Ecclesia Global Missions

This week, we are going to kind of jump back into the Who is Jesus Christ series and intertwine what we have been discussing the last couple of weeks, which has been very much about doing. It has been about letting Jesus be your example; about being intentional about what you are doing and learning, and about putting what you learn into action. In this process of looking to Jesus for how He lived, for how He spoke, for how He shared, taught, healed, commanded, showed compassion, and loved God and others, if we allow ourselves to be, we are being taught by Jesus Himself. As you read the Gospels, as you pay close attention to the words of Jesus Christ, if you can envision His actions, the way that He carried Himself, the way that He treated people, the way that He revered God, you are learning from Jesus. If you have invited the Lord into this special time and asked the Holy Spirit to instruct you, to bring forth wisdom, insight, and understanding from God, you are being taught by Him. 

As we know, through our time in God’s Word, there is much foretelling of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. At Christmas time, we often focus on Isaiah 9; during Passover and the time of Jesus’ resurrection, we focus on Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, among others. 

Did you know there were some foretold events about Jesus as a teacher?

Isaiah 11:1-4

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

And there shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David’s father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord—

3 And shall make Him of quick understanding, and His delight shall be in the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord. And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, neither decide by the hearing of His ears;

4 But with righteousness and justice shall He judge the poor and decide with fairness for the meek, the poor, and the downtrodden of the earth; and He shall smite the earth and the oppressor with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

When we read the Gospels, we really see how Jesus fulfilled this set of scriptures. We can see how He lived and walked in accordance with this. 

Yet, in Isaiah 11:1-4, while it does not outright say ‘teacher,’ we can see where Jesus would teach others, how He would lead them, and by whose Spirit He would do all of this. 

We receive confirmation of this as we read John 3:1-2

John 3:1-2

Amplified Bible

The New Birth

3 Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (member of the Sanhedrin) among the Jews, 2 who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), we know [without any doubt] that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs [these wonders, these attesting miracles] that You do unless God is with him.”

Now the AMPC reminds us that Nicodemus was a leader, but not just any leader; he was known to be a leader with authority. He supposedly is strong in the Word of God, knows the Law, and obeys it. Yet He is seeking Jesus for wisdom!

This is the wisdom that we see in the previous scripture, in Isaiah 11. It is by God that Jesus teaches, as Nicodemus states. 

We know that Jesus only does what He sees His Father in heaven doing; we have read this many times over the last few weeks. Jesus is being led by the Spirit to teach, heal, share, and spread hope, according to the will of God. 

Jesus is a teacher. He is not just any teacher, though! He was often referred to as Rabbi, as we saw in John 3:2. We may know that Rabbi is another name for teacher, but there is more to it. 

Strong’s Concordance states what we call Rabbi, and they call hrab-bee’ 

(Strong’s G4461)

• my master,
  • as an official title of honor:—Master, Rabbi.

And Thayer’s digs into it as:

• properly, my great one, my honorable sir;  
• Rabbi, a title with which the Jews were accustomed to address their teachers
  • also to honor them when not addressing them

So when Jesus was referred to as Rabbi, He was recognized as being a Master, a leader, a person in charge, or a ruler. He was addressed with honor, with respect. He was shown reverence. 

Nicodemus shows this respect; he honors and reveres Jesus by calling Him Rabbi.

And let’s briefly look at “teacher” in Strong’s Concordance:

Strong’s Concordance

• didáskalos, did-as’-kal-os;  G1320; an instructor:—
  • doctor, master, teacher.

I really like the addition that Thayer’s Greek Lexicon adds to this:

• in the N. T. one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man:
• of one who is fitted to teach, or thinks himself so.
• of the teachers of the Jewish religion:
• of those who by their great power as teachers drew crowds about them (John the Baptist)

Nicodemus is looking to Jesus not just for any wisdom, not just for any information or any instruction. He was looking to Jesus for truth. He saw the miracles, and he recognized that Jesus was much more than what the Pharisees thought He was.
Jesus often referred to the Pharisees and Sadducees as hypocrites. There were times when it was insinuated, meaning Jesus called a certain group of people hypocrites by their actions, and there were times when He outright called them hypocrites. 

This is something that Jesus was not. We can learn from Jesus and have Him as our example in teaching and leading others as well. Jesus remained true to Who He was, He remained true to His calling, and He remained true to all that God was leading Him to do.

Jesus didn’t preach or teach something and go out and do the opposite of it, as He stated the Pharisees did in Matthew 6 and 23, Luke 12, and Mark 11 and 20. These are also areas in which we can learn how to live.

When we look to Jesus, do we see how He teaches us? Do we see the things that He teaches us about? Are we using Him as our example of a teacher or of leading others and guiding them?

Jesus walked in love. Yes, He was firm with certain leaders. He was firm and spoke openly about the way certain people treated others. But when He was dealing with His people, when He was dealing with those lost sheep, He did so with love, with kindness, gentleness, with compassion. He did not lord His knowledge over others. He did not see others as less than Him because they did not know what He knew. 

