Sometimes when I read the Bible I have one of those “a-ha, ouch, oh dear, help me Lord, thanks” moments. Often it can be something I’ve read loads of times and yet something contained in it seems to leap out in a way I haven’t noticed before.
So that’s one of the moments I had the other day as I was reading this:
A disciple is not better than his teacher. But everyone who is fully-trained will be like his teacher. – Luke 6:40
There’s a number of different ways to read that and get some good stuff out of it. It can remind me that I musn’t get arrogant and always need to learn. It can remind me that part of discipleship is teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded. It can encourage me to make sure that I ensure every disciple is fully trained – going on to maturity.
It wasn’t any of those things that caused me to pause as I read it though. It was this thought:
If the people I’m reaching and equipping became like me, would that be a good thing?
Now I know discipleship is about helping people grow up in God and to become like Christ, not a carbon copy mini-me. Therefore I shouldn’t think that my job is be Holy Spirit junior – he is, after all, the one who ultimately guides people into truth.
BUT what would it really be like if people I disciple ended up having the same relationship with God, the same understanding of the gospel and knowledge of his word, the same passion, the same love for God and for people, the same character, the same attitude and practice of serving?
If I’m teaching them, and they were to become like their teacher, would the world be a better place? Would more people be saved, would the church grow, and would God’s kingdom be advanced?
We can look at the people we know – or even at a bigger picture level – the world, the church, the people we know with problems or character issues, but how does any of this actually change? I guess at the end of the day it comes back to what Jesus said (as it usually does) when he says:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? – Matthew 7:3-4
(cue for another a-ha/ouch/oh dear/help me Lord/thanks moment)
