Re:Verse reading—Luke 6:17-45 (day six)
“A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.” -Jesus, Luke 6:40
There is a certainty that Jesus alludes to, that all of us will be like our teacher. It begs the question though, who is our teacher (or what)? Jesus assumes a relationship between disciple and teacher that we are simply not accustomed to, not in the formal sense. We would never describe the teacher/student relationship in this way; the student is interested in knowledge not transformation. But Jesus is saying something different. Whether you are aware of it or not your life tends towards transformation, to become like your teacher. If your teacher is the world, then you will become like the world. If your teacher is the baggage you carry from childhood experiences, then you will embody the very experiences that weigh you down.
J
esus was inviting his disciples into a relationship that would catapult them towards transformation. He was inviting them into a commitment to follow, to love, to listen, to be transformed. He was inviting them to a commitment to one another to follow Jesus together.
So, where or to whom are your commitments? Who is your teacher?
AND FYI, committing to coming to a place every so often, i.e. the church building, or a room where you gather with other people for Bible study, does not lead to being like Jesus, only committing to follow Jesus and to one another will do that.
It is just a common sense: we become who and what we surround ourselves with. We are a direct result of the thoughts of the people that we spend time with and the books that we read. We often hear we are judged by the friends we surround ourselves with!
We tend to get along well with people who think and act like us, don’t we? To some degrees, overtime we will think and act like those we follow. If we are constantly around positive people, we likely will become more positive; in contrast, if we are constantly around negative people, we likely will become more negative! Our attitudes, behaviors and actions can be the direct result of those we spend most of our time with so we can be transformed through their positive or negative influences.
Jesus was a charismatic and a servant leader so His followers should be expected to become like Jesus overtime! Jesus was a transformative teacher so His true followers will definitely be influenced by His teaching. We become who and what we surround ourselves with. I am convinced!