This makes me think of a conversation between Jesus and Peter. Jesus rebuked Satan when Peter did not understand what Jesus was talking about. When Jesus told him that He would be denied by Peter 3 times, at that time, Peter thought he would never deny Jesus. Yet, Jesus was telling Him the truth. He knew something Peter did not. 

Something that Peter would not even believe or be willing to believe. 

I heard something recently that spoke volumes to me. It was about perspective. I don’t remember who I heard it from or where I heard it, and I am very much paraphrasing here. 

God knows all and sees all. God knows our yesterday, He knows our tomorrows. Walking on this earth, if Jesus saw the Father in heaven sharing something, He too saw the yesterdays, the todays, and the tomorrows of people. We do not see this! We see things from our very limited perspectives. We see things through our viewpoints, our experiences, and our expectations. That was how Peter was reacting to Jesus!

Keep this in mind if the Lord is teaching you something that you may not fully believe yet, or fully understand. You are only seeing a part of the greater picture while God sees the whole picture. If we allow Him to teach us, if we trust in Him and allow Him to lead us, eventually we will see more of that picture and understand more. 

Now, while Jesus was compassionate, and yes there were times when He was frustrated, He did teach in different ways. 

We all learn in different ways, and we all take things in differently and at different times. What one person may catch hearing the first time, someone else may catch after hearing it 5 times. We are all created differently, and since God created each one of us, He knows how we learn. He knows if you learn by doing, He knows if you learn by hearing, He knows if you learn by notetaking, or by speaking things out. 

Recognize how He teaches you, recognize how He leads you so that you can learn. 

Jesus spoke often. That was the way of things then. They had people teaching and reading to them, they heard the stories of God, they heard the commandments or the Law of Moses being read, and they heard how they were supposed to live.

We have so much more. We have an example of what it is and what it means to walk a godly life through Jesus. We can see how He lived as we read God’s Word, we can hear how Jesus lived as we read scripture out loud or as we hear others read it. We can put it into action by doing. 

Jesus taught by doing, He healed, He performed miracles, He walked the life that He was teaching others to live. 

He taught His disciples through speaking, through sharing information, and through having a close relationship with them. We can see where He shares the meaning behind certain parables as He teaches His disciples.

Mark 4:10-12

Amplified Bible

10 As soon as He was alone, those who were around Him, together with the twelve [disciples], began asking Him about [the interpretation of] the parables. 11 He said to them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables, 12 so that they will continually look but not see, and they will continually hear but not understand, otherwise they might turn [from their rejection of the truth] and be forgiven.”

In order to receive or be taught, we must have teachable hearts. If you are struggling to receive information, if you are struggling to see Jesus as a teacher and revere Him, if you are struggling to allow God to teach you, ask for help with a teachable heart. Are there times when your heart has remained closed to Him? Was there trauma in your life? Was there an unanswered prayer? Was there a time when you felt like God didn’t care about you or someone close to you? Was blame placed on God that you felt was due, but that you have since learned was not? 

After praying for a teachable heart, we can then pray and ask for eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to be open to teachings from God.

Matthew 13:10-12

Amplified Bible

An Explanation

10 Then the disciples came to Him and asked, “Why do You speak to the crowds in parables?” 11 Jesus replied to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has [spiritual wisdom because he is receptive to God’s word], to him more will be given, and he will be richly and abundantly supplied; but whoever does not have [spiritual wisdom because he has devalued God’s word], even what he has will be taken away from him.

Jesus explained to His disciples that they had been granted the wisdom to know the mysteries of heaven. Did you know that you are? Did you know that when you pray, when you seek to be taught, when you seek godly wisdom, insight, and understanding, it will be given to you (maybe not how you expect it to be given), but it will be given to you because as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been granted access to it! Isn’t that wonderfully amazing news?!

There is a keyword in this about receiving insight and spiritual wisdom. 

It takes being receptive to God’s Word. How receptive to God’s Word are you? How receptive are you during times of struggle? How receptive are you during blessings and times of favor? How receptive are you during times of calm and peace? Or chaos and confusion? I think there are times when our receptiveness is higher than at other times. This can very much be a work in progress. However, in order to receive, we must be open to receiving. In the process, we must remember not to ignore God’s Word in the struggle. We must remember not to devalue it, set it aside, and leave it there. 

There is great value in His Word, there is great value in His wisdom, and there is great value in His teachings. If we do not find value, then what can we possibly learn? If we do not value His Word, we are saying we know more than God does, and realistically, I think this is something we do from time to time without even thinking about it. So, as you receive wisdom, as you read God’s Word, as you receive teachings and revelations, hold it close to your heart, hold it near and dear to you. Do not devalue it. 

Think about it, think about times when you have given freely, when you have gifted someone something so special to you, even if it was your time, and they, in turn, did not appreciate it; they just set aside what you gave to them so that it would be forgotten. It can make us feel small, it can make us feel bad, and it can make us not want to give to that person again. So value what God has given to you, value what He has blessed you with. 

One way to value something is to use it! When we set things on a shelf, we leave them there. We don’t use it; it just sits there, collecting dust. It is of no use. 

