From Pause with Jesus
The degree Jesus offered His students could only be earned in active involvement, experiential learning, relational mentoring, life coaching.
Isn’t that what He is offering us? To come over? To be with? To observe? To learn? Here, Jesus with His friends, His followers. Jesus with me, with you. This illustrates the principle of education through personal discipleship. Life’s laboratory: the classroom where we pause amid our hurry.
But how are we doing in our responses? Do I receive Christ’s invitation to come there? To stay there? In that itinerary of silence and conversations and fishing and waiting and hearing very strange stories, will I invest in the value of time?
The call to a life of learning went out from Christ to the initial disciples. He likewise invites us to a life of intimate learning. He longs to be with us.
Responding to His invitation propels the believer into a new existence. Radical changes begin to emerge from the closeness between Teacher and pupil.
The success of educational efforts is proven not just by test scores, but by practical application. Basing our evaluation on that premise, we determine that Christ’s beginning efforts succeeded. He didn’t quiz the followers or pressure them to do or say something impressive. They responded naturally. Their efforts to influence others with their newfound Truth grew out of their time with the Teacher. Though their time in His classroom had been brief, the impact began an eternal change in their lives.
Jesus had welcomed them. What would they do? Having been influenced by Christ, Andrew, in turn, influenced others. So moved by the One John pointed him toward, Andrew could not keep the experience to himself. Where would he begin? At home. Bearing the good news, “The Messiah had arrived,” Andrew raced to his brother Simon: an arrogant, hard-working fisherman we will learn more about later. Andrew did his part by finding him, telling him, and taking him to Jesus. The Master took it from there.
Where do we fit into this narrative? The story informs me of what I am invited to do.
Will I? Will I be a seeker, expressing desperate interest in the One believed to be the Truth?
Will you?
Listen for, and respond to, His compassionate invitation. Slow from the rush of routine.
Enter the classroom of the Great Instructor. Remain there.
If I live it, if you live it, how many Andrews and Simons will enjoy our influence?
How much will Jesus enjoy us?
How will we be changed?
