The Final Product

The Final Product

Read: Luke 6:37-40

“Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

Luke 6:40

“The making of a disciple means the creating of a duplicate.”

—Juan Carlos Ortiz

IN WORD What is Jesus like? Forget the Hollywood portrayals—they are only guessing about His expressions, movements, and moods. Go back to the text itself. According to His words and deeds, what is He like? He prefers forgiveness over condemnation; He is merciful to those in all sorts of pain; He hates hypocrisy and loves humility; He welcomes those who are honest about who they are and honest about who He is; He does amazing works and encourages His followers to do the same; and He loves the Word of God. There is more we could say, but that’s a good start. And if we call Him Teacher, we are committing to a lot: We must be like Him.

Is that frightening or exciting? If you’re honest, it’s probably some of both. We want to be fully trained, in theory, but if we get a good look at the finished product, we know it’s a different sort of life than we first expected. It’s the life of Jesus: loved for its simplicity and strength, hated for its penetrating truth and radical departure from social norms. But it is a godly life. We want that. We must. We wouldn’t continue in His Word if we didn’t.

IN DEED Did you choose to follow Jesus just to become better or to become new? You may have a clear assumption of what a good Christian is. Scrap it. That’s not necessarily the model Jesus puts before you. He puts Himself before us and says, “This is what you will be like if you continue with Me and allow Me to fully train you. You will be different and you will be good; you will be both loved and hated; and you will be both blessed and crucified.” Do not expect the Teacher to train you toward your own objectives: a comfortable life, exemption from pain, a just-above-average morality. Expect Him to train you for battle and for glory. It’s His divine challenge. Are you up for it?