Tag: Jesus

Dust of the Rabbi – Luke 5:1–11

Luke 5:10b–11 – “Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

This passage carries more weight than it might appear at first glance. Simon and the others were fishermen, which likely meant they had not made it through the full layers of Jewish religious education. In their own words and actions, they knew they were not obvious candidates to be chosen.

Yet Jesus, a respected rabbi, calls them anyway. When Simon announces his own sinfulness, that he doesn’t measure up, Jesus does not turn away. Instead, he invites him to follow. In that culture, that invitation meant more than learning information. It meant becoming like the rabbi and doing the things the rabbi does.

That changes how I read this passage. Jesus calling Simon means Jesus saw something in him, confidence that Simon could walk with him and grow into what he was called to be. In the same way, Jesus calls us to follow him with the same kind of trust. He knows our limitations, but he also knows what he can do through us.

A right response is not to strive harder, but to stay close. To let his presence guide…to be attentive, still, and willing to move when he moves. The goal is not perfection, but proximity. To follow closely enough that I am shaped by him, learning as I go, covered in the dust of my rabbi.

Small Beginnings – Micah 5:1-15

Micah 5:2 – “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Micah speaks hope into a time of threat and uncertainty. He points to a ruler coming from Bethlehem, but not a new person at all, someone ancient, even beyond what the people could fully grasp. This ruler would shepherd God’s people using God’s own strength, and his influence would extend far beyond Israel. It sounds a lot like Jesus to me.

It’s hard not to see Jesus here. Bethlehem, a shepherd-like ruler, and a greatness that reaches the whole earth all line up clearly. For me, this passage is less about action and more about confidence. Jesus really is the promised Messiah, and history is not drifting aimlessly. Christmas is about much more than a baby in a manger, a stable, or a silent night with shepherds and animals (come to think of it, that doesn’t feel very silent at all).  Instead it’s about an ancient promise of God leading his people and setting everything aright.