A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.
Matthew 10:24-25a
As a teacher’s kid, the one thing I never wanted to be when I grew up was a teacher. When my Mom said she was getting something “for her kids,” we had to clarify— did she mean me and my sister? Or her students? Seriously though, it never really bothered me. I’m not even sure now why I didn’t want to be a teacher. To be different from my parents? I think I probably just didn’t want to be in charge of a bunch of kids!
So, of course, now I am a teacher. It all started when, in my mid-twenties, I reluctantly agreed to teach a children’s Bible class.
Of course one thing you quickly find out as a teacher is that you learn so much more when you teach. Unless you’re Jesus. His divine nature made him the master teacher, and we can learn a lot about how to teach from him.
But when we teach, we also learn about him.
For example, good teachers invest their time and efforts into their students. They want them to succeed. When a student struggles to learn, teachers look for different ways to present information; they try other techniques. They’re not satisfied until the student “gets it.” There’s no greater joy for a teacher than that moment when they see the metaphorical light bulb come on in a student’s eyes.
Sometimes people have the idea that God complicates things on purpose, that He’s trying to trick us or keep us confused. These folks are confused alright. They’ve got God confused with Satan! Paul explained in the first chapter of 1 Corinthians that God purposely made the gospel simple enough for anyone to understand. God wants us to “get it.” He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” (1 Timothy 2:4).
Secondly, teachers understand that students need to come to conclusions for themselves. You can tell students what to think about a book they’re reading. You can tell them what the result of an experiment will be. But if you can guide them to discover an outcome on their own, they will remember it better, and they will more fully embrace it as true.
God understands this too. Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs,” (Acts 1:3a). “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe,” (John 20:30-31a). God knew that it would be difficult to believe someone had risen from the dead. So He made sure there was a reliable, written record preserved throughout history so that we could study and come to our own conclusions. The people of Sychar didn’t assume what “the woman at the well” told them was true; they went out to see for themselves and this brought about faith (John 4:39-42).
God understands how important it is for us to come to the faith based on our own experiences and conclusions.
As a teacher I also realize that I need to model what I’m teaching. If I tell my students to consider all the information available, to be honest about data, to dig into topics with curiosity and a desire for truth, I need to be doing those things as well. Students may be able to learn from a hypocritical teacher, as the Jews did who were taught by the scribes and Pharisees in Bible times. But such hypocrisy could be so disheartening to a student that he might give up his pursuit of truth altogether. Christ condemned hypocritical leadership, and he was the perfect model of everything he taught.
Finally, teaching has helped me to have greater appreciation for God’s patience with me as His student. Some students take longer to learn things than others, and all students make mistakes.
Whether you’re a university professor or a small-town Bible class teacher at your church, there are things you can learn about God when you teach. Like any good teacher, God wants us to understand, and He’s gone to great lengths to make sure we can!
“..when you read, you may understand..” (Ephesians 3:4)
Dear God, I thank You for Jesus and his willingness to come to earth to teach us and to show us how best to teach others. Thank You for designing a gospel message that is so simple, even I can understand it. Help me to be a good teacher as I try to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those around me. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
by Christie Cole Atkins
Walk Worthy 