Jesus The Teacher Series

A. Did you hear the story about the teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his boots?

1. She pulled while he pushed and the boots still didn’t want to go on.

2. Finally, after the second boot was on, and she had worked up a sweat, the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.” She looked and sure enough, they were.

3. Getting the boots off wasn’t any easier than getting them on.

4. The teacher managed to keep her cool as together they put the boots on the right feet.

5. Once they were on, the little boy announced, “These aren’t my boots.”

6. The teacher bit her tongue as she then took the boots back off.

7. Once off, the little boy said, “The boots are my brother’s boots. My Mom made me wear them.”

8. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

9. The teacher mustered up the grace and courage to wrestle the boots on his feet again.

10. When she was finished, she said, “Now, where are your mittens?”

11. The little boy said, “I stuffed them in the toes of my boots.”

B. Being a teacher can be very demanding for many reasons.

1. If you are like me, then you have had some good teachers and some not so good teachers.

2. Someone has said, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” (William A. Ward, Progress Magazine, December 23, 1992.)

3. Even the greatest teachers any of us have had pale in comparison to Jesus.

4. Jesus is the greatest teacher who has ever taught.

C. As we continue our series about Jesus, I hope that our appreciation and devotion to Jesus continues to grow.

1. Last week we looked at his amazing power.

2. While on earth, Jesus demonstrated power over disease, power over nature, power over demons, and power over death.

3. His incomparable power continues to work in those who believe in Him.

D. Today I want us to be captivated with His power as a teacher.

1. Jesus is almost universally recognized as not just a good teacher, but as a great teacher.

2. From the very start of His ministry, until the present time, those who have listened to Jesus have been amazed at His teaching.

3. When He spoke, Jesus attracted huge crowds of people who were captivated by His words.

4. On more than one occasion, they became so caught up in listening that they forgot to go home and eat, and so He had to perform a miracle to feed them.

5. So almost no one acquainted with the facts doubt the claim that Jesus Christ was a great teacher.

6. The disagreement comes when we try to explain what made him a great teacher.

E. Many teachers are good teachers because of their methods.

1. What they have to teach is nothing remarkable – addition, subtraction, grammar or history.

2. The content of their teaching is well-known, and has been taught by many other teachers in other times and places.

3. What can make the difference is the way that good teachers teach those old facts to a new generation.

F. Jesus was certainly a genius with regard to teaching methods, even though the methods He used were conventional methods.

1. He was able to hold the attention of huge crowds of people without modern audio-visual aids, or without any amplification. (no power point, no sound system)

2. How did He do it? Jesus told wonderful stories. He employed humor. He made use of common objects around Him for illustration – He pointed to flowers, birds, and even children.

3. His teaching included metaphor, simile, hyperbole, proverb and paradox.

4. Jesus was in total command of the language He used to express His thoughts.

5. Think with me about how influential and memorable are His parables.

a. Jesus told the story of the Sower and the four soils – we learn the importance of having the right kind of heart.

b. Jesus told the story of the talents: 5 were given to one servant, two to another, and one to the last. Each was responsible to be faithful with what they had been entrusted.

c. Jesus told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector – we learned about the pride of one and the humility of the other.

d. Jesus told the story of Rich Fool who tore down his barns to build bigger ones selfishly amassing great wealth for himself only to die that very night and lose it all.

e. Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan which teaches us the need to love and serve all people without prejudice.

f. Jesus told the stories of the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son – all demonstrate God’s love and concern for us, His sinful and lost creatures.