Jesus Taught

What Did Jesus Do?

…he entered the synagogue and was teaching.
Mark 1.21

Most everybody can learn, except for those who are so tragically developmentally disabled that they simply lack the capacity. And learning, as any parent knows, starts early. And, as students of early childhood will tell you, there is no time when we have the ability to learn so much so fast, as in our early years. Being in the classroom subbing quite a bit this year, and most of those assignments having been in K-3, I have had a chance to see what kind of learners young children are. They are amazing! Even by Kindergarten they have learned all kinds of things.

Unfortunately, I have noticed that many of the lessons young children are so apt with picking up are rather undesirable. Some of the things that come out of their mouths! Having also had the opportunity to spend a little time with some local students who are in a special program of alternative learning because they, for a variety of reasons, were “underachieving” in the mainstream classroom, I quickly saw that they were all pretty smart. But, again, I realized they had been learning all the wrong kinds of lessons.

Some lessons we simply learn by experience, but most we learn from a teacher. So, I came to the conclusion that most, if not all, the undesirable and destructive lessons children learn are the result of them being taught by the wrong teachers (Television and movies, and popular music come quickly to mind. But there are, tragically, also many parents who teach terrible lessons to their children. And older children are some of the best teachers of some of the worst lessons young children can learn.)

When it comes to learning, the right teacher can make all the difference. Thankfully, the Father, and wouldn’t a father be concerned about what his children learn, sent the Son to be, among other things, our teacher. And, with Jesus, school was pretty much always in session. The Lord of course taught in synagogues, like the one in Capernaum mentioned in Mark 1.21, but He also taught in private homes (Mark 2,15-17), and on a mountainside (Matthew 5-7), and on a plain (Luke 6.17-49), from a boat standing a few feet offshore (Mark 4), and in the temple in Jerusalem (Mark 14.49).

Jesus taught beatitudes, he taught commandments, and he taught parables. He taught about marriage, he taught about money, he taught about neighborliness, and he taught about righteousness. Jesus taught about His Father’s kingdom. The Lord taught about the power of faith. Every lesson Jesus taught was priceless, yet some who were rich refused to learn from Him (See Luke 18.18-30). Great as His lessons were, some simply would not see, would not hear, would not understand what Jesus taught (Matthew 13.14-17).

It is unfortunate that it is no longer permitted to teach the lessons of Jesus in our public schools, providing so much more opportunity for the many wrong lessons children learn so quickly to go unchallenged. But Jesus didn’t spend any time in schools other than on the Sabbath (The synagogues the Lord visited were a kind of school where lessons of the Jewish faith were taught from the Hebrew Scriptures). Children learn as well away from school, and perhaps learn even better. How committed are we to helping children learn the lessons Jesus taught? Will we teach them in private homes (Yes, parents, you can be your child’s most important teacher)? Jesus did. Will we teach children on mountainsides and on plains (Kids need to be outdoors)? Jesus did. Will we teach them by a lakeshore (Children love to be around water)? Jesus did. We can’t take children to Jerusalem to learn at the temple mount, but will we get them to church school to learn? Jesus did. In short, will we, as adults, accept the responsibility to teach children the Word of God, and share with them the invaluable lessons about the Father and the Son and Kingdom? That’s what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4