The Sunday School Teacher 2
The primacy of teaching is rooted in
biblical example and instruction. For the first, Jesus Himself immediately
comes to mind. Early in Jesus' ministry, Nicodemus approached Him and, while
seeking advice, expressed a clear understanding that Jesus was a teacher. Rabbi,
we know that thou art a teacher come from God. (John 3.2) Yes, Jesus taught
the multitudes, but He also mentored individuals extensively. How else did He
transform a ragtag group of twelve Jewish commoners into men who would turn the
world upside down? (Acts 17.6) He taught in the synagogues and on the
streets. He taught in personal conversation and private interactions. He taught
in sermons and parables. He taught each time He answered a question. He taught
with words and works. He was everlastingly at it, ceaselessly offering the most
helpful instruction in the most helpful way.
Not only was Jesus a teacher, but the
second greatest figure in the New Testament, Paul, was also a teacher. Whereunto
I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie
not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. (I Timothy 2.7) It
comes through quite often in his writing. He layers arguments like bakers layer
cake, one balanced precisely on the other, raising us to truly tremendous
heights. Clear, convincing writing comes only from careful thinking, distilled
most often through numerous teaching repetitions. Paul knew how to make an
argument, how to move a man from obstacle to skeptical to convert. He reasoned
the man from one thought to the next, connecting them like steps in a
staircase. Paul was a master teacher.
In addition to both of these, Moses,
the greatest figure in the Old Testament, was a teacher. And the Lord said
unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee
tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou
mayest teach them. (Exodus 24.12) His case is particularly interesting. He
neither expected nor planned to be a teacher. He wanted to rule. It is quite
obvious what he had prepared himself for and what he believed he was best
suited to do. Yet along the way, by giving Moses the Law, God brought to him
the responsibility and ministry of teaching. Whether you think you are suited
to it or not, once you have custody of the Word of God, you have a
responsibility to teach it to others.
In point of fact, parents are a
classic example of this very thing. When couples date, they rarely contemplate
parenting at all, let alone factor in just how large a part of their life it
will become. Yet to be a parent is, by definition, to be a teacher. Everything
the child learns for the first few years of his life comes via his parents.
Even when other teachers enter his life, his parents remain and will remain so
for as long as they live. Even after his parents die, their teaching will
continue to guide him, especially if they did it right.
Parents teach their children how to
talk, how to walk, and how to dress themselves. Parents teach their children
letters and numbers. Parents teach their children manners and character.
Parents teach their children how to care for themselves and how to befriend
others. Parents teach their children about money and politics. Parents teach
their children how to throw a baseball and catch a football. Parents teach
their children consciously and unconsciously. Above all, parents are to teach
their children the Word of God. And these words, which I command thee this
day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy
children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when
thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
(Deuteronomy 6.6-7)
As if the family responsibilities were
not enough, the other institution God started, the church, also places a priority
on teaching. It is specifically included in the three New Testament lists of
spiritual gifts. (Romans 12.6-7, I Corinthians 12.28, Ephesians 4.11) The
implications of that clearly identify teaching as an absolute necessity, just
as much in the church as in the home. In fact, teaching is included twice in
the church’s mission statement: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.
(Matthew 28.19-20)
There is not a single spiritual grace,
doctrinal concept, or practical outworking of our faith that does not have to
be taught. If we are instructed to do it we are instructed to teach someone
else how to do it. Nor is anyone exempt from this. Naturally some will be
better at it than others but if the Great Commission is for all Christians –
and it is – then teaching is for all Christians.
If God's people fail to understand
this and apply it, Christianity will become extinct in one generation. Put
another way round, the only reason we have Christianity in our generation is
that every generation prior to ours, for the past two millennia, have lived up
to their responsibility to teach their converts. Beloved, we dare not drop the
ball in our generation or Christianity will die with us.
Clarence Benson, in his 1940s-era book
on Sunday School, summed it up this way: "Christ Himself was a great
teacher. Sixty out of the ninety times He was addressed He was called
'Teacher.' In the 'Great Commission,' His last charge to the disciples, our
Lord twice commands them to teach. In laying down the qualifications for the
pastor, Paul stipulates that he should be 'apt to teach' (I Tim. 3:2). The
apostles went everywhere teaching and preaching, and preaching and teaching.
The early church was a teaching church."
Teaching is not the only good thing we
are called to do, but we are most certainly called to do it. Failure here will
lead to failure everywhere in a matter of years. In a non-doctrinal context, it
is a fundamental of the family and of the faith both.