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.
6. These are just a sampling of the stories He told, but they are representative of the depth and power of His teaching.
G. Jesus also mastered the teaching style of Socrates, the Greek philosopher who lived hundreds of years before Him.
1. Socrates made his mark on history by asking questions designed to elicit both the knowledge and ignorance of those with whom he spoke.
2. So Jesus employed the Socratic method as He asked questions of His listeners in such a way that they were guided to discover or confront the truth for themselves.
3. Jesus asked some great questions.
4. In Mark 2, Jesus was teaching at a home in Capernaum and it was so crowded that some men made a hole in the roof to lower their paralyzed friend so that Jesus might heal him.
a. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son your sins are forgiven.” (2:5)
b. When the people protested, Jesus asked them, “Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?” (2:9)
5. On another occasion, when asked whether they should pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus said, “‘Bring me a denarius and let me look at it’ They brought the coin, and he asked them, ‘Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then Jesus said, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’” (Mk. 12:15-17)
6. Perhaps His most important questions were, “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” (Mk. 8:27, 29)
H. As perfectly as Jesus employed these methods, it was not the His use of the methods that had the greatest impact.
1. What Jesus taught was even more remarkable than the way He taught it.
2. In our Scripture reading for today, we read, “the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” (Mt. 7:28-29)
3. Although Jesus often gave fresh insight into well-known truth from the OT and from tradition, He didn’t just rehash and repackage old facts.
4. Jesus went beyond what His hearers expected. He felt free to correct and expand the accepted teachings of the time.
5. Jesus taught as one with the authority to offer new truth.
I. And so the content of Jesus’ teaching included wonderful new truths.
1. He taught that the kingdom of God was coming into the world.
2. He revealed the revolutionary new idea that God wanted to be known and loved as a Father.
3. He unveiled a new and better way to live – a new ethic for those who would be the children of God.
4. And the centerpiece of His new teaching was what He had to say about Himself.
5. Gently, carefully, bit by bit, Jesus revealed who He was.
6. He was not just another teacher.
7. He was not just another wise rabbi.
8. He was not just another prophet.
9. Slowly and surely, He opened their eyes to the fact that He was God in human form.
J The apostle John recorded Jesus’ seven great “I AM Statements,” and from them we get a more complete picture of who He is and what He does on our behalf.
1. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” (Jn. 6:35)
2. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” (Jn. 8:12)
3. Jesus said, “I am the gate...” (Jn. 10:7)
4. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” (Jn. 10:11)
5. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (Jn. 11:25)
6. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (Jn. 14:6)
7. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” (Jn. 15:5)
K. The final truths that Jesus tried to teach were not completely understood until after His resurrection.
1. Jesus’ act of self-sacrifice was the object lesson to end all object lessons.
2. Only after they watched their Teacher die a horrible death on the cross, and then rise miraculously and gloriously from the dead, did the final lesson sink in.
3. Their Teacher was the Son of God, the Lamb of God who came into the world to rescue them from sin and death.
4. Jesus had tried to convey this to them throughout His ministry by making statements like, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Mt. 20:18-19)
5. Look at Mark 10:45, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk. 10:43-45)
6. These words took on their complete meaning after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
L. What I have said thus far, I’ve said to help us appreciate the teaching genius of Jesus.
1. But my hope is that we will be far more then impressed with Jesus as a teacher.
2. I hope that all of us will put our faith in Jesus and allow Him to be our Teacher.
3. I hope that we will allow His teachings to make a practical and profound difference in our lives.
M.. Toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock…But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” (Mt. 7:24, 26)
1. How wise we are when we listen to and act upon the words of Jesus, and how foolish we are when we listen to and then disregard the instructions of Jesus.
2. Hearing and obeying leads to safety, security and blessing.
3. Hearing and disobeying leads to disaster and destruction.
N. Picture with me what the life of a person should look like who seriously and carefully follows the teachings of Jesus, allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to embody Christ’s teachings.
1. What will that person value?
2. What will be that person’s self-concept?
3. How will that person treat others?
O. What I picture is truly a graceful, winsome individual.
1. They will be a truly humble, grateful person.
2. A person who shows mercy and grace toward others.
3. The central, guiding characteristic of the person will be love.
P. When Jesus was asked what the greatest command in the Law was, He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Mt. 22:37-40)
Q. In John 13, John tells us that Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.
1. He wanted to show those He loved the full extent of his love.
2. So He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist, poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
3. After Jesus had washed all of their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.
4. He asked them, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” (13:12)
5. Then He said, “You call me ’Teacher’ and ’Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (13:13-17)
6. Jesus summarized the lesson saying, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (13:34-35)
R. Brothers and sisters, our great teacher has taught us these great lessons in word and by example.
1. Let’s devote ourselves to being great students of Jesus.
2. Jesus said, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Lk. 6:40)
3. Don’t you want to be like your teacher, Jesus?
4. I do with all my heart, and I trust that you do also.
S. When Jesus’ brother, James, wrote his letter, he said, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25)
T. There is a parable about a community of ducks waddling off to duck church one Sunday to hear their duck preacher.
1. After they waddled into the duck sanctuary, the service began and the duck preacher spoke eloquently of how God had given the ducks wings with which to fly.
2. He pounded the pulpit with his beak and said, “With these wings, there is nowhere we ducks can not go! There is no God-given task we ducks cannot accomplish! With these wings we no longer need walk through life. We can soar high in the sky!”
3. Shouts of “Amen!¨ were quacked throughout the duck congregation.
4. The duck preacher concluded his message by exclaiming, “With our wings we can fly through life! WE CAN FLY!!!!¨
5. More ducks quacked out loud “AMEN!” in response.
6. Every duck loved the service.
7. In fact all the ducks that were present commented on what a wonderfully convicting message they had heard from their duck preacher....and then they left the church and waddled all the way home.
8. Too often we waddle away from worship the same way we waddled in....unchanged.
(Sermon Central.com. Contributed by: George Rennau)
U. Jesus is the greatest teacher with the most powerful and authoritative teaching ever given.
1. We must not come to His teaching and waddle away unchanged.
2. His teaching and the power of the Holy Spirit will bring transformation.
3. It is time to grow and to fly!
4. Let us not be content with our old lives and our old ways, let’s become fully trained like our Teacher.
V. If you or I know that we are not applying the teachings of Jesus to our lives, then it’s time for a change.
1. It’s time to ask for God’s help – It’s time to concentrate and put forth more effort.
2. Jesus will teach us, if we will listen and learn.
3. If we can help you make the changes you need to make, then come forward…
(Resource: “Jesus the Teacher” by Steve Bilynskyj)
