Jesus and Mrs. Walker
They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. –Luke 4:32 (NIV)
I am fascinated by these words. What was it about the way Jesus spoke that was so different, so compelling? How did His message make people feel? What was the effect? I’m intrigued. Yes, the miracles were a part of it – they confirmed what Jesus was saying. But Jesus did not perform miracles everywhere He went and His words often caught the attention of people long before they witnessed a miracle.
So what was it that made them take notice? We know that He had authority, but how did His message convey that? Similar passages in Matthew and Mark actually draw a contrast between Jesus and other teachers of the day. That got me thinking about characteristics of effective teachers I have encountered, traits that gave them authority and inspired me to lean into what they were saying.
Charlene Walker was my sixth-grade homeroom teacher. She knew a lot about a lot of stuff. But especially history. She was a little girl during World War II, and had sat with her parents around the radio listening to the news reports coming out of Europe. She had been old enough to understand what was happening when the Communists took over China in 1949. When she told us about Adolf Hitler and Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro, she spoke with conviction. Enough conviction that we listened to what she had to say. And not just when it came to dictators - the listening carried over, even when it was time for grammar and we had to learn how to diagram sentences! If we finished our work early, she let us play chess (never checkers). She loved us. And we loved her. She entrusted her knowledge to us. More than facts, she wanted us to learn to think. Mrs. Walker is the inspiration for the bullet points that follow.
Effective teachers genuinely care for their students.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. –Matthew 9:36 (NLT)
Effective teachers have an obvious command of their subject matter, acquired through years of study and experience.
I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence. –John 8:38a (NIV)
Effective teachers are excited to share knowledge, making the material come to life through stories, examples, and hands-on illustrations.
He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. –Mark 4:34 (ESV)
Effective teachers give added insight that helps students understand the “why”.
“You have heard it said… But I tell you….” –Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-32, 33-34, 38-39, 43-44
Effective teachers challenge their students to carry the lessons beyond the classroom.
The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” –Matthew 25:40 (NIV)
Put yourself in the shoes of the first disciples. Imagine learning life from the Author of life. Imagine studying godliness under the tutelage of God. His "lab assignments" were intense, painfully practical. They still are. We learn to trust in the truth of what Jesus said by testing His words in the crucible of adversity. Try reading His words as if you were hearing them for the first time. See if you aren't still amazed by the authority of the Master Teacher. He didn’t just say the words; He was the Word.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. –John 1:1-5, 14 (NIV)