(Part 1)

 

The earthly life of Jesus provides teachers with an example of how one can live a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led life that is pleasing to God. Jesus, as the “Master Teacher,” demonstrates the essence of teaching: touching the lives of others. Throughout the gospels, Jesus was continuously seeking to teach others how to improve their relationship and their fellowship with God and man. This gives an entirely new meaning to “teaching” and “teacher,” and makes such a responsibility for all believers. In our series, Developing Disciples, it is relevant to consider how to become more effective in helping others to grow in God’s grace. In “Part I: Storytelling,” we will share three significant strategies Jesus utilized in His earthly ministry that made Him an effective Master Teacher: compassion, connections, and complexity.

 

Compassion

Jesus loved His students, caring deeply and compassionately about each of them. He was often moved with compassion as He looked over the crowds. He was logical, challenging, and did not fear offending others with the truth. Truth is vital, for it, Jesus said, will set you free. He did not candy-coat or evade truth. He attacked problems, not personalities. We live in an age where “truth” is anything repeated often enough. In contrast, Jesus was open, upfront, and spoke the truth in plain and simple words. He shared the truth, but with a heart of compassion. He was not confrontational for the sake of being so, but He was willing to confront the false, the pretentious, the social injustices, and the wrongs of society. He confronted hypocrites, but their dislike for Him was because of what He said, not because of His disposition or how He said it. He was loving, but He was firm. He was truthful, but He was kind. We have confused the two, and the results are that we are often “politically correct” but morally wrong. The results: less confrontation, but frequent violations of the principles of God’s word. Believers will never secure the power and blessings of God until they seek to implement the principles of God’s word into their daily lives. A teacher of today must love his pupils passionately, but also challenge them with the truth of biblical principles.

 

Connections

Jesus drew from the “headlines” of His day. He was relevant and used stories that were familiar to his listeners. He spoke of the temple, which all knew, and the large investment of time taken to construct it. He spoke of illnesses, neighbors, farming, and oxen. Common objects are great tools with which to catch attention and involve students. Often time Jesus would use a common object such as a cluster of grapes on a vine or a mustard plant in a garden to illustrate a biblical truth. At other times, Jesus would tell a story using common objects or everyday events. Jesus, however, did not just tell stories. They were based on the land the people knew and on the everyday activities with which they could identify. He made a connection for them between the common and the truth of God. He told the story of a planter casting seeds, or a man being robbed on a deserted road, and the reaction of the travelers who passed by and used it to teach a biblical truth. No matter how great a story, if students cannot connect it to their world, it has no potential application and loses its effectiveness. Jesus was a master at making the connections for his students. His simplicity was looked upon as unsophisticated by the Pharisees, but the “common” people found Him to be a breath of fresh air and “heard Him gladly.” Jesus utilized visual imagery to capture the listeners’ attention, to involve their emotions (affective domain), and to embed the principles of God’s word into the minds of His followers. Object lessons were the rule, not the exception. Today’s teachers must also look for ways to make their lessons relevant to their pupils.

 

Complexity

The stories Jesus told were not long, rambling tales that were hard to remember. To the contrary, He told stories that were short and concise. He created a balance between enough details to adequately explain the story, but not too many to bog it down. No matter how simple the stories, the truths they embodied were complex and conveyed spiritual lessons that would permit the believer to incorporate a simple principle from God’s word. The result of doing so changed lives. It caused believers to: 1) see the power of God at work, 2) increase their faith in God and His word, and 3) secure the blessings of God, regardless of the outcome. Faith is following God at His word and leaving the outcome to Him.

As teachers model their teaching strategies after Jesus, their lessons will often incorporate storytelling that connects biblical truths to the world of their students. The stories, although simple, will incorporate complex biblical truths in easy-to-remember and easy-to-apply points. Like Jesus, the teacher will love the students and seek to establish the application of God’s truth in each pupil’s life.