Covered In ...Snirt
“Follow Me ”
It’s that most wonderful time of the year. You can just hear that old song, and then I look at my vehicle. It’s totally covered in……….snirt (salt-n-dirt). Man… it just builds up and encrusts the vehicle, especially on the front portion where road spray from other vehicles hit it. Totally covered in snirt from other vehicles.
There was a saying in the first century for disciples of a Rabbi that they were “covered in the dust (Snirt) of their Rabbi”. How was a disciple, in ancient Israel, trained to follow a Rabbi?
The Jewish educational system, in Jesus’ day, went something like this: From ages 4-6, you would be enrolled into a local school and would learn to read and write in Hebrew. Then at 6, the males would be enrolled in a local synagogue from 6-10 (Bet Sefer, The House of the book). They would learn & memorize the whole of the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible). The best of the best would then continue to the next level. The rabbi would say to the rest something like this; Bless you my son, go learn your father’s trade and pray that your children are smarter than you are. Ouch!!!….Quite the encouragers, huh? The brightest would then move on to the next level (Bet Talmud - house of learning/rules, ages 10-14). They would learn the beliefs of their people, history, law, and the discipline of reasoning (logic). At the end of this, the best of the best would be enrolled in “Beit Madras” (Study of the Holy Word, ages 14-18) and be actively involved in the local Temple to participate in the sacrifice of their family’s Passover lamb. They would also continue in their biblical studies. At 18, they would present themselves to a particular Rabbi they wanted to become a disciple under. The Rabbi would test them to see if they were worthy of following him. If they were good enough, then the Rabbi would say “Lech Achari” (come follow me) and then bless them with “May you be covered with the dust of your rabbi”. They would then take on the “yoke” of the Rabbi to learn from him. They would learn for the next 12 years how to live out the law, all 613 of them, and prioritize them as the Rabbi taught. The student would be in awe of the rabbi as they were totally committed to him and totally committed to becoming just like him. They would mimic everything their rabbi did from eating, hand gestures, facial expressions, prayer, singing like him, walking like him, etc.
Imagine the shock when Rabbi Jesus calls out to four smelly fishermen Peter, Andrew, James, and John, to “Lech Achari” (come follow me), Matthew 4:18-22. They immediately left everything they knew to follow this unknown rabbi. This was unfathomable to them since they didn’t make the cut earlier. They knew they were not the best of the best. They were just everyday folks like us. In fact, all His disciples fit that description, and they still do.
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”
Yep, that’s us for sure.
The big idea as a disciple is that we should thirst to be like Him. Psalm 42:1-2, ESV, says it well; “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Do I thirst for His Word (the Bible)? Do I thirst to be in prayer with our beloved God?
Jesus, unlike the rabbis of the day, said;
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The yoke of the rabbis was one of endless rules, requirements, and regulations. Jesus’ yoke was much different. It was a yoke of grace, mercy, and a call to follow all our days. To take Christ’s yoke upon me is to obey the gospel (good news) of Christ, to yield myself to the Lord, to enter into submission to His will, and to turn over control of my life to Him.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The more time I spend studying God’s Word (Bible) and spending time in His presence getting covered in His dust (snirt) the more I long to serve others who need Jesus’ unfailing love.
Are we in total awe of Jesus? Are we totally committed to Him? Is He our Lord, our Savior, our God, or has He just become another item in our daily rituals? Do we filter all of life through the lens of Jesus as He sees it? Are we following so close that our actions and attitudes are becoming more deeply aligned with His through the Holy Spirit.
Are we walking close enough to Jesus that the dust of His Word (The Bible) & His spirit are covering and oozing out of us to those we come in contact with?
I personally want to be covered in the dust (snirt) of Jesus by following what He is doing in our world today until I take my very last breath. Jesus is gently calling us to “Lech Achari” (“Follow Me”). His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Prayer
Father may we detach ourselves from the yoke the world wants to attach to us and be totally covered in your dust and wholeheartedly embrace your yoke. Then, we will truly experience your rest as we walk in harmony with King Jesus.
“For this light momentary affliction, is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. “For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
