“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.”
Matthew 23:8
This may be a news flash to you: Jesus was viewed as a Rabbi—at least by His disciples. The following are some examples in Scripture. Nathanael called Jesus Rabbi the first time he saw Him (John 1:49). Peter called Jesus by this name on the Mount of Transfiguration and later near the withered fig tree (Mark 9:5, 11:21). The same is true for the blind man who was healed in Mark 10:51. Judas called Jesus by this title before and as he betrayed Him (Matthew 26:25, 49).
The Hebrew and Greek meaning of this word is “teacher”, with the Hebrew being even more specific, “my teacher”. Does this not make sense that He has this title? The New Testament is full of His teachings to the people of His day and, subsequently, to us. He is our teacher, so we are to follow Him closely and “do life” with Him, just as the disciples did.
It is interesting to note some of the ways that rabbis teach their students. One of the methods is by asking questions. This encourages thought, study, and dialogue among the followers. In one short passage alone (Mark 8:14–21) Jesus asked the disciples eight questions.
Rabbis also teach through parables, and boy, Jesus shared a lot of parables! Matthew 13 alone is full of them, such as the Parable of the Sower, the Mustard Seed and the Yeast, and the Hidden Treasure with the Pearl.
Look through the Gospels and discover for yourself the pervasiveness of these two methods. Sometimes I wish Jesus would just be direct and cut through the questions and figurative language, but that’s just my laziness talking.
Jesus is our Rabbi. He is our one Teacher. In the passage mentioned at the beginning, Christ cautioned the teachers of the law and the Pharisees of His day against taking titles out of pride. I have been convicted by this.
In my own life and ministry, I have been ordained, so technically I have the title of Reverend. If you know me, however, you have never heard me ask to be called this—except in settings where I’m joking with friends. The focus of our lives should not be on us, but on the one true Rabbi, Jesus. When people see us, they should see Him. For many of the lost, we may be the only Jesus they ever see. So, let’s reflect our Teacher by living according to His teachings.