Teacher

I come from a family of teachers and my husband is a teacher and well I’m a professor – so teaching runs deep in my veins. Teaching requires preparation, patience, and perseverance. Some of your students appreciate you, some don’t. Sometimes your lessons are great, sometimes they aren’t. But it is totally worth all the hard work and ups and downs when you really connect with some students and help them not just learn the content but become better people. The smile on their faces when they realize they have more than just a “instructor” but a mentor and friend is worth all the hard times.

Jesus knows what it is like to be a teacher. He had students who loved him. Students who didn’t understand His lessons. Students who ignored him. Students who hated him. Students who hated him but then realized what a great teacher He actually was.

But unlike us human teachers, Jesus was the perfect teacher. His lessons were always perfect. His patience was always perfect. He was prepared for everything situation and question. He persevered through incredibly difficult times and students. His teaching skills were on showcase even when he was a preteen teaching to adults in the temple (LK 2). As an adult, He taught with authority meaning every word He spoke about God was full of confidence and deep knowledge. (MK 1:22). Jesus used a variety of teaching techniques. He knew not one size would fit all students so he told stories that resonated with His audience. He would often use hyperboles and extreme exaggerations to make his point (Matthew 5). He was a poet and used memorable, short catchy phrases to help His students remember like the Golden Rule. Jesus asked follow up questions snd clarification questions and started lessons with questions all to get his students thinking beyond the obvious answer or immediate situation. He used experiential learning and hands on teaching like washing His disciples’ feet or having His disciples pass out all the loaves and dishes or sending them out alone to teach. He used visual aids like pointing to the mountains or fig trees. He used repetition to ingrain His lessons and teachings. Finally, He practiced what he preached. He walked the talk. He lived the lessons.

And even Jesus was the perfect master teacher not every student learned his lessons or appreciated Him. But to those who did, they got to sit at the feet of the Teacher.

Nicodemus understood this – when he came to Jesus he said, “We know you are the Teacher come from God… (John 3:2)

Jesus is the best teacher you’ll ever have. Don’t ignore His lessons. Sit, listen, watch, and learn. Some of His lessons will be hard and some you may not initially understand but that’s okay. Keep listening and asking questions. The Master Teacher will make sure you learn the lessons as long as you keep listening with an ear and a heart to learn.