“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20)
You cannot learn Christ from afar. To learn Christ you must walk with Him. He must be your constant guide; teaching you how to do life His way.
The disciples had a front-row seat on the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:1-3)
Iron sharpens iron. We rub off on those who spend time with us. That can happen in a bad way as well. “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” (Prov. 22:24,25)
Character is not imparted by the laying on of hands. Those who walk with us, who behold us day in and day out, have the greatest opportunity to be as we are.
Walk with angry men, and you will be angry. Walk with wise men, and you will be wise. Walk with Christ, and you will be Christlike. Following Him from afar won’t do you much good.