Our paragraph topic is: (Disciple not above his teacher) Part 1.
We begin our new paragraph with the relationship between pupil and teacher, between servant and master. Christ tells his disciples, "No disciple is above his teacher." Christ has given his disciples great training. He has taught them many things about doing battle with the dark forces that they will face. And his disciples have become great learners in absorbing that information and putting it to practice. They now see the authority that Christ has given to them. They are aware of the great power that he has assigned to them for this solo journey that they will make to preach the message of the kingdom to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Christ gives them this last bit of information so that they will come to know who they are. A disciple is a pupil, a follower, a person who adheres to the teachings of the teacher. The meaning of the word disciple is one who holds to the teachings of his instructor. To call oneself a disciple of a teacher means that one comes to believe in, one holds to, to accept the teachings of the teacher. If one thinks that the teachings are not acceptable then one does not hold to those teachings and does not consider himself/herself a disciple. Christ makes this profound statement here to demonstrate to his disciples that they are pupils if they are accepting of his teachings. They are followers if they hold to the doctrines that he has given them. And that simple fact puts them under his teachings, not above the teacher.
When a follower does not accept the teachings of the teacher he puts himself above the teacher in believing that the teachings are in error, incorrect, wrong, without merit. Yet to be a disciple means that one puts oneself under the teachings of a teacher, one accepts the principles taught by the teacher, one comes under the teacher. Therefore a pupil is not above his teacher, a disciple is not above his instructor, a follower is not above the one that he follows. If you call yourself a disciple then you adhere to the teachings of the teacher and you are under the instructor. Christ further illustrates his meaning by stating, "Nor is the servant above his master."
With this statement he makes the same profound point that if one is a servant then one is below his master and not above him. It seems an obvious statement. But if we think about the consequences of the statement we can find clarity. If there is to be a servant, one who is to serve, then there must be a master, one to whom the servant serves. There must be one above to whom the servant serves. If the disciples, who are pupils of the teacher, are to serve the people then they must serve at the request of one greater than themselves. Just as there is a pupil/teacher relationship there is also a servant/master relationship. One is above the other and the other is below the one.
These are the roles that the person who calls himself a disciple accepts and holds to. The position of serving is a position of great humility. One can accept the position of serving but that aspect of serving being below a master comes as a shock today. In our times of political and social, and religious freedoms and liberties, one would with difficulty find oneself accepting of a master/servant position. And yet one does not exist without the other. If one is to serve, one is a servant. And being a servant one has a master that one comes under. No one wants to be a servant lorded over by a master. The idea brings to mind bondage. Yet Christ came to earth to serve. He was born that he may serve all men. He gave his life for this service. And his father in heaven was his master whom he accepted as being under. Can we as servants and followers of Christ accept his teaching that, "No disciple is above his teacher, nor is the servant above his master."
We begin our new paragraph with the relationship between pupil and teacher, between servant and master. Christ tells his disciples, "No disciple is above his teacher." Christ has given his disciples great training. He has taught them many things about doing battle with the dark forces that they will face. And his disciples have become great learners in absorbing that information and putting it to practice. They now see the authority that Christ has given to them. They are aware of the great power that he has assigned to them for this solo journey that they will make to preach the message of the kingdom to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Christ gives them this last bit of information so that they will come to know who they are. A disciple is a pupil, a follower, a person who adheres to the teachings of the teacher. The meaning of the word disciple is one who holds to the teachings of his instructor. To call oneself a disciple of a teacher means that one comes to believe in, one holds to, to accept the teachings of the teacher. If one thinks that the teachings are not acceptable then one does not hold to those teachings and does not consider himself/herself a disciple. Christ makes this profound statement here to demonstrate to his disciples that they are pupils if they are accepting of his teachings. They are followers if they hold to the doctrines that he has given them. And that simple fact puts them under his teachings, not above the teacher.
When a follower does not accept the teachings of the teacher he puts himself above the teacher in believing that the teachings are in error, incorrect, wrong, without merit. Yet to be a disciple means that one puts oneself under the teachings of a teacher, one accepts the principles taught by the teacher, one comes under the teacher. Therefore a pupil is not above his teacher, a disciple is not above his instructor, a follower is not above the one that he follows. If you call yourself a disciple then you adhere to the teachings of the teacher and you are under the instructor. Christ further illustrates his meaning by stating, "Nor is the servant above his master."
With this statement he makes the same profound point that if one is a servant then one is below his master and not above him. It seems an obvious statement. But if we think about the consequences of the statement we can find clarity. If there is to be a servant, one who is to serve, then there must be a master, one to whom the servant serves. There must be one above to whom the servant serves. If the disciples, who are pupils of the teacher, are to serve the people then they must serve at the request of one greater than themselves. Just as there is a pupil/teacher relationship there is also a servant/master relationship. One is above the other and the other is below the one.
These are the roles that the person who calls himself a disciple accepts and holds to. The position of serving is a position of great humility. One can accept the position of serving but that aspect of serving being below a master comes as a shock today. In our times of political and social, and religious freedoms and liberties, one would with difficulty find oneself accepting of a master/servant position. And yet one does not exist without the other. If one is to serve, one is a servant. And being a servant one has a master that one comes under. No one wants to be a servant lorded over by a master. The idea brings to mind bondage. Yet Christ came to earth to serve. He was born that he may serve all men. He gave his life for this service. And his father in heaven was his master whom he accepted as being under. Can we as servants and followers of Christ accept his teaching that, "No disciple is above his teacher, nor is the servant above his master."
