Disciples, Servants And Friends

by Toms, A. F. | Category: General | Oct 1978

"Ye call Me, Master, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am" (John 13:13).

So said the Lord Jesus to His disciples the evening before He died. He had gone around that little group of men, to each one in turn, and washed their feet, and then He sat down and spoke to them. He had teaching for them that evening which reached into the very depths of their beings, and which would affect the remainder of their lives. He was their Master and Lord. That they acknowledged eagerly. He was that by their own deliberate choice. They would not have had it otherwise. And they in turn were His disciples and servants.

Disciples

"A disciple is not above his master, nor a servant above his lord" (Matt. 10:24). Disciples therefore stand related to Christ as Master, and servants to Him as Lord. The word "disciple" has its root in the Greek word manthano, to learn, and is used of a person who follows another's teachings. John the Baptist had his disciples and so had the Pharisees. And when the Lord Jesus began His teaching He called men to follow Him. He was the Master, or Teacher, as the word is more correctly translated. He instructed their minds and they followed His teaching, thus becoming His disciples. "If ye abide in My word, then are ye truly My disciples" (John 8:31) He said to the Jews which had believed Him. We can see clearly then that a person may believe in the Lord Jesus for salvation and yet fail to become His disciple. Discipleship involves obeying His word, which in turn draws a person after Him. That is important, for it is not merely a doctrine which a disciple learns, but a Person. "Ye did not so learn Christ" (Eph. 4:20) wrote Paul to the Ephesians, and that word "learn" is manthano again. The heart that is gripped by Christ has no desire for anything else but to follow after Him.

Servants

Discipleship leads to service. The two are closely connected. "A disciple is not above his master, nor a servant above his lord". Doulos, bondservant, is the word used. Mr Vine says that it does not always carry the thought of bondage, but definitely of subjection. The servant is subject to his lord. If discipleship has to do with the mind, receiving the instruction of the teacher, service has to do with the will, bowing to the authority of the lord. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me" (Matt. 11:29) He said. The oxen under a yoke have learned to bow to the will of another. Both service and discipleship are in view in this verse, the servant bowing to the yoke and the disciple learning of Him. We repeat that they are very closely connected, for every disciple follows in order to serve. "If any man serve Me, let him follow Me" (John 12:26). We note carefully the order. Following first, then serving. Some wish to serve who are not prepared to follow Him in all His teaching, and we would simply remark in passing that they do not learn that from the Scriptures.

"Ye call Me Master, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am". God has made Him Lord (see Acts 2,36) and those who follow His word; so that He is truly Master, and who bow to His will, so that he is truly Lord, do well indeed, for that is the great purpose of God for our lives. The implication of what the Lord had lo say in that upper room was far-reaching, for when He had washed their feet and sat down, He said "I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you" (John 13:15). "If I then, the Lord and the Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet" (verse 14). "A servant is not greater than his lord" and if the Lord and Master bowed to the menial tasks we should do the same. Peter never forgot the lesson, nor did the others. Neither must we. "Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another" (1 Pet. 5:5). And to that instruction Paul adds, "through love be servants one to another" (Gal. 5:13). Love and humility are two of the primary requirements in those who would follow such a Master and serve such a Lord.

Friends

Before the teaching of that memorable evening was concluded the Lord Jesus used another term to describe the relationship to Him of those men who had companied with Him. He said "Ye are My friends, if ye do the things which I command you" (John 15:14). It is a term of endearment, coming from the same root as phileo, to love, to have affection. It is a friendship based on love. "The servant knoweth not what his lord doeth". He obeys without asking the reason why. But friends share secrets. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him

A delightful illustration of this truth is found in Abraham's life, for "he was called the friend of God" (Jas. 2:23). And before God acted in judgement He said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?" (Gen. 18:17).

All friendships have to be cultivated. And this friendship with the Lord Jesus is no exception. It deepens as love grows. "Even as the Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you" He said, "abide ye in My love" (John 15:9). Then He added, "If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love" (verse 10). These are two remarkable statements, each containing an "even as". In the first case His love for us is likened to His Father's love for Him, and in the second, that as His abiding in His Father's love depended upon His keeping His Father's commandments, even so our abiding in His love depends upon our keeping His commandments. Let us allow that word to sink deeply into our hearts, for so much depends upon our obedience. The richest experiences of Christian life offered to those who are prepared to keep His word. "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My word: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him" (John 14:23). The Father and the Son making Their abode in our hearts! Could anything this side of heaven be sweeter or grander than that?

Disciples, servants, friends, and each standing related to our Lord Jesus. He is Teacher and Lord, Lover and Friend, calling us to Himself in a relationship which deepens as love grows and reveals itself in increasing obedience to His word. Surely the importance of obedience cannot be over-stressed!

Toms, A. F. | Oct 1978
General