Luke 6:40 and the Theme of Likeness Education in the New Testament

Thomas W. Hudgins

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781625642905
  9781498268622
• eBook ISBN:
  9781630872625
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

What does Jesus mean when he says, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but each disciple, after being fully trained, will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40)? This verse has been quoted, cited, and referenced in vast amounts of Christian education and discipleship literature. Nevertheless, the verse is nearly untouched in exegetical discussions with the exception of source-critical analyses. From this verse arises an undeveloped theme in the Gospel of Luke and the New Testament--the theme of likeness education. Using content analysis methodology, Luke 6:40--one of the keystone passages in Christian education literature--serves as the starting point for mining out the theme of likeness education in the New Testament. This study consists of three concentric areas of investigation: (1) Luke 6:40 and its immediate context, (2) Luke-Acts, and (3) the New Testament corpus.

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Introduction

Introduction

Studies concerning the Sermon on the Plain (SOP), Luke’s complement to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (SOM), are primarily entangled in source-critical discussions (i.e., which author used which source and for what reason). Because of the amount of attention given to this interpretive method, less attention has been given to other aspects of biblical interpretation in studies dealing with the SOP, such as lexical, syntactical, structural, and rhetorical analyses. One victim of exegetical neglect is Jesus’s “proverbial maxim”1 concerning the teacher-student relationship (Luke 6:40). It is one of the most important New Testament (NT) texts dealing with Christian education, second only to the Great Commission (Matt 28:19–20).

“An apprentice2 is not above his or her teacher; but each one, after having been fully trained, will be like his or her teacher” (Luke 6:40). This verse has been quoted, cited, and referenced in vast amounts of Christian education and discipleship literature.3 Nevertheless, the verse is nearly untouched in exegetical discussions with the exception of source-critical analyses. These discussions are primarily concerned with (1) where the saying originated, (2) whether Luke’s or Matthew’s form of the saying is original, and (3) how different forms of the saying (see Matt 10:24–25; John 13:16; 15:20) are used in their respective texts.4 Some have even suggested that this verse lacks cohesion with its context, leaving interpreters dumbfounded as to how it functions in the paragraph- and section-levels of the discourse.5

From this verse arises an undeveloped theme in the Gospel of Luke, the theme of likeness education. Jay Adams, commenting on this verse, writes:

Our teaching must be of the sort that the Lord commanded. And it calls for great care, because as He once said, “When he is fully trained, the disciple will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). Please note, Jesus did not merely say “think” like his teacher, but “be” like his teacher. Holistic teaching takes place whether we know it or not, whether we like or not. We cannot avoid it. That is why it is important to be sure that we know what is being taught by our lives, as well as our lips. Any dichotomy between the two is false and unbiblical.6

Whatever likeness education is, it involves more than mere cognition. Joe Aldrich, referring to the importance of Luke 6:40 in evangelism, echoes Adams’s comments: “Notice it doesn’t say ‘he will know what his teacher knows.’ He will be like his teacher—good or bad, beautiful or ugly.”7 The goal in discipleship is not to know what Jesus knows. Instead, as Lawrence O. Richards writes, the goal is “likeness to his person.”8 Transformation into this likeness requires audial and visual instruction in the things that make Jesus who he is—his life, attitude, values, emotion, commitment, etc.9 Other writers have referred to research in the area of mentoring/modeling, citing Luke 6:40 as one of the foundational texts. For example, Bill Donahue and Greg Bowman say that research in leadership has validated the words of Jesus:

[Studies] confirm that in about thirty-six months, the people you lead will very closely reflect who you are. A loving teacher will produce loving disciples. A joyful teacher typically has disciples who are filled with joy. The sobering aspect of this principle is that it works whether the values and practices the teacher models are good or bad. Therefore, it is critical that you model the right pattern of living for your leaders.10

These statements seem fair and accurate. Nevertheless, an in-depth analysis of the text in its context will ensure accurate application. For example, was Jesus using a general principle and applying it positively or negatively in Luke 6:40? Was it directed only for his disciples, or was he directing such statements at the crowds, or perhaps even the Pharisees? Did this saying have a revealing-concealing nature as Jesus’s parables did elsewhere?11 Or, is Jesus teaching sagaciously, either using a proverb creatio ex nihilo or using a maxim common in Greco-Roman/Judaic first-century Palestine?

An analysis of Luke 6:40 is only the place to begin. Like Matthew’s Gospel, Luke’s Gospel was designed for discipleship, particularly in the regions where Paul had preached and taught the gospel.12

Statement of the Problem

This study attempts to develop the theme of likeness education in the NT through lexical, syntactical, structural, rhetorical, and theological connections to Luke 6:40 and its immediate context. The aim is to answer the question “What is likeness education...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Likeness Education in Luke 6:40 and Its Context
• Chapter 3: Likeness Education in Luke-Acts
• Chapter 4: Likeness Education in the New Testament
• Chapter 5: Conclusion
• Appendix 1: Outline of Acts
• Appendix 2: Jesus’s Prayers in John
• Bibliography