1.

Covered in the dust of the Master

Biblical Text: 1 Cor. 1:27-29
2.
Mat. 14: 28, 29. What was he thinking when he asked Peter to walk
next to Jesus in the water? How he thought he could too? Peter was a Jew. Jesus
was a Jew, so this will understand it better if we analyze the first-century Jew
ish context.
3.
Education was of utmost importance in Jesus' time, and
had an argument about a Rabbi at what age should receive their wards. Education
was important for educators, students and parents of those times.
4.
The Mishnah (a body
exegesis of Jewish law compiled, which collects and consolidates the Jewish oral
tradition developed over centuries since the time of the Torah or written law,
and until its codification) is a phrase that says: "Above all, we pride ourselve
s on education our children. " Jewish education consisted of three primary secti
ons: Safar Bet, Bet Bet Talmud and Midrash.
5.
Bet Safar (Casa del Libro)
Usually from 5 to 10 years, was a time taught in the synagogue by the Rabbi. Jew
ish children, when learning to read, kiss the book's cover, on which has left a
drop of honey, with the aim of the book they prefer. During this time, good Jewi
sh boys memorized the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
. Memorized at the age of 10 years! Wow!
6.
Bet Talmud (House of Teachers)
Moving from Bet Safar, education remained a Jewish child age 10 to age 14. Durin
g this time, the student continued his memorization of the Psalms, the Prophets
and the rest of
the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). It was not unusual in those days that a g
ood Jewish boy had memorized the Old Testament to the age of 14 years. The stude
nt would start by this time the art of the questions and answers. In our present
Western civilization, are used in the transfer of information, but in those day
s, answering a question was not so straightforward. A rabbi would ask a student
how much is 2 + 2. Currently, the answer would have quickly answered, 4. But in
those days, a student could answer "What is the square root of 16?". This not on
ly would say to the student rabbi listened and understood the question, but was
able to process and then answer with a question itself. So when we find Jesus in
the temple at the age of 12 years (Luke 2: 46, 47), we find him doing exactly w
hat a boy his age would be doing, questions and answers with the elderly.
7.
Bet Midrash (House of Interpretation)
At the age of fourteen, the best of the best continue to apply oral and written
law of the Talmud, the Mishnah, the words of the wise, and years and years of co
mments from the scriptures. Rabbi Each would have its own interpretation of how
to live the Torah. For example, honor the Sabbath: A rabbi might say you can not
go further than the distance to the synagogue. While another might say you can
go twice that distance, because you must return to your home. As you can see, yo
u have the law itself, and you have the interpretation of the Rabbi of the rules
required to obey the law. These rules were Rabbi calls his yoke. When I was stu
dying with a Rabbi, tomabas his yoke upon you. But Jesus came and said, My yoke
is light. That is, does not have to do with endless lists of rules and regulatio
ns (Matthew 11:28-30). You see, if Jesus is speaking, not only are choosing rand
om words. He is speaking as you would a Rabbi.
When rabies talk, come in heated and animated discussions because these are the
teachings of God and a direct reflection of worship. They believed that the high
est form of worship was the study, and that the real study always raises the que
stion. So a Rabbi could ask a student "what does it mean to honor the Sabbath?"
And one student could answer incorrectly: "sit and do nothing, and have a dull d
ay." Rabbi passionately answer "No! You have abolished the Torah! ", Meaning tha
t the student had not understood the point. But another student might respond, "
remember and reflect that we are not slaves. We have been brought from a kingdom
of darkness and redeemed by the blood of the lamb. That day we took a week to r
emind us that our value comes not from making bricks, but the one who made us! "
. And then the rabbi would say "That's right! You have fulfilled the Torah! ". T
hen Jesus comes (Matthew 5:17) and says I came not to abolish what they have lea
rned, but to show how it looks in the flesh.€So at the age of fourteen, the bes
t of the best, the Harvard and Oxford Jewish boys, were another step. All they w
anted to be rabies, because teachers were the most respected of those days. At t
he age of fourteen, one of the best he approached a Rabbi and asked him to becom
e his disciple. The Rabbi then would test the young. For example, you might ask,
"Give me four references in Deuteronomy in Habakkuk in order."
8.
As if this were not enough, the rabbi questioned the boy
using what was called "Remez" (indication, hint). A Rabbi Remez's where your que
stion would form based around a piece of scripture, so that he could cite, for e
xample, the first three verses of the passage. But the real question of Rabbi wo
uld be on the fourth verse. Now, because the boy had been educated in
the Beth Safar, the Talmud and the Bet Bet Midrash, he knew the scriptures and y
our mind automatically went through the following verses, and was able to unders
tand that the rabbi was referring to verse four with your question. The young ma
n then form your answer about another part of the scriptures and cite a few vers
es, stopping just before that he was referring to the rabbi, or just after. The
Rabbi then understand what the young man is talking about and judge how well the
y answered your question. If it sounds complicated, it is because it was so! For
example, in Matthew 15:8,9 Jesus said to them, 'These people honor me with thei
r lips, but their hearts are far from me. In vain they worship me, his teachings
are merely human rules, "but those who understand the Remez, understand that Je
sus is speaking of Isaiah 29:13 and especially from 14: "So once again these peo
ple with wonder at marvelous wonders, perish the wisdom of the wise, and will va
nish intelligence on clever . If the rabbi questioned and determined that you we
re good enough, that if in fact belonged to Harvard or Oxford, I would say "Come
, take my yoke upon you and become my disciple." And in that moment, the boy wou
ld leave everything (home, mother, father, synagogue, community ...) and dedicat
e his life to be like the Rabbi.
9.
