The Way He Taught
Sermon
THE CHALLENGE OF GOD'S HARVEST
Our precious Christian faith is first of all and foremost the good news that God loves us and forgives us in Chrst, his son. It is the story of our salvation, the story of the cross and the open tomb.
But along with that also goes the challenge of Christianity - the scintilating invitation to carry out God's will in thankful response to his good work for us. We are called to Christian living.
If we are serious about that, I believe our text here this morning can give us a valuable guideline. We might say it like this: the way we do things is sometimes just as important as the deed itself.
Here's an example: Carl Junior is requested by his mother to go upstairs and clean up his bedroom. Carl gives out a very audible sigh of despair, shrugs his shoulders into a burdensome position and deliberately walks up each step to his bedroom. Way down in the kitchen mother can hear every swoosh and sweep that Carl makes in rearranging his room to normal order. Finally Carl descends the steps, and in solemn tone announces that he has finished cleaning up his bedroom. The deed was done, yes. But it was done in a way to make mother wish she had never asked.
Or how about this: Father is requested to drive his daughter over to the optical department at Sears to pick up her new glasses. She has been without them for almost a week now, and she really needs them for the important test at school in the morning. Father is watching the Monday night game of the week. But heroically he rises and says, "Well, I suppose we can go over and get your glasses, even though I'll probably miss the best part of the game." On the way there and back he makes several comments about how hard it is to drive through this night traffic after a long busy day at work. The deed was done, yes. But again, done in a way that made poor daughter feel very guilty for even asking.
The way we do things is sometimes as important as the deed itself. That's what the people of old noticed here as they observed an itinerant preacher from Nazareth, Jesus by name. The Bible reads this way: "Jesus finished saying these things, and the crowds were amazed at the way he taught." That is to say, the way Jesus taught was as impressive as what he taught. In fact it was hard to separate the two.
We have to agree with that, don't we? We have to agree with this challenging biblical guideline - the way we do God's will is as important as the deeds themselves. So our guiding thought today is this: THE LIVING LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL HELP YOU NOT ONLY TO DO GOD'S WILL; HE'LL GIVE YOU THE HEART TO DO IT IN A LOVING WAY.
I.
The first time I turned to this text for study a few weeks ago, my eye was caught by the last four words of the first sentence, "the way he taught." The "way" Jesus taught, indeed! It was different. It was stimulating. It was refreshing. Why so? Not because Jesus was an oratorical genius. There is little evidence in the Bible for that. Not because his presentations were flashy, always playing up some angle. But, as we read in verse 29, "He wasn't like their teachers of the Law; instead he taught with authority."
What was the matter with the authority of the Pharisees? Mostly that they were all caught up in the content of their teaching and didn't care how they taught it. "You are to do this, and you are to do that, because it says so right here. This is the legal requirement. We are God's representatives. You should listen to us." The beautiful Law of God - all those subjects that have to do with the very heart and heat of life - these Pharisees reduced to statutes and formalism. That was their authority!
The authority of Jesus was infinitely superior. It was serenely more profound. Jesus moved the people to do the same things for God - and more - because of the way he taught them. Jesus came before them as the humble son of God. He made it clear that he trusted God as a loving Father. This Father Jesus would willingly love and serve and trust. His was the authority of love. That's the way Jesus taught.
II.
Let's begin to move in on the practical side of this on this national Father's Day. Surely the ideal father is the one whose authority is love.
That's the way it is with God himself as our heavenly Father. We love him because he first loved us. We are caught up by God's love. We are convinced of his love for us because we have seen the work of his son, Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ is the radical, far-reaching expression of the Father's love for us all. We are so taken by this divine love that we are converted. Our whole life has been turned around.
The other day I got a sad answer. I was having a discussion with a fellow Christian about Christianity and our common faith. He said, "Do you know why I'm a Christian?" And he answered his own question. "I'm a Christian because that's the way I was taught!" To me that was a sad answer. Apparently he regarded his mind in earlier years like some kind of computer. It was fed particular religious data, which happened to be Christian data. Now the material is sort of locked in, like other influences from his cultural background. And that's why he's a Christian!
Why are we Christians? I hope it's because daily we're overwhelmed by God's love for us in Christ. I hope it's because we are living under the swaying authority of the Father's love.
That's the authority of love that would be ideal in any father, isn't it so? Today on Father's Day we ask the serious question. Why do your children call you father? Why do they do what you say? Is it only because they have a blood relationship with you? Is it only a kind of biological authority we have with our own children? Pray God that it is the authority of your love that has overtaken them and holds them in your sway.
Every father is a teacher. Like it or not, you are Exhibit A in the eyes of your offspring. The way you teach, then, is just as important as what you teach your children. We say that it's no good if things go in one ear and out the other with our kids. The content has to stick. That is true, and valid. And it is our relafionship of love and trust that will ultimately bind and seal our teaching to our own children.
III.
Educational psychologists are more and more discovering the truth that the way in which we teach is also finally what we teach. The amazing "quality" of Jesus' life consisted in this very point. His "authority" was precisely this. He was the total teacher. Everything he said rang true because it was constantly being reaffirmed and proclaimed in his demeanor and manner with people. His actions never cancelled out, but always added authenticity to his words. His whole person taught.
As churchly institutions we often suffer our downfall in teaching at this very point. We have the what of Scripture and the faith. But often that is overshadowed and cancelled out by the way we present it. The results among the body of Christ have been obvious. Tensions, splits and heart-ache are often the order of the day within Christ's church.
