The Week in Review

Teaching model of Jesus

Jesus did not allow cultural differences to stand in his way of teaching the important things about the Word of God. Jesus spoke to the woman at the well when this was something not done in his time. This woman had two things against her. She was a woman and she was a Samaritan. The Jews hated the Samaritan people, yet Jesus took the time to offer her an opportunity to hear the things about God. Jesus also used things that the individual would be familiar with and taught lessons using those items. For the woman at the well it was the water. For Nicodemus it was the snake being raised up. He taught that just as they had to look up to live, that all must look up to Jesus to be saved. Jesus also used stories that the people could relate to. He used the everyday things, to teach the deeper things of God. Jesus cared for the individual. Even though he healed the many, he would take the time to interact with individuals one on one.

As a teacher, we must be willing to interact with our students one-on-one to reach them where they are. Jesus taught by example. He was first an example to his disciples before he sent them out into the world. He told them to pray, and then he showed them how it was done. We as teachers cannot expect our students to simply go with what we are saying if it does not line up with what we are doing. We have to be doers of the word first. Jesus asked questions to those around him to make them think. Jesus taught others by asking them questions that made them think about the answers. He also allowed for them to have questions. When the women at the well and Nicodemus asked questions, Jesus took the time to answer those questions. As teachers, we must be willing to answer the questions that come from our students. We must not get upset because they need to ask them as if this is wrong. We should welcome it because as they ask questions it allows them to think more about the information as well as open up new questions to be discovered.
Jesus left the Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth. The Holy Spirit assists us in our walk. Without the Spirit, we cannot grow to be what we need to be. The Holy Spirit is not a by-product or a last result. He is the one that will empower us to learn and to teach. The Holy Spirit equips us to understand the things of God and to be able to teach them to others. Without the Holy Spirit guiding us in our understanding of the Word, we would not be able to teach. The Holy Spirit is important to the learning process. If the Holy Spirit does not work within our hearts, we will not be able to grasp the things of God. So to be an effective teacher, we must pray and open ourselves to knowledge, wisdom and power that is given by God through the Spirit. Yet we cannot forget that no amount of prayer will cover us not being prepared. We therefore have to be a student first under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit and then a teacher empowered by the Spirit.