The Vocation of Student

By Seminarian Bryan Wolfmueller

In order to understand the vocation of student properly, one must first look at the vocation of child. Our understanding of what it means to be a child comes from the Fourth Commandment. In His wisdom God has chosen to use parents to create children. Everyone reading these words came from a father and a mother; everyone reading these words has the vocation of child, and as a child you must serve and obey your parents. For the Christian child, this submission is filled with joy, for we see God hiding in our parents. God has given us our parents for our own good and well being, to protect us, feed and clothe us, and provide us with all good things. God has given us our parents; therefore, we not only serve and obey them, but also give them honor and hold them in love and esteem. We love our parents as our dear Lord Jesus loved His earthly parents, Joseph and the Virgin Mary. Even when our parents fail to do their duty, we must serve them. We must obey them even when we do not feel like doing it or when we lack joy. It is our duty as child.

In His wisdom God has also chosen to use teachers, instructors, and professors to train the young. Such teachers are those other authorities that the Catechism discusses. Most of you reading these words have teachers; so, most of you have the vocation of student. All students owe to their teachers obedience and a willingness to do as they are instructed. For the Christian student this vocation is much more. Your teacher is a mask of God, a place where God hides Himself to serve you. Behind your instructor is God Himself, giving out wisdom, instruction, direction, and every good thing. God gives us these gifts that we might love and serve our neighbor with all that we are taught and given. God has given us our teachers; therefore, we not only serve and obey them, but give them honor and love. The Christian student joyfully sets about his task of learning and studying, reading, writing and thinking, even as our Lord joyfully stayed for days in the temple, "sitting among the teachers, listening, to them and asking them questions" (Luke 2:46 ESV). Even when our teachers fail to do their duty, we must serve them. We must obey them even when we do not feel like doing it or when we lack joy. It is our duty as student.

It might not seem like it at times, but parents and teachers are wonderful gifts from God. God has given us parents to care for us and teachers to train us; but chief among His gifts is His own dear Son, our Redeemer that He has given to save us. All of our failures to serve and obey, to honor and love our parents and teachers are washed away in the flood of our own baptism, and we are given the righteousness of the only Perfect Child and Student, the righteousness of our Lord Jesus.

Bryan Wolfmueller is a second year seminarian at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.