Don’t follow Jesus as a teacher. At best, on a good, day, you’ll be really religious and people will think much of you. And Jesus will call you names.
Jesus is a terrible teacher. I mean, seriously, who goes around calling their students “Satan” simply for trying to protect them?
And it’s common knowledge that we’re supposed to be known by what we’re for rather than what we’re against. Yet Jesus devotes whole diatribes to calling the Scribes and Pharisees names and describing their hypocrisy. What kind of teacher does something like that?
And I think the purpose of teaching is that the students understand. That they “get it.” But Jesus teacher mostly in parables. And even says, “I’m going to do this so that by seeing they won’t perceive and by hearing they won’t understand.” Uh, Jesus…hate to break this to you, Big Guy, but you’re kinda missing the point.
Plus, teachers are never supposed to lose it. Never supposed to just plain let emotions take over. Cleansing the temple, anyone? Driving out moneychangers, flipping tables and chairs? Refusing to let anyone use the outer court as a shortcut between Jerusalem and Bethany? Yelling at the crowds you would think he’d want to gently teach?
Yeah…Jesus ain’t much of a teacher by today’s standards. Heck, he’s not much of a Christian based on the popular social media memes. He should probably re-think his strategy if he really wants to be heard.
BUT…if Jesus more than a teacher. If he’s interested in more than information transfer. If he’s, I dunno, God (for instance), then yeah…it all makes sense. Because anyone can know lots of stuff about God. Anyone can learn verses and quote scriptures and have their theology all buttoned-up. But God would want more for people, wouldn’t he? Like, say (I’m just spit-balling here!) transformation.
Information is nice. Degrees from institutions of higher learning (I have those…big deal, really…). Taking some classes and knowing lots of stuff about God and the Scriptures. Yeah. Y’know…come to think of it…you know who else had that? Yeah- Pharisees. Jesus called them names. I mean, objectively, straight-up called them NAMES. “Sons of hell,” “whitewashed tombs,” “blind guides,” “hypocrites.”
But transformation. Dude! That’s what God wants. Hearts that long to seek after him. That are open to his work in their lives. That refuse to settle for impressing people. That live for the only audience that actually matters: God. God. Just God. Who ALONE knows the hearts of his people. And wants more than right action and sacrifices lived out in full view of…and applauded by…others. “These people praise me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me,” God laments. “To obey from the heart is better than offering sacrifices.”
Yeah, don’t follow Jesus as a teacher. At best, on a good, day, you’ll be really religious and people will think much of you. And Jesus will call you names.
Follow Jesus as God. Dedicate yourself to him. And watch HIM transform your heart. Because that’s what matters. And what God is looking for in people who call themselves by his Name.