Was Jesus the Model Teacher, Part III
Continuing my discussion of this topic, I am asserting more that Jesus was a model teacher, not the model teacher, since being the model teacher was not the primary goal of His visit to earth. That doesn't negate that we can learn from His teaching methods.
All his teaching was in a relational context.
He used both parables and true stories, even the local news.
He used object lessons, often, perhaps overwhelmingly, using money.
He is confrontational. If someone is wrong, He says so. This goes against current teaching, where every answer has merit whether it does or not; today, every answer has merit simply because someone said it!
He commands, without apology. This one is not for us. We don't get that option.
He takes people's core beliefs and is not afraid to show the shallowness of those beliefs.
However, he also takes people's core beliefs and takes them deeper; he digs to find the why of them.
He uses dialogue but not in a Platonic way, as if to find truth. He uses dialogue to give the interlocutor a chance to confess sin and profess faith; to show they are wrong (or right); and to validate their value.
He teaches as He lives.
Understanding a little, really understanding, is more important than holding a lot of facts in your head, which is not really learning.
This list and the previous two posts just skim the surface. It comes down to this for me: I want to teach like Jesus to the extent that I mirror His interior example and character, not some external, possibly culturally-bound, technique.
All his teaching was in a relational context.
He used both parables and true stories, even the local news.
He used object lessons, often, perhaps overwhelmingly, using money.
He is confrontational. If someone is wrong, He says so. This goes against current teaching, where every answer has merit whether it does or not; today, every answer has merit simply because someone said it!
He commands, without apology. This one is not for us. We don't get that option.
He takes people's core beliefs and is not afraid to show the shallowness of those beliefs.
However, he also takes people's core beliefs and takes them deeper; he digs to find the why of them.
He uses dialogue but not in a Platonic way, as if to find truth. He uses dialogue to give the interlocutor a chance to confess sin and profess faith; to show they are wrong (or right); and to validate their value.
He teaches as He lives.
Understanding a little, really understanding, is more important than holding a lot of facts in your head, which is not really learning.
This list and the previous two posts just skim the surface. It comes down to this for me: I want to teach like Jesus to the extent that I mirror His interior example and character, not some external, possibly culturally-bound, technique.
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