“The whole point of apprenticeship is to model all of your life after Jesus.”

A thought by John Mark Comer from his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (p. 77). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

That’s a great way to say follower of Christ, isn’t it?

John says, “And in doing so to recover your soul. To have the warped part of you put back into shape. To experience healing in the deepest parts of your being. To experience what Jesus called ‘life…to the full.’ (John 10:10)  What the New Testament writers call ‘salvation.’ (Romans 1:16) Keep in mind, the Greek word that we translate ‘salvation’ is soteria; it’s the same word we translate ‘healing.’ When you’re reading the New Testament and you read that somebody was ‘healed’ by Jesus and then you read somebody else was ‘saved’ by Jesus, you’re reading the same Greek word. Salvation is healing. Even the etymology of our English word salvation comes from the Latin salve. As in, an ointment you put on a burn or a wound.”

He goes on, “This is what Jesus was all about—healing people, saving them, at a soul-deep level. How? Through apprenticeship to him. So everywhere Jesus went, he was constantly offering an invitation.

“Usually it sounded like this: Come, follow me. (Matthew 4:19) Or like this: Come, be my apprentice.”

Matthew 11:28–30 in the Message paraphrase says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

John says, “This is an invitation—for all the tired, the burned out, the stressed, and all those stuck in traffic and behind on their to-do lists, reaching for another cup of coffee just to make it through the day.”

He later says, “People all over the world—outside the church and in—are looking for an escape, a way out from under the crushing weight to life this side of Eden. But there is no escaping it. The best the world can offer is a temporary distraction to delay the inevitable or deny the inescapable.

“That’s why Jesus doesn’t offer us an escape. He offers us something far better: ‘equipment.’ He offers his apprentices a whole new way to bear the weight of our humanity: with ease. At his side. Like two oxen in a field, tied shoulder to shoulder. With Jesus doing all the heavy lifting. At his pace. Slow, unhurried, present to the moment, full of love and joy and peace.

“An easy life isn’t an option; an easy yoke is.”

So, let’s reach out to Him, become His apprentice and model His life.  Would you do that? 

Yes, yes!