οὐκ ἔστιν μαθητὴς
ὑπὲρ τὸν διδάσκαλον· κατηρτισμένος δὲ πᾶς ἔσται ὡς ὁ διδάσκαλος αὐτοῦ.[1]
(Matt. 6:40)
A disciple is not above the teacher; but everyone being
fully trained will be like his teacher. (my translation)
Three very important truths stand out in this text. The
first one is that it is impossible for the disciple to be above His teacher.
The second is that disciples are to undergo intense, goal-oriented training.
The third thing is that the disciple is to be like his teacher. The manner in
which Christianity is described in much of the world falls far short of the
profound truths revealed in the words of Jesus located in Matthew 6:40. For
many self-professed Christians, the lifestyle requires very little by way of
effort. True, being inducted into the Christian group is entirely a work of God
in the act we call regeneration. However, the fruit of that work of God could
not be more intense, more serious, or more radical in terms of its impact on
the individual’s thinking, speaking, and over-all behavior in every single
aspect of their new life. The induction into the Christian group is so radical,
Scripture refers to it as being “born again.”
In the third chapter of John, Jesus is having an extended
exchange with one of the spiritual leaders of Israel, Nicodemus. Jesus began
His conversation by asserting that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he
is born again! The idea is indeed a radical one. The modern presentation of “becoming
a Christian” is essentially a man-made substitute for God’s induction into the
Christian group. Modern pastors teach people to walk down an isle, say a
prayer, receive baptism, sign a card and now you are a Christian. After this
event, you proceed along with life without much of anything really changing.
There is very little biblical inquiry if any at all. Almost no change in how
one reasons. Very little modification of behavior or, as Scripture calls it,
mortification of sin. In addition, very few take the Bible that seriously
getting off on the notion that no one is perfect, everyone sins, God loves us
and is gracious, so why bother. John called people inducted into the Christian
group literally, “ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν”
“born of God.” Becoming a Christian is not simply a decision one makes from
their own will. That kind of thinking produces little more than a
self-righteous moralism that ends up relying on a god that doesn’t even exist. The
only way anyone can genuine become part of the Christian group is if God
regenerates their heart and births them in a divine act that is both mysterious
and glorious at the same time. This divine act of regeneration has serious
implications for anyone who has been privileged enough to experience it. What
these implications? I am glad you asked.
First, to be a disciple involves complete and entire
submission to Christ in all things. Christ resides over the disciple for as
long as he lives. The disciple willing submits to the teachings, imperatives,
and values of his teacher. Failure to do so represents an open departure from
being a disciple of that particular teacher. For the man who thinks that God
understands his weakness for other women outside his marriage, discipleship is
not an option and regeneration clearly has not occurred. This is not to say
that a Christian cannot fall into temptation and sin. We can and we do. But the
mindset of the disciple about sin is far different from that of the false
disciple. The true disciple repents of his wicked behavior trusting in God’s mercy
to forgive and His grace to help resist future temptations. The false disciple
makes excuses about his sin and refuses to repent. He will argue that God
understands that he is human and has weaknesses and loves him regardless. He
will point to others who sin as an excuse. He will do everything but recognize
his own sin, and hate it enough to forsake it. In doing so, he elevates himself
above the teachings, imperatives, and values of his teacher. This is something
Jesus said explicitly that a disciple cannot do. In other words, when a person
behaves in this manner, they are admitting that they are not actually a
disciple. They say they are because it sounds really cool to be part of the Christian
group.
The second and radically profound impact that being a
disciple has on an individual is the intense training they must endure. Jesus
used the word καταρτίζω, which carries the idea of being put in a condition
to perform well, to out in order, restore. It means to make something
completely adequate or sufficient for a particular task, to furnish completely,
to cause to be fully qualified. The word is translated “mending” in Matt. 4:21
where James and John are said to have been “mending their nets.” A fishing net
has to meet certain standards in order to perform its function of catching
fish. James and John were working to get the nets back up to standard. In Rom.
9:22 the word καταρτίζω is translated “prepared” in Paul’s comments about the
vessels of wrath. In 2 Cor. 13:11 it is translated complete and in Ga. 6:1 it
is translated restore. The idea is that Jesus has a state in mind for every
disciple and in order to reach that state, training is essential. The word
indoctrination has fallen on hard times in our era, but it is an excellent
description of what it means to become a Christian, a disciple of Christ.
Everything must change when you are inducted into the body of Christ, the Christian
group. It is true that as the mind goes, so goes behavior. Paul commands the Roman
church not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed. The disciple
forsakes all for Christ, even his or her most intimate relationships may
evaporate as a result of these new found values. Believers must be prepared for
such consequences of being inducted into the Christian group. This preparation
takes place in training at church, in small groups, and above all, in one on one
discipleship relations. Discipleship training is radical and intense. It turns
everything upside down on its head, beginning with how we think. The
transformation Paul commands comes through a renewal of the mind. We find the
word metamorphous n the word translated “transform” in this text. The disciple
goes through a complete metamorphous. In the beginning, she looks like one
thing. By the time she reaches the end of the cycle, she looks entirely
different. Think about how the butterfly changes its appearance through a complete
metamorphous. There is no resemblance whatever between the final stage and the
beginning stage. Paul says we are to make this metamorphous through a renewal
of the mind. This word renewal, which is the word ἀνακαινώσει, means to cause something to
become new and different, with the implication of becoming superior. The reason
superiority comes into view is because we move from thinking like fallen,
sinful, self-absorbed humans to thinking like Christ. We adopt the mind of
Christ on all matters, submitting to Him as His disciple. This radical new way
of reasoning, of thinking produces radical new values and even impacts our
emotions. In short, it changes how we look at and interpret the world at the
most fundamental levels.
Finally, being trained to be a disciple of Jesus has, as it’s basic goal,
to make us like Jesus. The disciple is not above his teacher, but every
disciple, having been fully trained, fully equipped, will be like his teacher.
We are to become like Jesus in this world. Paul says, “But we have the mind of
Christ.” 2 Cor. 2:16. As the Father loves the Son and the Son loves us, so we
are to love one another. Just as the Father and Son are one, so too are we to
be one. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. We are to embrace,
love, submit, propagate and defend the truth. The goal of every disciple is to
be just like his teacher. When we are tempted to reject our Lord’s commands and
values, we must remember that we are not simply deciding to reject one aspect
of our Master. Rather, we are deciding not to be his disciple. Judas did not
reject everything Jesus said. There were a great many things he received and
practiced. But he did not receive everything Christ taught about Himself. When
a man thinks he can cut out this teaching or ignore that value and still be a
disciple of Christ, he deceives himself. When Christians think they can divorce
on a whim and that God understands, they reveal that Christ’s values, and hence
Christ Himself means very little to them. Being a part of the Christian group,
a disciple of Christ, has far reaching implications to every aspect of our
life. We think differently. We see the world differently. We interpret reality
differently. Our priorities change. In short, everything changes. The disciple is
not above His teacher, therefore he cannot change the teachings or values of
his teacher. The disciple is one who is being trained toward a very specific
state. This state is a state of Christlikeness. Every disciple who is fully
trained will be like his teacher. There is no such thing as a disciple who is
NOT in training.
[1]
Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Matthew Black et al., The Greek New Testament, 4th ed. (Federal Republic of Germany:
United Bible Societies, 1993), 174.
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