Re:Verse passage – Matthew 5:1-12 (day two)
He opened His mouth and began to teach…vs. 2a
Maybe it’s the teacher in me, but I love this verse. It doesn’t say He opened his mouth and lectured, scolded, or berated them. He taught them. This image of Jesus as teacher is powerful. Have you ever apprenticed under a master? Sat at the feet of someone who is at the top of their game? It is humbling, and exhilarating at the same time. There is a teaching strategy called ‘Whole-Part-Whole’ that can be effective. You begin introducing the topic in its complete state. This gives you an idea of how it all comes together, but there is no way a student can understand the ‘how’ at this point, but it provides context. You then break the topic down into its constituent parts to show how they relate to each other before you finally put them back together. This time with a more complete understanding.
Jesus is employing this teaching technique. He begins with this beautiful description of how the Kingdom of God operates. There is no way to fully grasp this in light of who we, as fallen people, are. He continues to break down the constituent parts of the law, and further compounds the issue. We cannot accomplish anything…without Christ. Once we put his atoning grace as a part of our equation, we can see more clearly how we are to live. Are you applying Jesus to your daily life equation?
Thank you for painting this visual of Jesus teaching us how to live with Him planted in our hearts. I’ve been to Israel and quietly prayed where our Lord taught the crowd. It was humbling and immensely emotional.