Jesus instructed His disciples to go out and do what He had been teaching, to spread the good news of salvation, to heal, and to bring peace to homes. Essentially do go out and do all that He had been doing with them. It was their turn to put into practice all that Jesus had taught them and was teaching them.

Matthew 10:1, 5-15

Amplified Bible

The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service

Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority and power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

5 Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them: “Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not go into a city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Do not take gold, or silver, or [even] copper money in your money belt, 10 or a provision bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker deserves his support. 11 Whatever city or village you enter, ask who in it is worthy [who welcomes you and your message], and stay at his house until you leave [that city]. 12 As you go into the house, give it your greeting [that is, ‘Peace be to this house’]. 13 If [the family living in] the house is worthy [welcoming you and your message], give it your [blessing of] peace [that is, a blessing of well-being and prosperity, the favor of God]. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not welcome you, nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust [of it] off your feet [in contempt, breaking all ties]. 15 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city [since it rejected the Messiah’s messenger].

Are you putting into practice all that you have been taught? Are you putting into practice all that Jesus teaches us in His Word? Are you putting it into practice and stepping out in faith? Are you doing? And here we are again, are you being a doer of God’s Word or simply a hearer? Placing that wisdom up on the shelf only to collect dust. 

Are you going out and doing what Jesus did? 

Granted, some people are gifted from the Holy Spirit the gift of teaching, however as a Christian, isn’t part of our walk teaching? Teaching and sharing the Gospel with other people? Teaching others (as the Lord wills) about Jesus Christ? Teaching and sharing with them what He did for them? What He has done for all of us? Do you believe that you can teach? Do you believe that you can share Jesus with others? Do you believe that as a Christian is what you are called to do? Do you struggle with understanding Jesus? Who He is and understanding what He did for you? This does make it hard to go out and teach others. This is also where having a teachable heart comes in. I know for myself, as I have shared with and taught others, that the Lord has taught me and revealed Himself to me.

Are you walking as Christ walked? Are you walking in peace? Are you walking in truth? Are you sharing truth and teaching truth? Or is there some hypocrisy?

A person who walks in truth is trusted more than a person walking in hypocrisy. There may be times when we are not walking according to the truth and do not realize it. This is why we must have a relationship with God, we must spend time in His Word, we must spend time getting to know Him, and we must allow Jesus to teach us! We must be open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be open to receiving truth. Not what we think may be the truth, but receiving God’s truth. 

I mentioned trust. Trust is huge. When we take Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we learn to trust Him, we learn to trust in Him. While Jesus is healing, while Jesus is teaching, while Jesus is walking what He teaches, He is building trust among the people. Well, He is building trust among His followers anyway. Sometimes it does take trust. It takes someone witnessing you walk in what you teach, it takes someone meditating on God’s Word as you share it with them, for them to receive the truth. 

How is your trust? Do you trust Jesus? Do you trust God the Father? Do you trust the Holy Spirit?

Do you trust that what Jesus taught, and the teachings that we read in our bibles are true? Do you trust that Jesus still teaches you today through things that you go through? Do you trust that Jesus cares about you? That He wants to teach you? Sometimes this trust can be hard. Don’t give up. Our walk, being doers of God’s Word, walking a godly life, takes perseverance. It takes persistence. It takes continuity, and it takes discipline. It takes intentionality. 

Jesus is our Master teacher as He explains to His disciples, and in this He reminds them to remain humble as well:

Matthew 23:1-12

Amplified Bible

Pharisaism Exposed

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses’ chair [of authority as teachers of the Law]; 3 so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do as they do; for they preach [things], but do not practice them. 4 The scribes and Pharisees tie up heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter]. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries (tefillin) wide [to make them more conspicuous] and make their tassels long. 6 They love the place of distinction and honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [those on the platform near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation], 7 and to be greeted [with respect] in the market places and public forums, and to have people call them Rabbi. 8 But do not be called Rabbi (Teacher); for One is your Teacher, and you are all [equally] brothers. 9 Do not call anyone on earth [who guides you spiritually] your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not let yourselves be called leaders or teachers; for One is your Leader (Teacher), the Christ. 11 But the greatest among you will be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor.

Jesus is the One Teacher, He is the One Leader, He is the One Whom we turn to and look to, He is the One Whom we learn from!
At this time, He is also reminding us of things we are not to do as He draws attention to what the Pharisees are doing. As He reveals and teaches what is expected of us. 

So let Jesus continue to be your example, but also learn from the greatest Teacher, learn from the Master Teacher. Teach with love and kindness, and have compassion, both for others and for yourself. While the disciples had the greatest Teacher walking with them, they had His example daily, they still made mistakes, and Jesus still taught them. He brought correction when and where correction was due:

Matthew 17:14-21

Amplified Bible

When they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, kneeling before Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic (moonstruck) and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed at once.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why could we not drive it out?” 20 He answered, “Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and [if it is God’s will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 [But this kind of demon does not go out except by prayer and fasting.]”

Continue to learn from Jesus and allow His teachings to come to you. Allow Him to teach you and correct you. Open your hearts!