A pastor, a priest, and a rabbi walk into a bar. The bartender looks up and says, “Is this some kind of joke?”
Get it? A joke? See, it’s just that when all three… usually they… aw, forget it.
As you probably know, I’m a pastor. And I kinda like it. But I’ve been thinking that maybe priests and rabbis have a place, too. Stay with me, I’ll explain. Can we drop the theological connotations for now (I’m a Jesus-follower) to focus on the function of each?
A pastor, quite literally, is a shepherd who cares for the sheep by leading them (his or her congregation).
A priest is an ordained minister with the authority to administer certain rites and sacraments.
A rabbi is a scholar teacher, and in Jesus’ day, a kind of guru who took on followers as students.
After reading these functional definitions, I think I may just be more of a rabbi than a pastor. Weird, huh? As familiar as evangelicals are with their pastors, I think we all need a pastor, a priest, and a rabbi to walk into a bar… uh, our lives. That’s not a joke. We need people in our lives who care enough to lead us. We need people willing to be Jesus with skin on to us. And we need to be taught.
Taking this a step further, I think we’re all called to take on these important roles in some capacity.
We’re all called to take an interest in people’s spiritual well being, taking the lead wherever God calls us. Right? And we’re all ordained by God to live as sacramental channels so that Christ can flow through us into others. Not only that, we’re all called to be students of scripture so we can share the truths of God with people hungry for his reality.
So there you have it: You woke up today a regular Joe, digested this blog post, and now you’re a pastor. A priest. And a rabbi.
Go get ’em.
Just be careful when you walk into a bar.
Cool! Does this mean we can also ask really tough questions of God (rabbi) and live with more discipline and reverence (priest) and encourage others in their faith (pastor)? 😉
No. It means you have to speak in a Brooklyn accent, wear a stiff collar, and smell like the farm.
I walked into a bar once, it caught me square in the forehead. Fortunately I was wearing my sunglasses and they took the worst of it.
Great insight, Brad. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Rob.
For most of my life I’ve enjoyed the intimate presence of God. For most of my life I’ve stopped here, selfishly hoarding this immeasurable privilege. I shirked off the great responsibility that comes with great power. I am called to be a pastor, priest and rabbi to the people in my life. Every Christian has this calling. “We are a chosen people. A kingdom of priests, Gods Holy nation, His very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light” 1 Peter 2:9 Just imagine what our world could look like if we didn’t stop short most of the time? We could show others the goodness of God.
Preach it! I’m with you all the way.
i dont get that joke yet what do u mean if its some kind of joke i never got that joke can you tell me…usually they what?????
Carlos, usually when the line goes “A Pastor, a Priest, and a Rabbi walk into a bar,” that’s a signal that what’s to come is a joke. Which means that the bartender in the cartoon realizes he must be in a joke. 🙂