Articles
Learners
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated as learn is [lâmad, law-mad'], whose primitive root has meaning of a goad, or prod, with the implication being an incentive. In other words, learning is what motivates us to live as we do, and act as we do. On a related note, in the New Testament, it is significant to note that the Greek word translated as disciple is [math-ay-tes'], which simply means a learner. In other words, if you are disciple, you are a learner. If we stop and think about it, what God is telling us is that we should be learners of Him and His ways, and what we learn should motivate us to live according to what we have learned.
The idea of disciples being learners should come as no surprise to those who know the Scriptures; we know well the plea of our Lord, who said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me” (Matt. 11:28, 29). Those who come to Him are those who want to learn of Him; that is, they want to learn about Him and they want to learn from Him. That is what disciples do!
But this isn't the only time Jesus made a plea for others to learn of Him. In fact, it is actually something Jesus does all throughout His earthly ministry. Whether directly or indirectly, Jesus in His teaching often pointed to the need for disciples to be true disciples — learners — and to exemplify the meaning of what true discipleship really is, and what it should look like, because the world is watching.
For example, when Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24), He was talking about the need to sacrifice self and follow Him by (1) heeding His instruction and (2) imitating His example. To do either, it requires us to first deny self; we cannot continue following our own will and those old fleshly desires we once pursued (cf. Eph. 2:1-3). We have to learn a new way.
When Paul wrote the disciples in Ephesus, he reminded them, “you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ” (Eph. 4:17-20). That way of life he had just described may have been how they once lived, but they did not learn it from Jesus! They had learned a new way!
The reality is, we become His disciples when we learn that new way, and we learn this new way by listening to the instruction of our Master, Jesus Christ. When Jesus sent the apostles out to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19), He told them they should go, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). That only makes sense because a disciple, by definition, is "a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another." By its definition, one cannot claim to be His disciple if he or she is unwilling to observe [heed; obey] His doctrine, or teaching. Far too many times, that is the kind of 'disciple' we see in this country; the claim is made to be His disciple, but His doctrine is not observed; sometimes it is not even known or understood!
We cannot be ignorant of the teachings of Jesus and honestly call ourselves His disciples, or learners. We cannot reject His teachings — either in part or as a whole — and honestly claim to be His disciples, or learners. We cannot know His teachings expertly but refuse to implement them in our own lives or live by those teachings and honestly claim to be His disciples, or learners. Friends and brethren, learning is much more than simply acquiring knowledge; it must also include implementation of the knowledge we have acquired.
Which brings us to the next part of what is required of us when following Jesus: following His example. You see, Jesus did not merely give perfect instruction to mankind; He also lived a life worthy of imitation. Here was a man who “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15); He is worthy of following and imitating! This is the one who could honestly and without reservation tell His disciples, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). This is the one whom Peter said, “suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21).
The reality is, there is no part of the life of Jesus that is not worthy of our imitation; in fact, if we are to be His disciples, His entire life example is exactly what we should be striving for. Paul reminds us the aim of the church is to “come…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Our aim, as disciples, is to become just like Him! And that, brethren, is exactly what Jesus said: “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master” (Matt. 10:25). John echoed this when he wrote, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6).
So, if we claim to be His disciples — those who are learning of Him — then our task is set before us; we must learn His teachings, implement them into our lives, obey them, and then teach them to others; and we must follow His example in all that we say and do. To be able to do learn His teachings, we must be constantly going to the source to be reminded of those teachings, since none of us has perfect knowledge, or even perfect memory; we must be immersed in His word and hide it in our hearts (cf. Psa. 119:11) that we do not fall. We must be diligent in our efforts to properly interpret and apply it (2 Tim. 2:15) so we are approved by Him and not just self-approved.
And to be able to follow His example, we must likewise learn His example, and the only way we can do that is by a serious and continuous study of God's word, where we find the record of His life and teachings. We cannot simply make some faddish statement, "What would Jesus do?" and then make up our own answers; we must ask the question and then seek the answer where it is found: in the Bible. What did Jesus do? Learn about the life He lived by examining the Scriptures and then considering the context in which those examples are found. By doing so, we will understand why He did what He did, and why He didn't do other things that might have been expected of Him (Ex., John 8:1-11). It is not enough to know what He did; we must also know why.
As disciples, we are indeed learners, for our earthly life will be spent learning all we can about the one who came to this earth and died for the worst of sinners. Why did He leave heaven? Why did He take on human form? Why did He face temptations? Why did He endure such suffering and the death on the cross? Why was He raised up? What does He expect of those who follow Him?
Learning of Christ may not win you recognition or awards from men, but it will put you in good standing with the Judge. I recommend learning of Christ now, so we don't have to learn the hard way — when it is too late. — Steven Harper
