Friday: Further Thought ~ Jesus as the Master Teacher

Further Thought:

Read Ellen G. White, “The Teacher Sent From God,” pages 73-83, in Education.

“In the Teacher sent from God, all true educational work finds its center. Of this work today as verily as of the work He established eighteen hundred years ago, the Saviour speaks in the words –

‘I am the First and the Last, and the Living One.’

‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.’ Revelation 1:17-18, R.V.; Revelation 21:6, R.V.

In the presence of such a Teacher, of such opportunity for divine education, what worse than folly is it to seek an education apart from Him – to seek to be wise apart from Wisdom to be true while rejecting Truth; to seek illumination apart from the Light, and existence without the Life; to turn from the Fountain of living waters, and hew out broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Behold, He is still inviting: ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said,’ out of him ‘shall flow rivers of living water.’ ‘The water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.’ John 7:37-38; John 4:14″, R.V.” — Ellen G. White, Education, p. 83.

“Dear teacher, … As the highest preparation for your work, I point you to the words, the life, the methods, of the Prince of teachers. I bid you consider Him. Here is your true ideal. Behold it, dwell upon it, until the Spirit of the divine Teacher shall take possession of your heart and life.

‘Reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord,’ you will be ‘transformed into the same image.’ 2 Corinthians 3:18″, R.V. This is the secret of power over your pupils. Reflect Him.” — Education, p. 282.

Discussion Questions:

What values and actions would be important to Christian teachers and students who take seriously the idea of learning from the incarnation of the Master Teacher?
Christian parents and teachers have a high standard – to reflect the character of God as revealed in the incarnation of Jesus. What should we do when we fall short of this high standard?
In class, discuss the question at the end of Thursday’s study. What does the birth, life, and death of Jesus teach us about the character of God? Why should this be so comforting to us, especially during times of great trial?

<–Thursday

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One of the ideas about teaching that I found important was the idea of "soakage time". You can teach a concept in a classroom in, say, a one hour lecture, but it takes time for the ideas to soak into the little grey cells. It is the time spent interacting, discussing, problem-solving, asking questions, restating the ideas, and applying, where those ideas become more than just words from the front of the classroom. I call that "soakage time" and if you want real learning to take place then you don't take shortcuts and limit the time spent doing that.

Jesus took a dozen disciples and spent about three and a half years with them, not only teaching them the principles of Christianity but giving them soakage time. They travelled together, ate together discussed issues together and yes, even argued with one another. And it was within the cut and thrust of the soakage time with Jesus they absorbed the practice of Christianity. That is why, powered by the Holy Spirit, they were prepared to take Christianity to the rest of the world when Jesus ascended to heaven.

Read the Gospels through from the perspective of Jesus interaction with the disciples and see if you can understand just a little more about the influence of the disciples soakage time with Jesus.

I like reading about Peter in Acts where powered by the Holy Spirit, he stood up to publically preach for the first time:

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:14-21 KJV

This was Peter giving evidence of three and a half years of soakage time with Jesus.

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Comments

Friday: Further Thought ~ Jesus as the Master Teacher — 7 Comments

Maurice Ashton on October 29, 2020 at 12:49 pm said:

One of the ideas about teaching that I found important was the idea of "soakage time". You can teach a concept in a classroom in, say, a one hour lecture, but it takes time for the ideas to soak into the little grey cells. It is the time spent interacting, discussing, problem-solving, asking questions, restating the ideas, and applying, where those ideas become more than just words from the front of the classroom. I call that "soakage time" and if you want real learning to take place then you don't take shortcuts and limit the time spent doing that.

Jesus took a dozen disciples and spent about three and a half years with them, not only teaching them the principles of Christianity but giving them soakage time. They travelled together, ate together discussed issues together and yes, even argued with one another. And it was within the cut and thrust of the soakage time with Jesus they absorbed the practice of Christianity. That is why, powered by the Holy Spirit, they were prepared to take Christianity to the rest of the world when Jesus ascended to heaven.

Read the Gospels through from the perspective of Jesus interaction with the disciples and see if you can understand just a little more about the influence of the disciples soakage time with Jesus.

