BECOMING LIKE THE MASTER
“The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” Matthew 10:24, 25
In this passage, Jesus is teaching His followers about the reality of persecution and suffering. He was preparing them for hatred and betrayal. In explaining what they would face, Jesus linked our mistreatment to His own. “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.” Of course, we are His disciples and servants; He is our Master and Lord. If they criticized Him, it only stands to reason that His followers would be treated in a similar way. When we face difficulties for His name’s sake, we can take courage in the fact that He has led the way and we are only following in His steps.
In this great passage of Scripture, we find a summation of a significant part of God’s objective for the lives of His children. “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.” The disciple is to be “as his master” and the servant “as his lord.” We are to become like Him. This fact never loses its impact when taken to heart by the sincere Christian. The honest follower of Jesus Christ will always be ready to admit that, in so many ways, we are so unlike Him. And yet, His agenda is to be steadily conforming us to His image, changing us in every imaginable way.
We need to keep our eyes on His purpose. He is not content with simply improving our character or conduct, or making us a little godlier than we once were, or somewhat more spiritual than others. He wants us to be like our Master and as our Lord. He wants to impress the image of His Son on our hearts and our lives. This is a lifelong process. We can know that God is committed to this purpose. Because He is committed to it, He will initiate and design things that will contribute to this goal.
This gives us answers when we sometimes wonder about the things God chooses to allow in our lives. He is the Potter and we are the clay. He is molding us. Because God desires this as our end, we should cooperate with Him. It is our duty to submit to this transformation as He works His will in us. Knowing that God has an objective in our adversity gives us new perspective.