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TALMID: What It Really Means to Follow Jesus
- dktippit3
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
In today’s church culture, we’ve subtly shifted the meaning of the word disciple into something far too casual. We think of it as someone who believes in Jesus, maybe attends church, and tries to be a good person. But the original word—talmid—meant something much deeper, more demanding, and far more beautiful.
A talmid is a student, yes—but not in the modern sense. In first-century Jewish culture, a talmid didn’t just want to know what the rabbi knew. He wanted to be what the rabbi was.
That changes everything.
Follow Me
When Jesus called His first disciples, He didn’t hand them a syllabus or invite them to a class. He said two words: “Follow me.”
That was a radical invitation. Rabbis didn’t usually go around recruiting disciples. Disciples—talmidim—pursued the rabbi, applied to follow him, and hoped they’d be good enough. But Jesus turned that model upside down. He called fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and nobodies. And He invited them not just to learn from Him, but to live with Him. Walk where He walked. Eat where He ate. Sleep where He slept. Watch how He treated people. Listen to how He prayed.
The goal? That they would become like Him.
Covered in the Dust
There’s a Jewish blessing that goes, “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.” I just published an article titled "Covered in Dust or Left Behind? Walking Close with the Rabbi." I’d encourage you to check it out—it takes a deeper dive into this beautiful and challenging Jewish concept. Now back to the blessing. It paints the picture of disciples walking so closely behind their rabbi on dusty roads that the dirt kicked up by his feet would coat their clothes.
That’s how closely a talmid was expected to follow. And that’s the kind of closeness Jesus invites us into.
This isn’t casual Christianity. This isn’t adding a little “Jesus time” into your week or reading the Bible when it’s convenient. This is about orientation—a total reorientation of your identity, your habits, your priorities, and your relationships around one thing: being with Jesus to become like Jesus.
Not Just Knowing—Becoming
Many modern Christians are educated far beyond their obedience. We know Bible verses, we’ve read theology books, we can defend our beliefs—but Jesus never said, “If you know my commands, you’re my disciple.” He said:
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.” (John 8:31)
“If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
Discipleship is not just knowing truth. It’s being transformed by it.
What Does That Look Like Today?
You may be thinking: “But Jesus isn’t physically here for me to follow like they did.” True. But He gave us His Spirit, His Word, and His people.
To be a talmid today means:
You walk in step with the Spirit, moment by moment (Gal. 5:25)
You study the words and ways of Jesus with the aim of becoming like Him
You invite others into your life to help you follow more faithfully
You obey even when it’s hard, trusting that the life He offers is better than the one you’re leaving behind
In his book Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer breaks it down even more simply:
Be with Him,
Be like Him, and
Do like Him.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about pursuit. We fall, we get back up. We drift, we refocus. But our hearts are set on Him.
Let’s Not Settle for Less
There are too many believers who love the idea of Jesus but don’t live as His talmidim. We’re called to more. Not more pressure. Not more performance. But more presence.
More of Jesus.
So here’s the question we all need to ask:
Am I following closely enough to be covered in the dust of my Rabbi?
Let’s not settle for admiration when we’re called to imitation.
Let’s follow Him—not from a distance, but step for step, word for word, day by day.
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Let’s walk the road together.
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