As a career educator, I have attended many presentations of “best practices” for the classroom. I have also survived more than a few rounds of teacher evaluations. These evaluations are designed to never have a teacher achieve a perfect score but always leave room for improvement. Most of the “best practices” are adaptations of the manner in which Jesus taught His disciples. Jesus would receive a perfect evaluation. In a third round of questioning by the religious authorities, the man born blind, perhaps mockingly, asked his interrogators if they would also like to become Jesus’ disciples. (John 9:27). The man who had been healed recognized Jesus as a teacher.

The Nearly Universal Acclaim

If people have heard anything about Jesus, they have probably heard that He was a teacher. Jesus’ most famous sermon is called the Sermon on the Mount, but it begins with a mention of His teaching, not preaching (Matthew 5:1-2). Jesus taught by direct discourse, by explaining the Scriptures, by use of colorful analogy, and by parables. He also taught by example as He perfectly lived the lessons He spoke.

Is Moral Teaching Enough?

An Oxford University research team studied 60 diverse societies and found some basic moral values present in all of them.^[1] Anthony O’Hear reflected on these findings and compared what he called the great moral traditions in the religions of the world. It is not a surprise that he found common moral ground among the major world religions. Still, he concludes, “Human beings are weak and prone to all sorts of wickedness, even the best of us.”^[2]

Morality will never be enough to satisfy the soul of man. This is precisely why the moral teaching of Jesus will never succeed separated from the Person of Jesus. Jesus’ moral teaching is dependent on His power and strength to override our human weakness. The philosophers and researchers that examine Christianity along with all the world religions tend to consider that morality is the goal of Jesus’ teachings. They consider morality to be the goal of religion in general. With Jesus, an elevated morality is a by-product of a new inner life.

Jesus Cannot Be Only a Teacher

It is inconsistent to accept Jesus as a good teacher only. A person who is accurately described as a good teacher would be one who not only delivers their content accurately, but one who delivers accurate content. In 2016, the Oxford English Dictionary declared the word of the year to be “post-truth.”^[3] Without delving too deeply into a philosophical abyss, some arenas of “post-truth” would simply be absurdity.

To illustrate, a person may be a popular teacher or a good motivator without being a good teacher. It would be absurd to consider a person a good teacher despite the content of their teaching. A math teacher who gave a test and counted every answer correct if it contained at least one number or letter may indeed become a popular teacher, but would hardly be a good teacher. Random numbers and letters make good passwords, but not good math scores. A football coach who teaches a player to take the ball and run in any direction they chose, would lose every game and would eventually lose his job. A music teacher could not be considered a good teacher if they taught the wrong way to play an instrument. Blowing into the wrong end of a trumpet will not make any music.

Furthermore, good teachers do not assign impossible tasks. Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount does not deliver to us a difficult ethic; it delivers an impossible one. John Stott says of the Sermon, “Its ideals are noble but impractical, … attractive to imagine but impossible to fulfil.”^[4] It is not merely difficult to conduct one’s life never getting angry, worrying about anything, and loving one’s enemies – it is beyond human ability. That is, however, Jesus’ point. The standard set by God is too high for any to achieve without God’s help.

Jesus’ Teaching Beyond Morality

Without question, Jesus taught a heightened level of morality. However, to accept Him as teacher is also to accept what He taught about Himself. Over and over again, Jesus taught that He was equal to God, specifically the God of the Old Testament. This most vividly depicted in His use of the phrase “I Am” in reference to Himself. This is the covenant name of God given to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:15). It was and is regarded by Jews as too holy to even pronounce. Therefore, when Jesus used it of Himself, the hearers were so shocked that they attempted to stone Him for blasphemy (John 8:58-59). Although Jesus used the phrase repeatedly in the Gospels, He identified Himself with it seven times metaphorically. These are:

1. I Am the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

2. I Am the Light of the World (John 8:12).

3. I Am the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7,9).

4. I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14).

5. I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).

6. I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

7. I Am the True Vine (John 15:1).

Conclusion

Jesus certainly was a great teacher. The Christian claim is that He is the best teacher that has ever been. Consequently, the content of His teaching must be considered accurate. Therefore, when He taught that He is equal to God (John 10:30) and that He is the only way to heaven (John 14:6), His teaching must be taken as accurate. He is a Teacher like no other.

Bibliography

Norris, Kristopher. “Teaching Truth in a Post‐truth World.” Dialog. 59, no. 1 (March 2020): 9–11. doi:10.1111/dial.12535.

O’Hear, Anthony. “Morality, Reasoning and Upbringing.” Ratio. 33, no. 2 (June 2020): 106–16. doi:10.1111/rati.12260.

Stott, John. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount. Lisle: IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020.

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^[1] Anthony O’Hear, “Morality, Reasoning and Upbringing,” Ratio, 33, no. 2 (June 2020): 106–16, 108. doi:10.1111/rati.12260.

^[2] ibid., 115.

^[3] Kristopher Norris, “Teaching Truth in a Post‐truth World” Dialog,59, no. 1 (March 2020): 9–11. doi:10.1111/dial.12535.

^[4] John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Lisle, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020), 24.