Keeping Company with Jesus

I've been playing with his idea for some time. What does it mean to keep company with Jesus? The phrase “keep company” has been a part of the English language for years, and we use it in a variety of ways. We say, “At least, Matt has his dog to keep him company,” which is sad as well as comforting. We say, “I kept my uncle company for a few hours. He gets very lonely,” which is sweet. We say, “John and Stephanie are keeping company,” which used to mean they were courting or stepping out together but now might mean they have people in cages in their basement. I'm kidding, but...you never know! We also say, “The people you keep company with will determine, in large part, who or what you will become five years from now.” And it’s true. Questions like, “Who are you spending time with? Who holds sway over you? Who are your influencers, your gurus, your counselors, and mentors?” are things we should ask ourselves on a regular basis.

To “keep company” with someone is, by definition, to spend time with them for the sake of companionship, and companionship is a beautiful thing. Would you like to be a companion of Jesus? Do you desire to move beyond mere acquaintance, beyond familiarity, to real intimacy? What would it be like to walk with Him, eat with Him, talk with Him, pray with Him, to sit at His feet, and just be with Him? Jesus invites you into just such a life. How is it done? Let me offer a handful of suggestions. First,

Choose him as your Rabbi

The word “Rabbi” simply means “Teacher.” That’s what it says in John 1:38. Two of John the Baptist’s disciples decide to follow Jesus. Jesus turns around, sees them following, and asks, “What do you want?” And they reply,

John 1:38

“Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

John the Baptist was their Rabbi; they were following him, having come under the influence of his teaching, but when John clearly and unambiguously identified Jesus as the Messiah, saying, “Look, the Lamb of God,” they turned from John and started following Him. Choosing someone as your Rabbi, in the first century, was not a casual thing. Leaving one Rabbi for another was rarely done unless you were dismissed or abandoned by your Rabbi. Rabbis in that day would gather around them whole schools of young men eager to learn at their feet. They would often be seen trailing along behind the Rabbi as he moved about town. It was a formal, often contractual relationship. More than simply a commitment to study his life and work, to choose someone as your Rabbi, for the first century Jew, was to attach yourself to him, emulating him down to the smallest detail. There are even stories of disciples, in the first century, literally tying themselves to their Rabbi, hand-to-hand and foot-to-foot, for a period of time to accelerate and underline this process. It was not uncommon, then, for a Rabbi to walk through the marketplace with an ardent disciple bound to him, trailing six feet behind, copying his walk, his gestures, his movements — standing when he stood, walking where he walked, sitting down when he sat down, and lying down to sleep beside him.

When we talk about choosing Jesus as our Rabbi, we’re talking about attaching ourselves to Him exclusively, coming under the influence of His teaching alone, following Him and no other. Are you following him and no other? So many are simply monitoring His life and work, following Him from afar. They admire Him. They admire a lot of people. They have many rabbis. For them, Jesus is one among many. If Jesus is one among many influences in your life, then He is not your Rabbi and you are not His disciple. Jesus said,

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

You have to choose. Who will you follow? Who will you attach yourself to? Who will be your Rabbi? Second, if you want to keep company with Jesus, you must…

Adopt the mindset of an apprentice

I’ve found this to be especially helpful. The word disciple is used in the New Testament to refer to those who spend their lives apprenticed to the Master, Jesus. A disciple, then, is in a growing-learning relationship, always. I’m going to say that again. A disciple is in a growing-learning relationship, always. If we could just adopt and hold onto that mindset — I am in a lifelong, growing-learning relationship with Jesus — if we could learn to see ourselves as apprentices, humbly learning at Jesus’ feet, it would greatly accelerate our growth toward godliness. As Dallas Willard wrote,

“The highest aim of a student of Jesus Christ is to learn to live like Him in His kingdom.” ~ Dallas Willard

That’s what it means to be a disciple. The problem, these days, is that the word disciple has come to mean so little. It’s been redefined from it’s first century roots to fit a twenty-first century academic paradigm. Today’s disciples don’t necessarily follow Jesus; they study Jesus. They memorize facts about Jesus. They debate theology. We’ve turned discipleship into a largely academic exercise where the person who can quote chapter and verse is most highly esteemed. But we weren’t meant to learn about Jesus in a classroom. We were meant to learn while working alongside Jesus. We’re meant to get our hands dirty, to learn by doing. It’s not about acquiring more information but skills in faith — learning how to walk by faith and not by sight, depending on the Holy Spirit. That’s what Jesus did, and we are His apprentices.

Have you adopted the mindset of an apprentice? It might help you to go through the Bible and write in the word student or apprentice wherever you see the word disciple because a disciple is a student, a pupil, a learner, an apprentice. Jesus said,

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Do you know the rest of that verse? He says,

Matthew 11:29

“Take my yoke upon you [attach yourself to me] and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

That’s a learning relationship. Are you in a learning relationship with Jesus? And, finally, if you want to keep company with Jesus, you must…

Embrace the heart of the pilgrim

A pilgrim is someone who spends their life going somewhere. They’re on a quest, a journey from here to there. Where are you going? Are you going somewhere? I'm asking because, to put it bluntly, this world is not our home. As pilgrims, we’re meant to spend our lives going home to God, walking along the path set out for us by our Master, Jesus. You don’t need to know the end from the beginning. You don’t even need to know the way. Jesus is the Way. Follow Him and you’ll find your way home. Jesus said as much to Thomas. Thomas asked,

John 14:5 (MSG)

"Master, we have no idea where you're going. How do you expect us to know the road?”

And Jesus replied,

John 14:6 (MSG)

“I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.”

The language of pilgrimage is all through the Scriptures. Jesus invites us to walk with Him, to follow Him. That’s what pilgrims do. They follow the road to where it leads them, from here to there, all the way home. Do you know what this means?

Hebrews 12:1-2 (MSG)

It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!