One of the writings of the sages of the Mishnah is quoted as "What
you are powder coated to your teacher. " The rabies were passionate and animated
. They spent days taking his disciples to teach, and while traveling from one pl
ace to another, literally clouds of dust. Because the disciples were following t
he Rabbi, by the end of the day would be covered in the dust cloud had lifted hi
s teacher. Now, there was always the possibility that the Rabbi decided, as you
review, you were not the Harvard or Oxford. He would say "Obviously you know the
Torah, but do not have what it takes to be like me. Go, have children, pray for
them to become rabies,
and devote yourself to your craft. " Go and learn the family business and live a
good life so that your children grow up better than you.
10.
And this brings us to the text of Matthew 4:18-22 and 16:13-20. While
Jesus walking beside the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter an
d his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, they were fishermen
. What were they?
11.
Fishermen ... why? Because they had not succeeded. A Rabbi
had said that probably were not the best of the best and sent them to engage in
a trade. Jesus goes to the losers and rejected and he calls! Come and follow me,
Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their net
s and follow Him. Now how many of you honestly say that this was never made them
logical? Not me. Here comes a young man walking along the beach. Peter and Andr
ew are probably learning the family business, it is important to them. The welfa
re of your family probably depends on how well they learn their trade. You proba
bly have a good amount of money invested in this business. And this young man is
walking and says, "Come, follow me." And throw everything and they do! On top o
f this, Christian films show a character who seems to have mystical powers, call
s his disciples, and jump off the boat to pursue him. But that's exactly what ha
ppened! No more, no less. The author did not miss anything. Look, Jesus was a Ra
bbi. The are calling disciples. He thinks they're good enough, even though other
s do not think so. Being given the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. So of co
urse they leave what they are doing and follow the Rabbi. After that, go to two
other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat w
ith his father,
preparing their nets.€Jesus called them and immediately left the boat and their
father and followed him. Where is the part of Zebedee filing for bankruptcy? Or
the part where he stands on the deck of the boat with his fist to threaten thei
r children by leaving him with a family in trouble? There is no such part. It wa
s an honor that your children will be following a rabbi. Instead of Zebedee to b
other, I can see that night, returning home with his wife and saying "the boys a
re gone!" "Where?" Ask her. "The Rabbi Yeshua of Nazareth called them and now th
ey follow his teachings!". In fact, I imagine the morning after Zebedee walking
through the village, his chest swelled, strutting a little bit maybe, while he t
alks about how their children were. Do you think Jesus thinks you do? That's the
main premise of the system. Rabbi would not accept someone who could not. We ca
n say, based on context, that several of the disciples were between 16 and 19 ye
ars. Peter had a mother, and usually at the age of 18 years a young man was alre
ady married. Jesus calls the adolescents rejected and second class to be his dis
ciples. And he continues to do so today! (John 15:16)
12.
But that's not all. What did Jesus do with these new disciples
Found? (Matthew 16:13 and onwards). Then Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Ph
ilippi ... just another place? No, in those days, was one of the main centers of
pagan worship.
13, 14.
Was
literally at the base of a mountain high enough. Passersby could climb to the mo
untaintop and look down the pagan worship developed below.
15.
On one side of the mountain had a
cleft in the rock which is believed to be the point at which the spirits came an
d left this world. That crack in the rock was called "The Gates of Hell."
Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man?". They said,
"Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the
prophets." "What do you think?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?". Simon Peter an
swered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said "Blessed ar
e you, Simon son of Jonah, for this will not revealed by man but by my Father in
heaven. And you say you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, an
d the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. " What is he saying? Look, Jes
us just had to take these guys to the top of the rock at Caesarea Philippi. The
good Jewish boys simply were not there. It was a place to which parents would te
ll their children "You can not go there." The disciples were probably scared, "I
f my father finds out, he'll kill me ..." But there are, and the Rabbi is teachi
ng. He asks, looking down to the heathen, who do people say that Pedro is He fin
ally speaks and tells you who believe that Jesus is. And Jesus recognizes that P
eter had received this knowledge of God. And here comes the most important ... C
hrist looks down to the pagans and tells his disciples that "upon this rock" - o
n such people, mundane, ordinary people, Christ would build his church. And even
the "gates of hell" - the spiritual world can not impede the path because they
are commissioned by God himself. Is telling the disciples to Christ to help buil
d the church between those types of people. He is not focusing his attention on
religious people who meet in the synagogues.
16.
The disciples tried to always do what he was doing his master.
In this context we can understand wanting to do what Peter was doing his Master:
walk on water! One possible reason why it sank is because being a student doubt
ed that Jesus deserved. He doubted himself. Christ put his trust in them
not because they had something special, but by the power that the Holy Spirit wa
s going to give (1 Cor. 1:26-29) Jesus still looking for disciples today. The te
a is calling you. On this rock, the people in your city, your school, your circl
e of friends.
17.
He will
want to use to build His church (Matt. 28:19). And even the gates of hell may in
terfere, because God is walking down the beach to you. He is calling, "Come and
follow me." What is your response? May you be covered from the dust of your teac
her!
18-21.
Disciples (Marcos Vidal song)
Ten thousand eyes have seen your power now the miracle of multiplication Today A
ll your hands have sated my need But my soul longs for more of your presence. I
will not be of the five thousand who enjoy the miracle.€I'd rather be of the tw
elve who collect the pieces. And spending all night together on a sea of silk. T
alk with the teacher until dawn. I know there are twelve baskets over provision
and your eyes still look at me with love. I do not want to go back Let me be a d
isciple, Lord. You not only want to receive your bread My heart really wants to
meet you Living in your presence waking up next to you For me it is formed in yo
ur image.
Reflexion Dust translated and adapted from Rob Bell (www.nooma.com). The numbers
in superscript indicate the corresponding page of the PowerPoint presentation.
Everything can be found at www.danielgc.com Daniel Gutierrez, 2008.