What does it really mean to be a disciple? Rabbi Mordecai Griffin teaches on the cultural expectation of a disciple, and therefore a Christian (Matthew 28:19, Luke 9:23). This video is packed with revelations that will enrich your understanding of the Lord’s intentions of what a Christian’s life should look like. Notes recapping the teaching are below.
A Tamid was a completely burnt offering in which nothing was left to consume. If we were to view our lives as a daily sacrifice to the Lord, how would that shift our Christianity? While it may sound scary to give your whole self to the Lord, the “loss” of control is nothing compared to what you gain when you live the Christian life as it was intended. Remaining on fire for Jesus is our main personal responsibility and everything else falls into place.
Putting the letter/word “lamid” which translates to “l” in the middle of this word, changes its meaning to “followers of the example”. Disciple being explained as “Student” removes this context and turns us into only learners, making following and mimicking Jesus something only “extremists” do. But the word Jesus used to describe what later became Christians, implied this to be the standard.
Lamid means to be joined, affixed to, train, or practice. So the idea is that we are being trained by and joined to our teacher, learning daily. Putting it all together, the life of a Talmid is about being an offering completely dedicated to the lord, daily joining themselves to God, studying His teachings and putting them into practice. According to Rabbi Michael Monk in his book The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, the letter Lamid being elevated up above all other letters in the Hebrew alphabet also symbolically gives it a connotation of, “the King of Kings.”1
This means that, to say, “I am a disciple of Jesus,” is to say, “My life is nothing without Him, I lay it down and I put the King of Kings directly in the middle of my life. I will become a daily continual offering that is learning, studying, joining and practicing.”
In The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, Rabbi Monk goes on to write that the Israelites were called to be a Kingdom of Priests (Ex 19:6) meaning that it is the duty of God’e people to teach God’s will and law, but we cannot unless we acquire knowledge of it. If this tallest letter defines learning and teaching, this implies that it is “man’s highest endowment.”
Lamid is also an acronym for the phrase “a heart that understands,” so the goal is also that the Word should be part of our hearts. But study means nothing if it’s not translated into action. Faith is only the starting place, but being a true disciple is a life of action in the physical: what we wear, where we go, what we do, who we are. “If one’s deeds exceed their knowledge, their knowledge will endure. However, if one’s knowledge exceeds their deeds, their knowledge will not endure.” If you don’t put the knowledge into practice, it’s not going to benefit you.
“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” — Ezekiel 11:19-20 ESV
When God redeems us, the purpose is to follow his will. When Jesus commanded his disciples to go to the nations and make disciples, he mentioned that they were to teach them His commands, not to just have faith and knowledge.
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” — Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
