You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for that is what I am.
- John 13:13
Jesus was a sage, a teacher of wisdom. Regularly addressed as “teacher” during his lifetime by followers, opponents and interested inquirers alike, he has been hailed by subsequent generations of Christians as more than a teacher, as indeed he was. Nevertheless, he was not less than a teacher….Jesus was not primarily a teacher of either correct beliefs or right morals. Rather, he was a teacher of a way or path, specifically a way of transformation. – Marcus Borg, Jesus: A New Vision
This fall we are working our way through the book Freeing Jesus by Diana Butler Bass, in which she explores some of the ways people may understand who Jesus is. Last week we considered what it means to call Jesus friend. I hope you’ve been thinking about that from time to time during the week. This week we’re asked to think of Jesus as teacher, a title he gave himself. In fact, of the 90-some times Jesus is given a title in the gospels, about 2/3 of them are some form of the title teacher.
What does that title “teacher” mean to you? Someone who is knowledgeable? Authoritative? Demanding? Interesting or boring? One stereotype is the teacher who pours knowledge into students. I picture college students frantically trying to write down lectures word-for-word so they can repeat them on exams. I suspect that’s an out-of-date image in the age of technology! My daughter is a teacher of special needs elementary students. Her current project is teaching kindergarteners how to behave so a classroom can function. Her rules include don’t bite, swear, kick or punch others. That seems like a good starting point. Some of Jesus’ teaching recorded in the scriptures would include ways to behave and basic knowledge about God. But Marcus Borg reminds us that Jesus’ primary purpose wasn’t correct belief or right behavior.
Think instead of those teachers you have found most inspiring. The ones who asked the best open-ended questions. The ones who assigned research projects that led to more questions than answers. Teachers who were comfortable with rousing debate in class and were able to share basic knowledge AND invite you into the mysterious complexities of their chosen fields. That comes closer to the kind of teacher Jesus was.
The word often used for teacher in reference to Jesus is “rabbi” or “rabbouni” (which means “my rabbi”). When we hear that word, we think of Jewish rabbis today – the men and women who function much the same as Christian pastors. They are indeed teachers, and administrators, and counselors and comforters. That image places Jesus in the synagogue, and there are stories of Jesus teaching people gathered in local synagogues. But in Jesus’ moment in history, there wasn’t a rabbinical tradition. In fact, Bass tells us that Jesus is the first person called “rabbi” in written literature. He wasn’t adopting a traditional role of leadership, but was forging something new. He wasn’t the guardian of a body of knowledge to be share, but was a radical re-interpreter (along with others beginning this new role), crafting what came next when the priests who had been the religious leaders for centuries no longer played that role. Soon after Jesus’ death the Temple in Jerusalem would be gone and the rabbis would rise to prominence. Jesus helped begin that movement.
Jesus had knowledge of life and of God and shared it freely, but his teaching wasn’t a catechism or fixed body of knowledge you could memorize and hold the right answer. His sayings were gems of truth, but they were designed to make you think what they might mean in your own context. His parables or stories often turned things upside down, and even today those who read them find many layers of meaning in them.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a woman who hides yeast in flour and bakes bread.”
“Your neighbor is the outcast who becomes your caregiven.”
“God is like the shepherd who misplaces a sheep.”
We’ve all struggled to decide what these stories are really about.
Most of all, I think, Jesus taught by example. “Come with me,” he said, “and I’ll show you the reign of God.” Then he demonstrated boundless trust, incredible compassion, miraculous healing, anger at injustice, enduring patience, unquenchable hope. Being with Jesus was a series of teachable moments in which people became like him by living with him. That’s still true today. When we are “with” him through stories, through mystical connection, or through his body the Church, we become like him. He shapes us. And we shape him. That’s what a teaching relationship means. We continue to grow together as we learn to love God and neighbor in a changing world.
Because this is World Communion Sunday, we might add a little bit to Dr. Bass’s book and acknowledge that Jesus is our special teacher and also one among many teachers who have improved the world. Jesus himself was shaped by the prophetic tradition of a thousand years of Jewish development. He shaped the teaching of Mohammed, who knew and treasured the knowledge of Jews and Christians he met in his trading journeys. We are blessed by the teachings of the Buddhists, the Taoists, the climate scientists, the medical researchers, the poets and the musicians. We are part of a big beautiful world, rich in many traditions and cultures, all of which have wisdom to offer. Jesus would have and still does welcome that diversity as we travel together seeking the best ways to love God and one another. There is always more to learn!