Outside of faith-based circles, almost no one else uses the word disciple. So, it can be challenging to understand exactly what it meant when Jesus said, “Follow me.”
The Bottom Line
When Jesus said, “Follow me,” it was an invitation into a relationship of daily imitation and obedience. But, Jesus did not wait for worthy followers to find him. He broke with rabbinic custom, seeking out unremarkable men as followers.
Examining the cultural context of discipleship helps illuminate subtle details that often go unnoticed by modern readers. These kinds of inquiries are some of my favorite, because they tie sections of scripture together in new and revealing ways. This particular point in scripture contributes to my conclusion that almost all of the disciples were teenagers.
Relevant Scriptures
Matt 4:19, Mark 1:17, Luke 5:27-28, John 1:43 – Jesus uses this phrase to recruit Peter and Andrew, Levi (Matthew), and Philip as disciples. In each case, they immediately left everything behind and joined Jesus as students.
Luke 9:57-62 – Interactions between Jesus and two others who wanted to follow him, but were not ready to abandon everything to join him.
Cultural Context of Discipleship
To understand “Follow me”, we have to start with first-century Jewish education. Here are two excerpts from Jewish oral tradition (considered applicable during the time of Jesus) that indicate the expected ages for religious education.
He used to say: At five years of age the study of Scripture; At ten the study of Mishnah; At thirteen subject to the commandments; At fifteen the study of Talmud; At eighteen the bridal canopy; At twenty for pursuit [of livelihood]; At thirty the peak of strength…
Mishna, Pirkei Avot 5:21 (emphasis mine)
A minor who knows how to shake the [lulav]. Our Rabbis taught, A minor who knows how to shake [the lulav] is subject to the obligation of the lulav; [if he knows how] to wrap himself [with a tallit] he is subject to the obligation of tzitzit; [if he knows how] to look after tefillin, his father must buy tefillin for him; if he is able to speak, his father must teach him Torah and the reading of the Shema.
Talmud, Sukka 42a:10 (emphasis mine)
Based on the above excerpts, we see that parents started teaching their children to memorize and pray scripture from a very young age. The Shema refers to various portions of Deuteronomy (e.g. 6:4-9) which begin “Hear, O Israel!”
The custom was (and still is for observant Jewish people) to pray these scriptures daily. It is called the Shema because שמע shma is the imperative form for the Hebrew verb “to hear”.
We also see that Jewish boys began studying the Hebrew scriptures at 5 years old, and studied the Mishnah (germinal statements on the law) starting at 10. This training culminated with the boy’s bar mitzvah (coming of age ceremony) at 13.
I’ve seen it said that Jewish boys at the time of Christ were expected to memorize vast portions of scripture before their bar mitzvah. But, I have not found a scholarly source to back up that claim. Today, boys and girls memorize and recite some portion of the weekly Torah reading for a Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah.
Original Language
ἀκολούθει μοι (akolouthei moi) This is the phrase in Greek where Jesus said, “Follow me.” The present imperative implies an ongoing action, rather than a single decision or moment.
μαθητής (mathētēs) This is the biblical term for a disciple. In every case it denotes a relational and transformational relationship, not one based on simply instruction.
Taken in the Biblical context, we see that discipleship was a commitment that utterly transformed the lives of those who chose to follow. It was framed through the pursuit of, submission to, and adoption of a teacher’s ways.
It is worth noting that the imperative use of the verb “follow” does not make it a command. Jesus invested in his followers with an open hand. Though it grieved him, He gave his followers the freedom to question and even fall away.
Rabbinic View
Judaism strongly encourages and frames learning as a lifelong pursuit. But, there are two key takeaways from Rabbinic traditions that are especially worth noting, where Jesus said “Follow me” to the Twelve.
- Rabbinic literature presents discipleship as embodied imitation.
- Jesus reversed the traditional approach by initiating contact with disciples.
- Older disciples were the exception. Rabbis valued younger disciples.
Pirkei Avot 1:4 contains a statement by Yose ben Yoezer (c. 200-150 BCE) about sitting in the dust of a visiting rabbi to learn from him. This thought is repeated in Avot DeRabbi Natan 6:2-3, which relates the origins of two famous rabbis.
In both of the narratives for Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer, the student pursued the teacher and had to prove themselves worthy. This was the accepted dynamic. Only the brightest of young men with demonstrated potential could hope to be welcomed by an established great teacher.
Rabbis prioritized disciples whose identity were still being shaped, not those with an established trade, household, and authority of their own. Adult learners existed, but they were not the norm for immersive imitation-based training. Consider this section from Pirkei Avot 4:20:
He who learns when a child, to what is he compared? To ink written upon a new writing sheet. And he who learns when an old man, to what is he compared? To ink written on a rubbed writing sheet.
Early Church Fathers
Early Christian writers repeatedly interpreted discipleship as an ongoing participation in Christ’s life, and not simply an moment of religious conversion.
Chrysostom insisted that spiritual formation must begin early. In one of his homilies, he repeatedly urged parents to instruct children from the very first, while their understanding was still tender and before habits were fixed.
Ignatius framed the will of God in his letter to the Ephesians as ongoing unity and obedience. Clement asserted that Jesus was not simply a teacher of ideas. He framed discipleship not as intellectual growth but a virtuous life. Following Christ must demonstrate practical changes.
All of these writers considered discipleship a lifelong experience. A close personal relationship with Jesus defined their faith. And, this relationship was expected to produce outward changes, not simply be a private experience.
My Opinion
I only started exploring the recruitment of disciples in the context of the disciples age when Jesus said, “Follow me” to them. I think that the invitation of the disciples and the biblical context of discipleship itself, both align with a young view of the disciples.
But I think it’s noteworthy that Jesus did not wait for disciples to seek him out or require them to prove their worthiness. Instead, he moved toward them first, embodying the Father’s love. And, his call was given to ordinary, untrained men.
I have at times struggled to let go of an older view of the disciples. But, I am increasingly seeing that my reasons to think they were older are almost all a result of my own personal biases and the artistic depictions of them that I have seen.
Common Misunderstanding
There is a great deal of emphasis today placed on “winning” people to Christ. And, I think we must be careful in how we treat the moment of conversion. Following Jesus is not a one time moment of clarity. It is an ongoing behavior that requires daily surrender. Following transforms us to be more like Christ.
While belief is essential, the biblical context implies daily practice. If we are to recruit new disciples to follow Jesus, we must do so in a way that encourages them to join us in the same close community that Jesus offered the Twelve. That kind of closeness and trust is essential to spiritual growth.
Conclusion
The moments where Jesus said, “Follow me” to his earliest disciples marked a special invitation to a specific kind of relationship. We see this within the gospels, and also reflected in the broader historical and religious context of the time.
There is no doubt that for the disciples understood the context of what it meant to accept. Jesus marked the start of an intense, transformative relationship in each of them. And, he’s still accepting disciples and changing lives today.
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