37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Read Luke 6:37-42 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
When hearing the word parable, I usually think of a story or other narrative type of illustration. However, I wonder if those in the first century had a broader definition of this concept, because in one of Jesus’ famous sermons, Luke describes Jesus sharing what may be the shortest “parable” I have ever heard.
If I were to figure out where the boundary lines for this parable would be, it may be as short as two simple questions. But just because this parable is short, we shouldn’t confuse it for not being profoundly truthful. Luke tells us that Jesus “also told them this parable: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.’” (v. 39-40)
The parable is really only the two questions in verse 39. The big truth comes in the explanation in the following verse. It is worth noting that Jesus is not picking on or discriminating against those who are physically blind. Instead, He is drawing a metaphor for those who choose to teach and those who choose to learn from a teacher.
This truth says that a teacher is only going to be able to teach up to what they themselves know. It is very important that what the teacher believes to be correct is actually the truth, because if not, then more than just the teacher will end up stumbling and falling.
Like the cliché-disclaimer found in the investment world, just because something has worked one way up to this point does not always mean that it will continue to work the same way. Past performance never guarantees future results – but past performance does imply a similar future result.
However, in today’s world, there are dozens of competing worldviews. Millions of teachers are teaching billions of students to see the world through their frame of reference. But while it’s also cliché to promote this, it is naïve to think that all these worldviews can truly “coexist”.
This candidate for Jesus’ shortest parable may speak to the student more than the teacher. As students living in today’s world, we must make sure our teachers actually can see clearly. We must choose teachers who are not blind to the physical world around them, and who are also not blind to the spiritual world either. Teachers who focus only on one angle or view of life are setting themselves up for disaster.
This may be why Jesus concludes by saying, “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (v. 40)
What would happen if we chose Jesus to be our teacher? While He cannot teach us about today’s technology, what would happen in our lives if we let Him teach us about relationship, character, purpose, mission, love, and forgiveness? Jesus may be the most qualified individual in history to teach us about these subjects, and through these topics, we can find a worldview like none other.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.