“Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations,
baptizing them the
name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey
everything I have
commanded you and
surely I am with you
always.” (Mat 28:19-20)
Our Lord commanded Christians to
teach.
In Matthew’s three-fold description
of Jesus’ work in earth (9:35), he
places teaching first.
Both Luke and John speak of his
teaching before they tell of his
preaching.
Nicodemus called him a “teacher”
which comes from God.
He is the greatest
teacher of all. He has
stated our goal,
“Teaching them to
obey everything I have
commanded you!”
He Taught with Authority
He had confidence that stemmed from
knowing thoroughly both what He would
teach and whom he would teach.
Jesus knew what he was teaching and
spoke with conviction.
Jesus was familiar with the Scriptures in
his day; He quotes them freely and
interpreted them well. (Mat 21:13, 16; Lj
4:8
He Understood the People He Taught
The love and sympathy of Jesus indicate
His complete understanding of human
nature.
A Master Psychologist
The Master Teacher built
his lessons upon everyday
things.
He revealed the secrets of His future
kingdom in terms of the familiar – the wheat
and the tares, the pearl of great price, and
the good and bad fish.
He promised to change fishermen into
fishers of men.
Curiosity. Jesus knew that we are
naturally curious.
He made use of the
curiosity of the
woman at the well
in Samaria.
Through miracles, Jesus appeals to this
part of our nature. We are drawn to
explore and examine incidents which we
cannot explain.
Emotion. Jesus knew that emotions are
an important part life. For they color and
influence all our thoughts and action. He
used human emotion in His teaching.
Thought and Imagination.
An appeal to our ability
to think flatters us;
it can even stimulate us
if we let it!
Jesus knew, too, that our minds require a
certain logic. Lk 6:9,10 is an interesting
account of Jesus’ logic. He also asked
pointed questions. His listeners could not
evade the question in Mat 22:42, “What do
you think of the Christ?”
He built on the Experience of His Hearers.
Jesus was familiar with the needs and
experiences of all the people He taught,
old and young.
He did not use highly
technical terms in His
teaching that would
have confused people.
He taught about
simple, everyday
things- weddings,
nature, sickness
and health,
brotherhood and
love, home and
family, and
vocations. These
were things the
people knew.
He Used Different Methods of
Teaching
Jesus was aware that there are many
methods to use in teaching. He
employed several of them. He used
them well and got the desired
results.
Lecture.
Sermon on the
Mount in Mat 5-7.
Question and Answer.
He used it to stimulate their
thinking. The question in Mat
16:26, “For what does
a man profit, if he
gains the whole
world and loses
his own soul?”
Experience.
Jesus knew that we learn best by
doing. Life’s most important lesson
are usually learned “the hard way.”
Object Lessons.
He knew that people
remember what they
see longer than what
they hear.
Storytelling. Jesus was indeed a
master storyteller. Word pictures
made His stories so graphic that
they were told and retold by His
friends after His departure.
His Life Exemplified What He
Taught
Jesus led an exemplary life
Love. In Mat 5:44, “But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you.”
Mercy. He taught mercy in His
sermon on the Mount in Mt 5:7
Brotherhood. He taught in Mat
12:49ff the meaning of
brotherhood. He mingles with all
people and was accused of sitting
down with publican and sinners.
(Lk 7:36ff).
Obedience. He taught obedience in
Mat 19:17. When he admonished,
He lived a life of obedience.
Humility. He taught them humility
in Mat 6:3,4 warning, “But when
you give alms, do not let your left
hand know what your right hand is
doing, so that your alms may be in
secret; and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you.”
Forgiveness. He told Peter to
forgive seventy times seven and He
forgave Peter, who denied Him.
Jesus’ Teaching Got Results:
When Jesus taught, H saw the
definite results. When He healed a
man, that man was really healed.
When a man made a decision to
follow Him, Jesus gained a new
disciple.
