of life and death for thedisciple as it is for the sheep that follow the shepherd.

1. 'What do the following passages reveal about what a shep-herd does for the sheep? What do these images say to a dis-ciple who is following theFrabbi, the Good Shepherd? (See

Psalm 78:52- 55; Isaiah 40:10- 11.)

2. Although the previous passages give us positive images of\nrhat the shepherd does for the flock, we can also learnmuch about the Good Shepherd by kno\nring how bad shep-herds offend him. Ezekie I 34:1 - L6 paints this picture vividly.As you read this passage, ask yollrself how much and in what

DayFivelff.r. Rabbi as ShepherdI

Y$xs Wery kWmrds #$ ffimd

I am the good sbepberd; I know my sbeep and my sbeep krcow rne -iustas tbe Father knouts me and I knout tbe Fatber - and I lay doutn mj,t

lrfe for tbe sbeep"

John I0:14-15

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OF THE RABBI

ways the Good Shepherd loves his sheep. Tfihat differencewould it make to a disciple (to you as a disciple) to be led bysuch a Rabbi?

3. InJohn 1O:1 - 16, Jesus portrays himself as the Good Shep-

herd. Vhat is he saying to his talmidim that will instructand help them as they follow him and seek to be like him?

Dl[l.'.Y0U..KN0W?''.]....il:il100fitffiry]i:$ne*$u-wfi:1fffi0w thfir,snepn1ro,,,go1lr often wander 0n their

1:l,]'0wnlu]'iaWa ffrum',..,th,u..,.|.ehu,'n,h,erd',$,, chosen path, the "path of righteousness."

ii,,,..G6at$.i, efiUire,extra,,att0hti6n, t.fOrn the shepherd because they think they

,'.,r:tr,H8,',g,llElE,P:,FOt OUti THE- SH EPH ERD'S PATH, BUT TH E GOATS'

'$:crATT$REDi:nC*Rffi5 THE HILLS|DE, CHOOSE THEIR OWN WAy.

Sessio n One: When the Rabbi Says "Come"

*ffiffiiffitrffi-ffiar'wtat Jesus tausht in Matthew 25:3't-46, particu-

#i*fmffi*ffi?ffiH"f:$'Witt separate the people one from another as a

;$gffg$#.gpl[*$.$$,sfeeO from the soats. He will put the sheep on his

Wl$S,{: "qn1ttt Then the King willsay to those on his right,

U"F,g 4ffit--0!^u$sed by my Father; take your inheritance, the king-

$mm"g[t$+Fg.q-"tpgifl1rqe19.reation of the world.' ... Then he will say to

*$S$;gd#$lg[$f#,ryrtfrorn rne, you who are cursed, into the eternalfire."'

flFqffiHdr$heep and the goats isthatthe sheep obeyed

#t.*gprqi#i$ l*y,!.t he would do. The soats, on the other hand, had

*$ #-Hffi'Wf,ffiTJqe rn eq th e s h e p h e rd

Reflection

Psalm 23:1- 4 is avery familiar Scripture passage, but take a freshlook at it. Read it slowly and thoughtfully. Meditate on what it meansin terms ofJesus being your Rabbi (Shepherd) and you being his dis-ciple (sheep).

. As you live life, how carefully are you listening for the GoodShepherd's voice?

. How passionate is your desire to follow his every step, to belike him in every way?

. How much do you long to walk obediently in his paths ofrighteousness?

. How fully do you trust him to lead you when you do notknow the way?

. Who will be with you when danger threatens?

If the Good Shepherd is your Rabbi, what qualities do you needto cultivate in your life to be a true disciple? When he says,

"Come," will you follow?

FAITH LESSONS ON THE DUST OF THE RABBI

futrernmrixe

I am tbe good sbepberd; I knou my sheep and my sbeep knou) me -iustas tlte Fatber knows me and I knout tbe Father - and I lay dou;n my

Ir,fe for tbe sbeep.

Jahn l0:14-15

OFl-

Iifi

V/HEN THE RABBI SAYS "GOI

In the previous session, we learned some of what it meant to bea rubbi, an honored teacher whose life revolvecl around follow-ing God, knowing the Holy Scriptures, and making disciples. Inthis session, we will focus more attention on the disciples - themotivation, commitment, and training of the young men whodevoted themselves to walking in the footsteps of the rabbiso that they might learn to follow God. We will discover some

of the lessons Jesus taught them on the ancient paths he oncewalked. And we will stand with him and hear his final cornmanclto his disciples, "Go, and make disciples . . . teaching them toobey . . .."

For a moment, reflect back to when Jesus walked along theshore of the Sea of Galilee and saicl to some fishermen, "Come,

follow me," and they left everything to do so. Now fast-forwardto a sunny, spring day on a rocky, uninhabited hillside above

the small Galilean villages of Capernaum and Gennesareth andbelow the village of Chorazin. Beautiful red flowers sway inthe breeze. Waves on the Sea of Galilee sparkle in the distance.

Jesus, the beloved and now resurrected Rabbi, stands with hiseleven disciples.

The disciples had walked about XtO miles fromJerusalem to thisplace where Jesus had told them to go. Jesus met them there, inGalilee, where for a few years they had shared so mlrch together"'W.hen he spoke, his challenge stirred their hearts as it continuesto stir our hearts today: 'All authority in heaven and on earth has