The Life of Christ
Part 2: He Taught...
Various Scriptures
March 13, 2005
Introduction
Today we continue our 5-week look at the life of Christ. Last week we looked at some aspects of how Jesus lived - that he lived in view of eternity, he lived to glorify the Father, he lived for the benefit of others, and he lived to relate to people.
And we looked at the fact that Jesus still lives to send the Holy Spirit, to pray for us, and to prepare a home for us.
Today we move on to look at the way Jesus taught during his brief three-year ministry on earth.
This isn’t a teaching seminar about how to become a better teacher, so what’s this about?
Well, it’s meant to achieve a couple things: first, it’s meant to simply display some aspects of the way Jesus taught and spoke, so that those of us who call ourselves teachers will have a good model to go by.
But also, it’s meant to show us that Jesus didn’t speak as some weird spiritual mystic that we have to try and decode.
Yes, sometimes he spoke in parables that left people confused, but he always explained them to his disciples, and we have the explanations in the Bible.
But really, he was very forthright about what he talked about.
And so I want to encourage you to read the words of Jesus with the idea that they are understandable. However, I want to be quick to point out that the Bible also says that without the Holy Spirit, full understanding is no possible.
But my point is that I want you to approach the Scriptures ready to learn from the Master, okay?
So today I want us to look at five ways Jesus spoke and taught, and I’m hoping that this will be more than just a "lecture" on the teaching style of Jesus. My hope is that you will walk out of here knowing him better and loving him more because of the pains he took to communicate to you and me.
Let’s get started, shall we, and look at these five ways Jesus taught and communicated. First...
He taught with authority.
Matthew 7:28-29 -
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
When Jesus spoke, people listened. There were plenty of rabbis and teachers around, but there was something different about Jesus.
He had authority that others didn’t. He wasn’t a Hebrew scholar, he wasn’t a Pharisee, he wasn’t a "trained" minister.
But he had authority no one else had. Why is that? I think I have at least one answer for that, and it has to do with the source of his teachings. Because you see...his teachings were not his own - they came from the Father.
John 1 says the Jesus came from the Father, full of grace and truth. He had the truth of the Father backing him up!
There were at least a couple instances where the religious leaders, teachers, and even lawyers were demanding that Jesus offer proof of what he had to say.
His answer was this: I speak for the Father, and all I’m doing is telling you what he says. If you don’t like it, too bad!
He said that the Father would back him up, and prove his words to be true.
Well, with that kind of backing, why wouldn’t he be confident, teaching with authority? He knew where his authority came from, and he taught accordingly.
Second...
He taught in ways that related to everyday people.
I’ve yet to see an example of Scripture in which Jesus held a theological symposium, to lecture the religious folk of his day about the latest in theological leanings and ideas.
Jesus did discuss theology and religious thought - in fact, he did it all the time! But he didn’t use the "intellectual" language of the time; he used the language of the common person.
And he did it in lots of different ways. He told stories, he told parables, he referenced people and events everyone knew about, he used the same linguistic devices, and all sorts of stuff.
He could relate to any age, gender, social status, or level of spiritual maturity.
Jesus’ teaching was geared to the people present in any given situation.
One of the goals of teaching should be that little thing called "communication," right?
Well, you might have all the knowledge in the world but if you can’t communicate in a way that makes sense to the person you’re talking to, then all that knowledge is pretty much useless.
With the exception of some of the parables, few people went away from Jesus saying, "What in the world did he mean by that?"
He spoke in ways that communicated with real people.
Jesus taught with authority from the Father, he taught in ways that related to everyday people, and third...
He taught about the worth of people.
Other than the Father, who did Jesus love the most? Not really a trick question - people!!
He came to earth because he wanted to see people go to heaven and have a real live relationship with the Father, just like he has.
And one of the things Jesus did so well was to tell people about the care the Father has for people.
Look at this verse from Matthew -
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
And the Father doesn’t just care about your food supply. He cares about your worries, your anxieties, your joys, and all that.
Jesus said that the Father cares so much about you that he knows the most intimate detail of you and your life, including such mundane things as how many hairs you have on your head.
Why would he care about something like that? Because you’re worth it in the Father’s eyes. Jesus wanted us to know that.
Jesus also said that people merit an all-out search - Luke 15. And when they are found by Christ, all of heaven throws a celebration. For each person. That means he threw a party for each one in here who has given his life to Jesus.
Why? Because he cares for you. He sees you as having great worth. And we know that, why? Because Jesus taught us about the worth we have in the Father’s eyes.
The fourth way I want to cover regarding Jesus’ teaching is that...
He taught to cover a multitude of issues:
Jesus wasn’t a broken record. He taught on some key issues time and time again, such as the kingdom of God, but he also touched on a lot of different things. And he did it using different forms of teaching.
I want us to just look very quickly at four of those today. One form of teaching was...
* Instruction -
He gave instruction on such things as how to get to heaven, how to love your neighbor, protecting your marriage, how to have effective prayer, etc.
He even taught about proper money handling.
Two old friends met one day after many years. One attended college, and now was very successful. The other had not attended college and never had
much ambition.
The successful one said, "How has everything been going with you?"
"Well, one day I opened the Bible at random, and dropped my finger on a word and it was oil. So, I invested in oil, and boy, did the oil wells gush.
Then another day I dropped my finger on another word and it was gold. So, I invested in gold and those mines really produced. Now, I’m as rich as Rockefeller."
The successful friend was so impressed that he rushed to his hotel, grabbed a Gideon Bible, flipped it open, and dropped his finger on a page.
He opened his eyes and his finger rested on the words, "Chapter Eleven." (SermonCentral.com. Contributed by: James Buchanan.)
