The Pattern of Following Jesus

Many Christians today don't realize that Jesus' discipleship model was based upon the rabbinic model of ancient Israel. This makes it very different than sitting in a modern classroom, learning a subject matter from your teacher. There was this element of learning information, but it was much more about becoming like your teacher and being recognized by your imitation of your teacher. Ultimately, it was about replicating the way of your teacher -- which, in the case of Jesus, means teaching his Gospel and life to others.