Bulletin
Teachers
In college I had two very different teachers. The speech teacher made his tests very difficult because the test would ask questions he didn’t cover in class nor in the book. (I complained.) My favorite teacher would test us not only on the things he covered in class, but in his personal review. In fact, before the final exam, he would have a review session that would cover about 130% of what would be on the test. If you knew this review material, which was more than what was on the test, you would do great on the exam. Granted, you had to take good notes, and know the review material very well. But at least there was no surprises!
What kind of teacher is Jesus/God? Will he demand more than what is in his book? Or if we practice well what’s in the book, will we be in good shape in the final? His answer, “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.“ 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.“ For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. “I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” (John 12:47-50). So Jesus is not going to judge us on things not in the book, that’s a relief! Jesus is like my favorite professor in this regard. He tells us exactly what he expects us to practice. If I practice his “sayings” (there are many), his “commandments”, his “word”, I will do well on the final. There is a final exam (Rev. 20:11-15) it seems to be a pass/fail, as in a “lake of fire” (v.15) or “heavenly Jerusalem” (21:1).
We meet at church a couple of times a week for a special review of what is going to be on the final. We study a great deal about Jesus because he is the living, breathing example of his own teaching. We come weekly to take mini-exams in preparation for the final. (Yes, we worship our God. But we also examine our own lives and hearts regularly, as we hear his message.) In this way, we are schooled in Jesus by professor Matthew, by Mark, Dr. Luke, and John. Jesus offers forgiveness if we are willing to be schooled in his teaching and his example. We are not perfect, obviously, but that’s why we are still in his school, the church. Everyone of us who are in school/church, know that we have not yet graduated. The final is yet before us. How will he test us on that day? It’s all in the book. No surprises. Let us teach to the final exam. Let us teach what is in the book and stop giving our ears to story tellers, myths, and the imagination of men and women (2Tim. 4:3-4).
Dan Peters
- Teachers_WORD.docx (9.28 kB)