Jesus wanted us to have correct thinking and correct training in a number of issues, so he used instruction. He also used...
* Correction -
He talked about errors of previous teachings, as well as errors in attitudes and actions.
Some times he used harsh rebuke of hypocrisy, and other times he was gentle and inviting, even in his correction.
There are just some things that are wrong, and Jesus addressed some of these things as he taught using correction.
Jesus also taught using...
* Warning -
Jesus warned of future events, and he warned of the folly of listening to men rather than God.
He also warned of the condemnation for all those who try to enter the kingdom of heaven without going through him, and he warned about the dangers of hell.
He warned about all kinds of stuff like false teachers, false warnings of his return, and of the fact that the end could come at any time, so we’d best be doing the Master’s work when he returns.
Any parents in here warn their kiddos about stuff? And not just, "Do that again, and I’ll tan your little behind!"
Things like not putting your hand on a hot stove, not trying to play badminton with vials of nitroglycerin, or drinking sulfuric acid - you know, that kind of stuff.
Why do we do that? Kids think it’s just to give us something to scream about, right? But that’s not true, is it? Or is it just because we love running every piece of your lives? No - we can barely run our own!
We warn our kids for one reason: the medical bills and higher insurance premiums.
Obviously, that’s not the primary reason, although that’s reason enough, if you ask me.
The main reason we warn our children about stuff is because we don’t want them to get hurt! We love them. We care for them, and when they hurt, we hurt.
Can you see why Jesus thought it would be a good idea to give us appropriate warnings about stuff?
God doesn’t have hospital bills and medical insurance to worry about. He warns us because he loves us!!!
He cares for us and he doesn’t want us to get hurt. So Jesus felt he needed to lay down some warnings at times.
The fourth way I want to mention about how Jesus taught on various issues is that he often used...
* Encouragement -
On top of his words about how God cares for us intimately, Jesus also gave some promises.
He gave the promise of heaven, the promise of Holy Spirit, and the promise of his presence for all eternity.
He gave affirmation of the truth of the Scriptures (so faith may come from hearing the word of God).
Invitations to salvation and blessings of following him.
He worked hard at giving us not just warning, but hope, and he often told his disciples to take heart in the face of trials.
Well, let’s look at one last thing we can learn about how Jesus taught, and that was that...
He taught about the Kingdom of God.
Mark 1:15 -
"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
The kingdom was HUGE for Jesus. It was huge because the kingdom belonged to the Father and it was made up of people. Wouldn’t you know it - those are the same priorities Jesus focused on while on earth, and the kingdom is the culmination of both of those priorities.
In the gospels, the kingdom of heaven is mentioned by Jesus almost 100 times. He was focused on it, because of what we said before.
He came to work for the Father by bringing people to Him.
He came to tell people about the kingdom, and he died so people could be part of it.
He talked about it all the time, and he used all sorts of analogies about it.
In Matthew 13 he said that the kingdom is like a man who sowed seed in his field, that lands on different soils - some grows and some dies before the harvest.
He said that the kingdom is like a mustard seed that starts small, yet becomes so big that birds build their nests in it.
He said that the kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. And when a man found it, he sold all he had so he could buy that field.
He constantly was explaining the kingdom by comparing it or contrasting it to the everyday things in people’s lives.
The kingdom was important to Jesus. It oughtta be important to us as well. In fact, everything that we’ve talked about today should be important to us.
His teachings should be important to us, and his teaching should be important to us as well.
Because the Bible says that all who call themselves teachers better be aware that they will be judged more strictly than other people.
If you presume to be a teacher, yet ignore what Jesus taught and how he taught, you’re setting yourself up.
That’s not to say you have to have the variety of styles Jesus used, just that he used all sorts of styles, and one is not necessarily better or more "spiritual" than another.
Some are better at story-telling. Jesus did that a lot, obviously. Sometimes he lectured. Sometimes he scolded. Hopefully no one teaches like that all the time!
It’s important to look at the way Jesus taught. And to me, one of the best reasons to do that is simply to see that Jesus wanted to make sure that I GOT IT!!
Folks, I’m not always the sharpest tool in the shed, and it takes a while for some things to get through.
But Jesus is patient, and he uses different ways to communicate his truth so that I can catch on.
And he did it for you, too.
But before we finish up, it’s very important that you get a grasp on the absolutely most important aspect of Jesus’ teaching.
Conclusion - His teaching hinged on WHO HE WAS: the Word of God.
John 1:1-2 -
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:14 -
The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Who he was gave validity to everything he taught. If he wasn’t who he said he was, then nothing he said can be trusted.
Nothing he said about loving God and your neighbor, nothing about loving your enemies and your in-laws, nothing about placing your treasures in heaven, nothing about how much the Father cares.
Nothing about forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven.
Nothing.
His pretty religious words are nothing more than that if he wasn’t who he claimed to be.
He claimed to be the perfect, sinless Son of God, who came from the Father so you and I could go to heaven.
And if he’s wrong, then we have no hope of heaven, and no reason to listen to anything he said.
And if he’s right, then we have an obligation to believe it and help others find out about him as well.
Because he’s serious about people knowing about him and the Father. Because the Father loves people, Jesus loves people, and we need to love people.
We’re about to dismiss, and as we do, let me just say one last thing: decide here and now that you will put your faith and trust in everything Jesus said.
Don’t just think his words are nice. Live for them, live with them, and live them out, as if your very life depended on them.
Then the world will see that you’re serious when you talk about loving Jesus, and I’m convinced that when people see Christians who are flat-out in love with Jesus, believing his words and living them out, they will want that for themselves.
And be ready to teach them about the Savior you love so much, using his words and his methods.
Let’s pray.
