Friday’s thoughts
“Take Your Mind and Use It”
This sermon hasn’t yet found its ultimate direction but this is where it currently sits:
I am exploring “Jesus as teacher” and asking myself what made him such a great teacher. I suspect he was known for being a teacher more than for being a preacher. We have more of a collection of his sayings than we have a collection of his sermons. The Sermon on the Mount beginning with the fifth chapter of Matthew is not one sermon but a collection of sayings put into the format of a sermon. Homiletics teachers view that as an ineffective sermon and would give it a low grade as a sermon.
What makes Jesus a great teacher?
a. He had a high degree of wisdom. He knew the wisdom of the heart and was charismatic.
b. He had a high degree of wisdom. He knew a mathmatical approach to life that transcended traditional calculation. He knew the ‘first shall be last’ and ‘the servant shall be master’.
c. He had a high degree of sight. He knew when he looked that there were things to see within what seemed to be ordinary. He grasped revelation of God in everything he saw; a mustard seed, a farmer going out to plant seed, a Samaritan who helped a man who was beated and left to die on the road.
Jesus was a great teacher because he had revelation, wisdom, and charisma.
How does that line up with your thinking? What do you think made Jesus a great teacher and how does that instruct you and me? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your ideas click on the ‘comments’ box below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles Schuster
