Luke 6:40 and the theme of likeness education in the New Testament.

摘要

The purpose of this research is to investigate what Jesus means when he says, "A disciple is not above his or her teacher; but each one, after being fully trained, will be like his or her teacher" (Lk. 6:40). This verse has been quoted, cited, and referenced in vast amounts of Christian education and discipleship literature. Nevertheless, the verse is nearly untouched in exegetical discussions with the exception of source-critical analyses. From this verse arises an undeveloped theme in the Gospel of Luke and the New Testament—the theme of likeness education.;Chapter 1 identifies the need for an analysis of Luke 6:40. Using content analysis methodology, Lk. 6:40, one of the keystone passages in Christian education literature, serves as the starting point for mining out the theme of likeness education in the New Testament. The study consists of three concentric areas of investigation: (1) Luke 6:40 and its immediate context, (2) Luke-Acts, and (3) the New Testament corpus. Luke 6:40 serves as the common center in this investigation. The research questions are as follows: 1. What is likeness education according to Luke 6:40 and its immediate context? 2. What is likeness education according to Luke-Acts? 3. What is likeness education according to the New Testament corpus? Into what likeness, or, better stated, into whose likeness, should a believer's life be made? And, what does this sort of discipleship involve through the lenses of Jesus' teachings and actions and the remainder of the New Testament?;Chapter 2 contains an analysis of Luke 6:40 in its immediate context. It consists of four parts using a top-down methodology. First is an analysis of the structure of Luke 6:40 and its context from macro- to micro-structure. Second is a lexical analysis of the use of parabol h&d12; in Luke 6:39, which has been the subject of much debate in the conclusion of the Sermon on the Plain and has dumbfounded many as to what it refers. Next, there is an analysis of Luke 6:39b-45 and its four proverbial units followed by an analysis of the final unit in the sermon's conclusion (6:46-49). This analysis concludes with the development of a semantic frame, by which the rest of the Luke-Acts and the New Testament will be analyzed looking for material relevant to likeness education.;Chapter 3 considers likeness education in Luke-Acts as a whole. Before conducting the analysis, a supplementary semantic frame is provided based on 2 Timothy 3:10-11a. Paul tells Timothy, "Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings" (2 Tim. 3:10-11a). In order to have a grid by which to analyze the Gospels and Acts, it is helpful to use these characteristics found in 2 Timothy 3:10-11a as a supplementary code. Before moving into the Gospel and Acts, a brief lexical analysis for each of these words is provided. Then, the codes are applied to the Gospel of Luke and Acts. This is followed by a revised framing code and summary thus concluding the chapter.;Chapter 4 is a survey of these characteristics of likeness education in the writings of the New Testament, particularly the writings of Paul. What sort of conduct does the New Testament present as exemplary conduct becoming of a participant of the New Covenant? What is the type of love that Timothy would have learned from Paul? How were believers to view persecutions and sufferings? All of these are important questions for determining what likeness education is in the New Testament and what sort of continuity exists between the life and person of Jesus to future disciples. In addition to this, the following analysis considers what the New Testament says about who believers will be like after they are fully trained.;To conclude, Chapter 5 provides an overall survey of the research as well as a synthesis of the exegetical results. After offering a summary of the research, an examination of the evidence to identify what likeness education is according to the New Testament follows. Beyond this, some recommendations for future research are considered.;Keywords: The Gospel of Luke, The Sermon on the Plain, Teaching, Jesus, Christian Education, Luke 6:40, Holistic Education, Likeness Education, 2 Timothy 3:10- 11, Discipleship.