Monday, October 14, 2013

Yes...He WAS a great teacher!!! Still IS!!!

This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7-9

Many Christians bristle at the notion expressed by many who are not of the Christian faith that
Jesus was a great teacher. Obviously those who do not accept Jesus as the Son of God and their
savior are missing some rather profound concepts, but that does not take away from the fact that
our Lord and Savior was and is a Great Teacher!

I come to this from the perspective of a retired teacher, and I can tell you that above and beyond my
love for Jesus is the realization that this God/man could really teach! 

The passage above is the famous incident where a woman found in adultery is brought before Jesus
in the temple by a crowd of Jewish leaders who demand that the Law of Moses be followed and that
she be stoned. No Miranda rights, here. She's not going to lawyer-up. She's in big trouble.

In this passage that was added later to the original manuscripts, one can see the brilliance of
His teaching techniques on display. Timing is very crucial, here. He calms the rush to judgment by
kneeling down and writing something on the ground. We've seen this precious Savior's willingness
to kneel down before, taking a position of humility and servitude despite the fact that He is, and
claims to be, the Son of God. He is seen by the Jewish leaders as below them in station, and having
nothing to prove, assumes a posture in opposition to their haughty self-perceptions. He
writes on the ground to move the focus, slow things down. Then, upon rising, He challenges them
to throw the first stone only if they are sinless. One by one they walk away, stones dropped, in
response to words that were both true and perfect for the situation. Rather than rebuke the 
woman, he sends her on with the challenge that she change her life.

When I taught, there were several evaluations done by principals, formal and informal, that were
written up and added to one's personnel folder. Jesus was unorthodox in His methods, He
came to be with those who weren't the best students or people, He was empathetic, could
be direct and challenging, was eloquent with words,  loved His students with His heart...I could go on. The point is that His teaching evaluation would have been outstanding. I don't believe
that he earned education degrees from Ohio State University, but I believe He was a
wonderfully effective teacher. We are all His students, all of us who love Him and His words
so very very much! Teach us each day, blessed Jesus!



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