To Teach Is To Touch A Life Forever- Part-2. Series

To teach is to touch a life forever- part-2.

“You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet, for I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you." (John 13:13-15):

Teachers have always been the vital contributor of learning in the society. They serve as the foundation of the cultural and sustainable development of the nation as a whole. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out by way of occupation or profession at school, college, church, institution or other place of formal education. A teacher’s role may vary between cultures. In the Bible a Master Teacher or a Rabbi is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others. As a principle for the development of consciousness it leads the creation from unreality to reality, from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. In its purest form this principle manifests on earth as a divine incarnation, a person with supreme knowledge about God and all creation.

Jesus said “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right "Master" and "Lord", were dignified titles among the Jews, which they frequently gave to their doctors and men of learning, and are often to be met with in their writings: hence the disciples called Christ by these names, not out of flattery, but reverence of him, and esteem for him; nor are they blamed, but commended for it: This double title was not given except to the most accredited teachers, First of all, the writer of John wanted to make it clear that Jesus was greatest teacher and the lord ever lived on earth. Jesus knew that His student Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve that He had handpicked, was about to betray him. He knew that He was going to suffer a nasty, violent death the next day. He also knew He could stop any of this at any time, (Mt 26:53) and that He was going back to God. So He had all of this in mind when He gave this final sermon to His students. He was about to leave them and go back to the Father, as He says many times in this sermon. And before He left, He had these things to tell them. But first He had one important thing to teach and show them. He washed their feet.

Therefore Studying the Master Teacher, Jesus, provides us with the finest instruction in the entire world on how to teach others. Jesus taught with perfect accuracy and effectiveness. Of all the disciplines taught in the New Testament for the spiritual growth of Disciples, none are more important than the discipline of learning. Even in the secular world, every employer wants workers that are “teachable”. We are blessed to have the greatest teacher of all history as our own savoir and Master Teacher—Jesus Christ. His methods, educational philosophy, content, and procedures consist of the finest models of teaching ever developed. So what exactly was this inspiring, challenging, magnificent, and apparently revolutionary teaching of Jesus?

In the first description of Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of Mark: “ Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news’” (Mark 1:14-15).Here is Mark’s summary of the core of Jesus’ message. It is, in a nutshell: The kingdom of God has come near. The phrase “kingdom of God” appears 53 times in the New Testament Gospels, almost always on the lips of Jesus. The synonymous phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” appears 32 times in the Gospel of Matthew. Throughout the accounts of Jesus’ ministry, he is always talking about the kingdom of God. Many of his parables explain something about this kingdom: it is like mustard seed, a treasure, a merchant looking for pearls, and a king who gave a banquet (Matt 13:44-47; 22:2). Jesus even defines his purpose in light of the kingdom: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43).

Throughout his ministry, Jesus emphasized the importance of learning the kingdom of God. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) was the theme of Jesus’ teachings. “The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. (Matthew 13:10-11)