No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
The goal of the disciple is not to himself become the one who is central, preeminent, and in charge. He is not meant to become master in his own right, but ever to remain in service of the master. He ought not seek to surpass the teacher such that he no longer has need of him, but always remain a disciple of the teacher. This cuts against the worldly current of desire for status and position, where we often merely use teachers as a means of self-advancement. When the master of the house was Beelzebul the household is bound to be marked by infighting and division as everyone struggles to get the most they can get and to attain the highest position they can attain. But for disciples of Jesus this ought not be the case. Everyone is meant to avoid "selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" (see Philippians 2:3). Yet Christian disciples are not meant to indulge in a learned helplessness or a perpetual immaturity. They are in fact meant to become like their master. And this is to be no external or superficial resemblance. Rather, it is something that should be true at the deepest metaphysical level of being, as disciples become partakers of the same divine nature (see Second Peter 1:4) which Jesus himself possessed in fullness.
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (see First John 3:2).
So we are not to desire the spotlight, or to usurp the glory of others, and especially not to desire to outgrow our need for Jesus himself. But we nevertheless need to grow, for our own sakes and for the fulfillment of our own deepest desires, and for the sake of others who need us to reflect the light of Jesus to a world in darkness.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
As disciples we are being trained to convey a message to the world. What we first hear and learn is not something that is meant to be concealed, not even if there are dire consequences for revealing it. But rather, what we learn in the darkness we are meant to speak to the world. What we learn from our master through his Church and through the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit needs to be amplified and proclaimed to the world.
Evangelists are qualified not primarily because of our knowledge or skills or courage or confidence but because God himself supplies the qualifications we need. He provides the words that we need to speak, since he alone knows what others need to hear. He himself gives us the courage to do so even when their is a risk to ourselves, whether that risk is failure and hurt feelings, or even if it is the giving of our lives. Martyrdom is not something that is a skill or power of ours, but rather it is a grace given in the moment to those who are called to it. But while we may not be called to be martyrs we can still share in the confidence that made them bold.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
As we become more and more like our master we can become more like him in being secure in our Father's love for us. It was this certainty that Jesus himself possessed that allowed him to endure the cross out of love for his Father and for us. And it is similarly the confidence, which is his gift, that can allow us to truly live for him.
He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
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