Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:14-30 (day two) And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. vs. 15
Before he challenged their comfort with the prophecies of Isaiah the people of Galilee were astonished by Jesus’ knowledge of scripture, and his ability to unpack it for them. Jesus was not out creating new doctrine or shouting outside the temple. He was with the people. Teaching them. They already had all the texts they needed. What Jesus was doing was helping them connect truths in ways they were never able to consider before. A good teacher will do that for y0u. Even if you have all the facts it can be a very daunting task to try and put it together without someone who knows what the final outcome should be.
Jesus can still connect the dots for you if you struggle with making sense of life, of faith, of him. He is still a good teacher.
In Jesus, we found all the traits of a great teacher. What made Jesus different from other teachers, in my view, is His close personal relationship with God, the Father, His personal expertise as He knew God and was ordained by God to preach and teach, His love and compassion for learners, and His wisdom that came from God. He was able to connect learners with God’s truths, to teach by using stories or parables and by principles, and was able to draw the relationship between theory to actual applications. From my perspective, great teachers must have the right authority to influence and facilitate learners’ curiosity and engagement, have personal knowledge and experience in the Subject they teach, be compassionate, show caring and concerns for all learners, be authentic, and must be able to help students transfer learning to practice, from theology, theory or principles to their own, real life situations!
Jesus was a great teacher also because who He was, the Son of God! He was able to draw the crowds, and to ask questions that would challenge learners’ thoughts and thinking process.
Having knowledge alone does not make one a great teacher. God must give one certain spiritual skills and certain leadership and personal characteristics to become one! God prepared Jesus to lead the Jesus’ teaching model! Teaching the Jesus’ way is a God’s calling. God prepared Jesus and He will prepare those He will call upon to expand the Jesus’ Gospel!
Happy New Year and God bless all!