Today we very humbly ask and plead with God to show us the right way to live out our Christian lives. We ask for his grace to make our lives ring with the same loving authority that was to be found in his own son. For that spirit of Christ we pray today.
But along with that also goes the challenge of Christianity - the scintilating invitation to carry out God's will in thankful response to his good work for us. We are called to Christian living.
If we are serious about that, I believe our text here this morning can give us a valuable guideline. We might say it like this: the way we do things is sometimes just as important as the deed itself.
Here's an example: Carl Junior is requested by his mother to go upstairs and clean up his bedroom. Carl gives out a very audible sigh of despair, shrugs his shoulders into a burdensome position and deliberately walks up each step to his bedroom. Way down in the kitchen mother can hear every swoosh and sweep that Carl makes in rearranging his room to normal order. Finally Carl descends the steps, and in solemn tone announces that he has finished cleaning up his bedroom. The deed was done, yes. But it was done in a way to make mother wish she had never asked.
Or how about this: Father is requested to drive his daughter over to the optical department at Sears to pick up her new glasses. She has been without them for almost a week now, and she really needs them for the important test at school in the morning. Father is watching the Monday night game of the week. But heroically he rises and says, "Well, I suppose we can go over and get your glasses, even though I'll probably miss the best part of the game." On the way there and back he makes several comments about how hard it is to drive through this night traffic after a long busy day at work. The deed was done, yes. But again, done in a way that made poor daughter feel very guilty for even asking.
The way we do things is sometimes as important as the deed itself. That's what the people of old noticed here as they observed an itinerant preacher from Nazareth, Jesus by name. The Bible reads this way: "Jesus finished saying these things, and the crowds were amazed at the way he taught." That is to say, the way Jesus taught was as impressive as what he taught. In fact it was hard to separate the two.
We have to agree with that, don't we? We have to agree with this challenging biblical guideline - the way we do God's will is as important as the deeds themselves. So our guiding thought today is this: THE LIVING LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL HELP YOU NOT ONLY TO DO GOD'S WILL; HE'LL GIVE YOU THE HEART TO DO IT IN A LOVING WAY.
I.
The first time I turned to this text for study a few weeks ago, my eye was caught by the last four words of the first sentence, "the way he taught." The "way" Jesus taught, indeed! It was different. It was stimulating. It was refreshing. Why so? Not because Jesus was an oratorical genius. There is little evidence in the Bible for that. Not because his presentations were flashy, always playing up some angle. But, as we read in verse 29, "He wasn't like their teachers of the Law; instead he taught with authority."
What was the matter with the authority of the Pharisees? Mostly that they were all caught up in the content of their teaching and didn't care how they taught it. "You are to do this, and you are to do that, because it says so right here. This is the legal requirement. We are God's representatives. You should listen to us." The beautiful Law of God - all those subjects that have to do with the very heart and heat of life - these Pharisees reduced to statutes and formalism. That was their authority!
The authority of Jesus was infinitely superior. It was serenely more profound. Jesus moved the people to do the same things for God - and more - because of the way he taught them. Jesus came before them as the humble son of God. He made it clear that he trusted God as a loving Father. This Father Jesus would willingly love and serve and trust. His was the authority of love. That's the way Jesus taught.
II.
Let's begin to move in on the practical side of this on this national Father's Day. Surely the ideal father is the one whose authority is love.
That's the way it is with God himself as our heavenly Father. We love him because he first loved us. We are caught up by God's love. We are convinced of his love for us because we have seen the work of his son, Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ is the radical, far-reaching expression of the Father's love for us all. We are so taken by this divine love that we are converted. Our whole life has been turned around.
The other day I got a sad answer. I was having a discussion with a fellow Christian about Christianity and our common faith. He said, "Do you know why I'm a Christian?" And he answered his own question. "I'm a Christian because that's the way I was taught!" To me that was a sad answer. Apparently he regarded his mind in earlier years like some kind of computer. It was fed particular religious data, which happened to be Christian data. Now the material is sort of locked in, like other influences from his cultural background. And that's why he's a Christian!
Why are we Christians? I hope it's because daily we're overwhelmed by God's love for us in Christ. I hope it's because we are living under the swaying authority of the Father's love.
That's the authority of love that would be ideal in any father, isn't it so? Today on Father's Day we ask the serious question. Why do your children call you father? Why do they do what you say? Is it only because they have a blood relationship with you? Is it only a kind of biological authority we have with our own children? Pray God that it is the authority of your love that has overtaken them and holds them in your sway.
Every father is a teacher. Like it or not, you are Exhibit A in the eyes of your offspring. The way you teach, then, is just as important as what you teach your children. We say that it's no good if things go in one ear and out the other with our kids. The content has to stick. That is true, and valid. And it is our relafionship of love and trust that will ultimately bind and seal our teaching to our own children.
III.
Educational psychologists are more and more discovering the truth that the way in which we teach is also finally what we teach. The amazing "quality" of Jesus' life consisted in this very point. His "authority" was precisely this. He was the total teacher. Everything he said rang true because it was constantly being reaffirmed and proclaimed in his demeanor and manner with people. His actions never cancelled out, but always added authenticity to his words. His whole person taught.
As churchly institutions we often suffer our downfall in teaching at this very point. We have the what of Scripture and the faith. But often that is overshadowed and cancelled out by the way we present it. The results among the body of Christ have been obvious. Tensions, splits and heart-ache are often the order of the day within Christ's church.
Today we very humbly ask and plead with God to show us the right way to live out our Christian lives. We ask for his grace to make our lives ring with the same loving authority that was to be found in his own son. For that spirit of Christ we pray today.