I like reading about Peter in Acts where powered by the Holy Spirit, he stood up to publically preach for the first time:

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:14-21 KJV

This was Peter giving evidence of three and a half years of soakage time with Jesus.

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- Robert Whiteman on October 30, 2020 at 3:59 am said:
  
  I like this idea of soakage time Maurice. It also holds true when making something from dry flour into a batter or dough for baking. The more coarse the grind, the longer the time needed to absorb the moisture. In the case of raised bread, the leavening also needs time to proof. One doesn't just toss ingredients together and then right into the oven.
  
  I like how Ellen states it here: "It is by contemplating Christ, by exercising faith in Him, by experiencing for ourselves His saving grace, that we are qualified to present Him to the world."(5T, 158)
  
  Without that "soakage time" of experience, the Master's teachings will have little effect on us. It is also vital to "exercise faith in Him", since Judas had the same soakage time as Peter, but did not exercise faith.
  
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- Jim Williams on October 31, 2020 at 6:49 am said:
  
  Excellent example Maurice. Even though the disciples were “soaked” by Christ himself, it took the stunning reality of His resurrection, 40 days of further interaction and Christ pulling it all together again for them for it to all sink in. It is no wonder Christ said:
  
  29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29
  
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Brigitte Humphery on October 29, 2020 at 2:17 pm said:

I really appreciate that the Holy Spirit expressed Himself so clearly through Ellen White’s writings. One of her quotes today reads:

“Dear teacher,…. As the highest preparation for your work, I point you to the words, the life, the methods, of the Prince of Teachers. I bid you consider Him. Here is your true ideal. Behold it, dwell upon it, until the Spirit of the divine Teacher shall take possession of your heart and life.

KJV 2Cor.3:18 – “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (or, of the Lord the Spirit(margin)).”
“ This is the secret of power over your pupils. Reflect Him.” (Education, p.282)

My reply to discussion question:
1. First and foremost, I suggest that the teacher carries integrity in all areas of his/her personal and professional life and that he/she reflects the Spirit of God – Love and Compassion.
Composure: wisdom in choosing how best to deliver the lesson, giving deference to the student’s inquiring minds, inspire and allowing students the freedom of sharing their insights and opinions without bias due to status.
2. The only remedy for our falling short lays in humbling ourselves, acknowledge our shortcomings and accept forgiveness through our Heavenly Father's love for us.
3. In our Faith, at all times, under all circumstances do we have access to the Father. The character of God, as observed in the Life and teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, confirms to us the never-ending Love which the Father holds for His Creation.

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Shirley de Beer on October 29, 2020 at 9:46 pm said:

What has impacted me from this lesson is this quote from Education. Although it is talking about a teacher in a school, I believe it applies to us as we go about our daily life, if we want to influence people to become followers of Jesus, if we want them to respect us, we need to respect them, we need to follow the Golden Rule - Mat 7:12 All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.

The teacher must have aptness for his work. He must have the wisdom and tact required in dealing with minds. However great his scientific knowledge, however excellent his qualifications in other lines, if he does not gain the respect and confidence of his pupils, his efforts will be in vain. Education pg 278

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JC Zielak on October 30, 2020 at 3:54 am said:

God is so wonderful! He gave us His Son as our ultimate Master. As we learn from Him, we follow the way back Home! May we always be thankful for such a great love!

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Robert Whiteman on October 31, 2020 at 3:07 am said:

Regarding the discussion questions:

1. The value of the Word of God and the devotion to it's study to absorb and live its Truth. This is the Record of our great Example.

2. What to do when falling short? “Repent, and believe the Gospel”. If we think about these words from Christ(see Mark 1:15) in the context of His life and work, we will know what to do.

3. Only as we personally feel the burden of sin and its guilt, and exercise faith in the promises of God through Christ, will we know the answer to this question. This comes only through experience, not by some other definition. Is the Word and will of God our delight(Jer 15:16, Ps 40:8), or does the world still get our attention, our time, and our means, thus shaping our character in its manner of living?

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