John 13:13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
Years ago I had a boy in band who was in the percussion section. He did not have the skill necessary to play the snare drum and certainly not any of the mallet instruments (bells, xylophone, etc.) and so he was playing the bass drum. The problem was, he could not keep a beat! At least not a steady one! I tried all sorts of things but nothing worked. Then one day he told me that his family was moving to Florida. I must confess a passing thought of telling the boy, “When you get to your new school and band director, don’t mention my name!”
In John 13 Jesus is in the upper room with His disciples. The great painting of the Last Supper was inspired by this chapter. He is beginning His last words to them. We get a real sense of Jesus’ heart in these chapters.
He has washed their feet, taking on the role of a servant and then utters today’s verse. The disciples called Jesus Teacher and they called Him Lord. They were right to do so, Jesus said. They had ‘declared’ for Him. By calling Jesus Teacher they were saying that He was not just ‘a’ teacher but was ‘their’ teacher. That, then, is saying something about themselves. They are saying that they are His students. More strongly, they are His disciples - His learners.
In the educational world, teaching is only half of the battle. There can be a great teach-er, but unless there are those willing to learn, not much will be accomplished. The disciples were making the case that they were active learners. Later evidence in the rest of the New Testament, supports that claim for all but one - Judas. As they spread out over the world of their day, Jesus was happy to have them refer to themselves as a student of Jesus. It was more than a self-identification. Everything about their lives supported their claims.
Is that how it is in our lives? Do we call Jesus Teacher implying that we are His learners - His disciples? More importantly, does everything about my life support the claim that I am a student of Jesus? Can I have a level of confidence that Jesus is not concerned about me going throughout my day and throughout my life claiming that He is my teacher? I can if I also call Him Lord.
When Jesus is Lord it means that He is on the throne and I am not. It means that I embrace the things He taught that make me happy and I embrace the things He taught that cause me concern. It means I forgive those who purposely wrong me. It means I love the unlovable. It means I do what He says!
Some day we will see Him. He has told us that He will either say, “Who are you?” Or He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” I am living for the latter!
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
