Jesus, the Master Teacher

Jesus’ death and resurrection are what make salvation possible for us. He came to this world to die for us, but that doesn’t mean he wasted his life. He spent much of it passing on spiritual and moral knowledge and wisdom to those that would listen. One might say he spent his life as a teacher more than anything else. Much of what is written in the gospels focuses on his teachings. Jesus instructed those around him in many ways. Many of the lessons came through parables and metaphors that compared important and complex spiritual concepts to things with which the people could relate. Sometimes he taught through direct confrontation with those that opposed him. Some of his lessons were even delivered as good old fashioned sermons. Jesus’ role as a teacher was so important that he instructed his followers not to look to anyone else to fill the same role.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. – Matthew 23:8-12

Jesus was not telling the people not to consider anyone else a teacher. Of course, everyone in the Faith can benefit from a good teacher, particularly those who are new to the Faith. The difference between Jesus and the teachers that we find at our churches or other outlets in our lives is that those people are teachers of the Word. Jesus was the Word. He was the source of all the teachings, which means he was THE teacher. The best any of us can do is pass on the knowledge that God gave through Him.

One thing Jesus did particularly well was take complicated matters and lessons and boil them down to easily understood sayings. In that, he is very similar to Solomon, and some of his teachings come off as proverbial in nature. Perhaps, the best example of that is the Beatitudes.

He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:3-10

The Beatitudes were part of what is famously referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. In some way, Jesus wraps up what Christianity is all about in this simple set of sayings. A good lesson is one that a student can retain and apply effectively. If you want to know how to live your life in a way that will enable you to please God and be prosperous in him, the Beatitudes tell you how. That’s why they are part of what is considered one of the best lessons in the Bible.

Jesus was like any great teacher. He wanted people to learn. He wanted them to have the truth. When the Pharisees were making things overly complicated and misrepresenting the Law, all so they could maintain their status, Jesus was interacting directly with the people and giving them the information in a way that they could understand it. We, as believers, can do the same. Yes, God has blessed the world with teachers that can more easily understand and better explain the Word than the average person. Those people dedicate their lives to teaching and play an important role in building God’s kingdom, but any one of us is capable of sharing Jesus’ teachings. That’s part of why reading the Bible as a believer is so important. When you understand the lessons that Jesus and his apostles gave, then you can also pass them along to others and help them understand.

 Of course, reading is good for our own spiritual growth too. We can go to church and interact with the teachers sent to us, and that is good. Those people may be able to take Jesus’ teachings and apply them to the unique challenges in a way that we may not have considered. That is certainly a skill that can benefit many in the Faith. However, many of Jesus’ teachings are like the Beatitudes and are timeless and need no further explanation. So why settle for having the Word filtered down to you, when you can get it straight from the source. The Bible is here for all of us, so do yourself a favor, don’t limit yourself to lessons from a teacher when everyone has access to lessons from THE teacher.

Chris Lawyer

Image Courtesy of churchofjesuschrist.org