Many, many people today claim to be followers of Jesus. Few, however, know what that really entails. In order to understand what being a follower, or a disciple of Jesus really means, one must understand the culture which surrounds it. (Acknowledgement: Most of this material comes from teachings by Ray VanderLaan, and subsequent research).

In Jewish society, there were two kinds of rabbis. First, there were the "Torah teachers," or, as the New Testament says, "teachers of the Law." These teachers would teach in the following manner:

1) It is written: biblical verse.
2) According to: rabbi,