Kota Kemuning Church of Christ

Tell Me What Made Jesus Such a Great Teacher

Some officers of the Jews admitted, “No man  ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46). Amen! The  Lord Jesus truly was the greatest teacher in history.

As a person, the Christ was sinless (Hebrews 4:15). As a communicator, His ability to connect  with people and express the truth is unmatchable. We stand in awe of both His character and teaching prowess. What made Jesus such a great teacher?

1. He used examples/illustrations to which people could relate. He spoke about birds (Matthew 6:26), sheep (Luke 15:1-7), a vineyard (Matthew 21:33- 41), and a father with two sons (Luke 15:11-32). 

2. He showed compassion on others, and people noticed it. His compassion helped Him connect with  “real people.” He showed pity on a widow (Luke 7:11-13), a hungry multitude (Mark 8:1,2), the sick (Matthew 14:14), and lost sheep (Matthew 9:36). This  was obvious: Jesus cared about people (Mark 10:21).

3. He practiced what He preached: consistency of  message and life. He taught and practiced the  Father’s will (John 6:38; Luke 22:42). He taught  and practiced “the Golden Rule” (Matthew 7:12).  He taught and practiced loving your enemies  (Matthew 5:44).

4. He could relate to and connect with people from a wide variety of backgrounds/places in  society. Common people heard Him gladly (Mark  12:37). He connected with a Jewish ruler (John 3:1- 7), a despised tax collector (Luke 19), and entire  families (John 11:5). He reached out to and invested  time with males (Luke 6:12-15) and females alike  (Luke 8:2,3).

5. He appealed to God’s word as the standard men should follow. He often asked, “Have you not  read?” (Matthew 19:4,5). He said man should live  by every word that proceeds from God’s mouth  (Matthew 4:4). When a man asked Him about  eternal life, Jesus asked him, “What is written in the  law?” (Luke 10:26). At every turn, the Master  emphasized the need to turn to God’s word for  proper guidance and instruction.

6. His ultimate goal/objective in teaching went beyond imparting information and having His  listeners learn facts. Those two matters are part of  the learning process, but there is more to it. The  Christ wanted those who heard His doctrine to make  the right choices so they could live with God  forever! He appealed to them to take the path that leads to eternal life by doing the Father’s will  (Matthew 7:13,14,21). He made it clear that if one  gains the whole world but loses his soul, that is a  failed life (Matthew 16:26).

7. He was flexible/adaptive in His teaching, ready  to teach in a variety of settings. We might say He  had a portable classroom/pulpit. We see him  teaching one person (like Nicodemus, John 3),  teaching small groups, and teaching large crowds of  people. He taught in the temple, in synagogues, on a  mountain top, at the sea side, and in a boat. At  times, He taught in every single village in a  particular area (Luke 8:1). We see Him teaching in  private houses: it could be a friend’s home, but it  might be a Pharisee’s.

8. He successfully used a wide variety of teaching approaches. In some cases, the Christ’s method of communication was like, “I talk, you listen.” At other times He taught via a back-and-forth  conversation. He asked questions. He answered questions. He answered questions with His own  questions. He spoke to people in general, but He also spoke to specific people. He employed symbolic language such as parables. In other cases, He spoke literally, as when He said God made  humans male and female (Mark 10:6). 

9. He touched people’s lives. He was not merely  an instructor . . . He made a difference in their lives. See how he touched the life of Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14,15). People came to Him in non classroom settings. He was a blessing to their lives.

10. He encouraged, even challenged His listeners to think/reason for themselves. He believed in folks’ ability to listen, digest, and reason. Remember when  He asked about John’s baptism being from heaven  or men? (Matthew 21:25). 

11. He took into account the learning level/ability of His listeners. He told His apostles that He had  many things to tell them, but they were not ready to  bear them (John 16:12). Effective teachers recognize  that.

One final thought: our Lord always taught the truth, regardless of the audience or the possible  responses people might have. In the spiritual realm,  good teachers are committed to teaching God’s  truth. And, good teachers strive to teach like Jesus  did!

Roger D. Campbell