A great teacher

I am taking a course in how to conduct training. One of the most important lessons I recently learned is that you cannot shove information down the student's throat. A good teacher is one who understands what the student is capable of understanding. He tries to "link" with the students. He relates to things the student already knows and he builds it up from there.

In this sense, Jesus was a marvelous example of a great teacher. He used parables when he spoke to the common people during the time of his ministry. He gave lots of examples. He was well versed with scriptures (which he often quoted) but instead of dazzling his audience with his immense knowledge, he spoke to them in simple terms that they could relate to. Jesus did not confine himself to the synagogues to argue with the rabbis. His "training package" was designed for uneducated simple folks. Yet when challenged by the religious and political leaders of that time he could stand up to their intense questionings without a waver.

Through Jesus, God has given us a message that all the people in the world can understand, from the most learned down to the simplest peasant. God did not give mankind an instruction manual that only certain trained people can read and understand. God's way is certainly higher than our ways. He knows how to teach us in ways that are most effective for learning.