Fully trained
“A pupil is not above his not above his teacher, but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40
Fully trained – A perfect fit! The idea behind this Greek word (katertismenos) is to be shaped so that you are completely adjusted and fit for a purpose. When Jesus trains us, it is always for His purposes and our benefit. He makes the perfect fit.
How many training sessions have you attended? How many courses in school, lessons in church, lectures and seminars have you gone to? How many times have you gone away thinking, “What was that all about?” or “What purpose did that serve”? A one-time class, a once heard sermon or one course doesn’t do much to make us perfectly adjusted to serve our destiny. Jesus had a different approach to training. It was called discipleship. It meant pouring his life into the lives of twelve other men, every day for three years. It was the “living, eating, sleeping, walking, talking, watch how I do things” method of training. And at the end of those three years, Jesus said, “I have given you everything that you need to know. Now you go out and do what I did.”
Few of us take on this kind of training responsibility. We would rather send our employees to a short course in sales strategies, or tell our children to read a book, or show a video to the Bible study class. But the real purpose of training is to do what Jesus did – to lead someone else in the way of the Master. Training is making a commitment to pour your life into someone else’s life.
Did you notice that Jesus said, “after he has been fully trained”? The real goal of training is to alter life. It is an activity of mutual commitment – teacher and pupil. Jesus came from an oriental culture where the bond between master and pupil was much more than course work. It was life work.
In order to lead like Jesus, you must be in training yourself. It is training that will last a lifetime. But others can follow in your footsteps only if you are following in His. Make a commitment to become fully trained. Then you will be a perfect fit.
