Christ the Teacher

 

Poeple used to address Christ sometimes with the statement “Teacher…”, and sometimes with “Good Teacher”. And Mary Magdalene called Him once with the statement “Rabboni!” (Which is to say, Teacher).

 

He gave great attention to teaching especially

that in the days of His preaching there were many

mistakes spread among the Jewish teachers, and

deviations in understanding God’s commandments,

and He wanted to correct them for them… Therefore,

He worked on increasing people’s realizations,

teaching them and introducing the right spiritual

concepts so that everyone may realize it.

And thus in His sermon on the mountain came,

the following sentence came many times: “You have

heard that it was said to those of old… But I say to

you that…”

Jews used to be interested in the literality of

the commandment and not in its spirit. They

concentrated also on the religious appearance

rather than the religious core. So the Lord Christ

moved them through His teaching from the

literality to the spirituality and from the

appearance to the core…

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Among the examples of this is that Jews

were following in a strong literality the

commandment of consecrating Saturday

because it is the Lord’s Day at that time. It was

apparent in that they do no work on that day and

they dedicate it fully to God… So they considered it a

sin that a person is to be punished for if he carries

something that is heavier than a certain weight or if

he walked steps more than what is allowed on a

Saturday!!

And more than this was that they went into a

fight with the Lord Christ around An issue that they

considered a problem which is: Is it alright to do good

deeds on Saturdays or that is to be considered a

profaning to the Saturday?!

But the Lord Christ, to prove their corrupted

teaching, used to do incredible miracles on Saturdays.

He raised Lazarus from death on a Saturday. He gave

sight to the person who was born blind on a

Saturday. And the patient of Pool of Bethesda who

was lying beside the pool for 38 years; He healed him

on a Saturday and told him: “Rise, take up your bed

and walk”. So the Lord Christ was criticized and

attacked by them for these reasons but He insisted on

teaching that it is allowed to do good deeds on

Saturdays.

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And He was teaching everywhere. Going

about cities and villages preaching:

He preached from up in the mountain, in the

desert, on the lake shore, in the middle of the fields,

and He used to teach as He was walking on the road,

while in the houses, or in meetings and private

visits… And sometimes He used to go into the temple

and teach… He had no specific place for teaching, but

in every place He went, He used to explain and say

words of benefit. And so He was famous for teaching

and was titled the Good Teacher…

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And in His teaching He had great popularity

and He was the crowds’ man.

Even people used to gather around Him in

enormous numbers. In the sermon on the mountain

He was addressing “the multitudes”. And in the

miracle of filling the multitudes, those who listened to

His preaching until sunset were five thousand men

other than women and children, meaning they were

around ten thousand people. And in His saving to

Zacchaeus the chief tax collector, the crowd was very

big to the extent that Zacchaeus climbed up into a

sycamore tree to see Him.

And when He healed the Paralytic in Capernaum,

it was heard that He was in a house and immediately

many gathered around Him from everywhere so that

there was no longer room to receive them, not even

near the door. And in one of the times while He was

preaching on the shore, multitudes gathered around

Him so that He had to go into a boat and preach them

from it… And the examples of such sort are many.

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And in His preaching, He had a deep impact

on His listeners…

To the extent that it was written in the bible that

“He taught them as one having authority, and not as

the scribes”. It was also said that the multitudes were

astonished at His teaching. And that the multitudes

said: “We did not hear before talking like this!!” and

that’s why they did not only listen to Him but they

used to follow Him as well. And those who believed in

Him were called disciples because He was their

teacher.

And out of His great care of teaching, He sent His

own disciples to teach. And told them: Go therefore

and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them

to observe all things that I have commanded you.

Preach the gospel to every creature… And thus He

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made teaching and preaching to all nations and not to

a certain specific population alone…

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And He raised the thoughts of people from

earth to heaven, and from the earthly kingdom

to the heavenly kingdom. And many are his

talks and examples about the Kingdom of

Heaven.

And he said to those He preached “Do not lay up

for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for

yourselves treasures in heaven” and the explanation

of that is what the person offers of mercy and

offerings to the poor and needy. And He also

connected believers to heaven through constant

prayer by saying: Pray all the time and do not lose

heart. And He recommended that every person

should care for his eternal destiny and get ready for

it.

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And he presented to people in His teachings

high levels in spiritualities:

To the extent that He told them: “Therefore you

shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is

perfect.” And He means of course relative perfection,

as much as every person can reach according to his

spiritual capabilities and the grace work with him…

And He invited them also to the life of holiness

and pure heart and to peace with all people and He

even said His eternal statement “love your enemies,

bless those who curse you, do good to those who

hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you

and persecute you”. and said in that “For if you love

those who love you, what reward have you? Do not

even the tax collectors do the same?”

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And the Lord Jesus Christ presented to

people high spiritual values that are considered

new to their time:

Like the statements of gentleness, humility, self

denial, doing charitable deeds in secret and giving

themselves for others. And thus He said “Greater love

has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for

his friends.” And raised up giving beyond the level of

tithes in saying “Give to him who asks you” And thus

tithes became the lowest level of giving and not the

must in every giving.

And among the high level teachings that He

taught is His saying “whatever you want men to do to

you, do also to them”.

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And the Lord cared for the heart from inside

and not just the apparent virtue.

And He taught people to love God from all the

heart and all the mind for they are not slaves who are

afraid from the punishment of their master, but as

sons who love their heavenly Father and fear Him.

And all the worship that is offered to Him is from the

heart too. And thus reminded the Jews of what the

Lord said about them in Prophet Isaiah’s Book

“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their

mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have

removed their hearts far from Me”.

And He referred back these words, the good and

the bad, to the heart as well. So He told them “For

out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart

brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the

evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you

that for every idle word men may speak, they will

give account of it in the day of judgment.”

Also on the point of chastity He said “whoever looks

at a woman to lust for her has already committed

adultery with her in his heart”. And on the point of

loving people, He made for all, with no boundaries

and no rules.

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And from the side of The Lord Christ’s

teaching, He stressed on working and not only

knowing:

So He said: “but whoever does and teaches them,

he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

And said “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of

Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man

who built his house on the rock… But everyone who

hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them,

will be like a foolish man who built his house on the

sand”.