Originally posted: 09/23/2019

The Gospels abound with the Teachings of Jesus, the Teacher rivaled by none. Being God in the flesh, His Teachings are an overflow of His Holiness and Absolute Truth. His Teaching is not merely found in His Divine Words, His teaching is validated by His Perfect Life.

My years as a high school teacher often left me feeling inadequate in my ability to impart the lessons I so wanted my students to learn. But two things, when applied, would strengthen my ability to communicate with my students.

First, I could not teach my students something I myself did not know. My students expected me to have an expertise in the subject matter I was presenting. If they were convinced I was sound in my knowledge, they were more likely to trust and accept my teaching.

Secondly, my students wanted honesty and integrity from me, their teacher. My students were more open to receive from one they trusted as genuine; in a sense they wanted to see, not just hear, what I had to say.

Jesus came to be seen and heard by all. He did not teach with words alone, but the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), in order that His creation could experience Him, see and hear Him, and learn from the incomparably perfect and supreme Teacher, from Him Who Teaches By Example.

Consider Him Who Teaches By Example

• His Teaching regarding the Sabbath rest:
  • Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”… ⁵ And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” (14:3,5).
• His Example: He never rests from caring for His own.
  • He will not allow your foot to slip;
    He who keeps you will not slumber.
    ⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel
    Will neither slumber nor sleep, (Psalm 121:3-4).
  • Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them, (Hebrews 7:25).

• His Teaching regarding obedience, faith and humility:
  • “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted,” (14:11).
• His Example: He obeyed His Father in faith and humility.
  • Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name… (Philippians 2:8-9).

• His Teaching regarding hospitality bestowed on those without means to repay:
  • “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous,” (14:13).
• His Example: His hospitable gift of salvation by grace through faith to those without any means at all.
  • But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)… ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast, (Ephesians 2:4-5,8-9).

• His Teaching regarding His invitation extended to all who would come:
  • But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; ¹⁷ and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ ¹⁸ But they all alike began to make excuses… ²³ And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.’” (14:16-7,23).
• His Example: He Personally extended His invitation to all who would come.
  • “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28).
  • “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him,” (John 3:16-17).

• His Teaching regarding selfless discipleship:
  • “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions,” (14:33).
    
• His Example: He selflessly emptied Himself of what He rightfully possessed
  • Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, (Philippians 2:5-7).

How do we respond to Him Who Teaches By Example?

Jesus is our perfect Teacher and our perfect Example.

• We can trust His Teaching for He knows all things.
  • “Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God,” (John 16:30).

• We can trust His Teaching for He is our Perfect Example.
  • Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma, (Ephesians 5:1-2).

•  We can trust His Teaching for He does not leave us in ignorance.
  • “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day,” (John 12:48).

• We can trust His Teaching for He is faithful. He promises when we hear His voice and open the door of our hearts to Him, He will come in!
  • “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me,” (Revelation 3:20).

Are we listening for Him? Let us attune our hearts and ask for ears to hear Him Who Teaches By Example.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” (14:34).

May we grow to become attentive students, carefully listening to Him Who Teaches By Example, that we would hear, learn and faithfully follow His Example.

Let’s Grow Together!