It is enough for the disciple that he becomes like his teacher...for no disciple is above his teacher. The context for this saying by Jesus is obviously the mistreatment and misunderstandings that a disciple encounters in his/her mission mainly because of the nature of the gospel message he/she is sent to proclaim. It is something that comes with the mission. As we heard in yesterday’s Gospel passage, as Jesus commissioned the twelve for ministry, he wanted them to be aware of the nature of their mission. He did not want them to be caught unawares. However, when Jesus made the above statement, he intended it as an encouragement to his disciples. He wanted them to be encouraged in the knowledge that there is no hurdle they will encounter that they will not be able to overcome, for the hurdle of all hurdles had been overcome by Jesus.
Jesus was rejected by his people and dismissed by the religious leaders as a possessed lunatic. Jesus was misunderstood even by the closest of his relatives and would later be betrayed by one of his own. And as if the betrayals and rejections were not enough, he was executed as a criminal at the instigation of the very people who had cheered him on as he worked mighty signs in their midst. A disciple of Jesus who takes his discipleship seriously will without a question undergo the test by fire as Jesus did. This is because the Christian message is counter-cultural.
The Christian message was counter-cultural in the society in which Jesus grew up. It was counter-cultural in the society of the apostolic time. And it remains counter-cultural even today in our own times. Yes, there is a better understanding of what Christianity is now than there was at the time of the apostles, but the resistance that Jesus and his early followers encountered is the same resistance that Christianity faces today. Actually, one can even be bold enough to say that the Christian message meets more resistance in today’s society. The individualistic, materialistic, and consumerist culture that we have today might not have been as prevalent during the times of Jesus and the apostles as it is in the present. Nothing opposes Christian values than these three. Nothing goes against what Christianity proposes than these three. They are vices that have encroached upon individuals and institutions. And many have fallen prey to them so much so that they will go to great lengths to protect them. It takes serious commitment by disciples of Jesus to stand firm and say no to such vices. And it is in the process of advancing Christian values that rejections, mistreatments, and misunderstandings will befall a disciple of Jesus.