Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Blaming The Student

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.  John 13:12-17

“What is wrong with kids today?”  I laugh when others say that not realizing that is what we ourselves often heard from our parents.  Many of us are frustrated with how today’s youth seem self-absorbed and do not care enough about God (or others for that matter) and what He wants.  My initial reaction has been to jump on the bandwagon.  However, I realize maybe God expects something better of us.  Perhaps we feel the way we do because the younger generation is just different from us.  Could it be we have fallen into the trap of trying to use old school math to solve a new school math problem?  It is far easier to tell the younger generation that does not seem to get it that they need to do things the way we did it.  Now there is some truth to that, and for some youth, that is exactly what is needed.  But think of this as a teacher and student problem.  If we, the teacher, are giving all the effort, our initial belief is it must be the student’s fault, but if the student is trying to understand but failing to, the teacher clearly is not good at teaching, right?  The real truth lies somewhere in the middle.  And it’s important that we stop focusing on blaming ‘the student’ because we all lose if they do not learn who God is and what He has in store for them, right?

Jesus as a teacher focused on helping others to learn of God’s plan, and He utilized a number of different ways to achieve this as His goal was for us to be living examples of Him.  Nearing His final days, Jesus washes the feet of the Disciples, and teaches as an example.  This is powerful because as Jesus noted, they acknowledged Him as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and yet He was humble enough to do this for them.  Jesus sometimes told parables, and other times asked questions to help others figure it out.  At times, He was blatantly direct, and others, He was a loving nurturer and empathizer.  Here, He simply sets the example for them and ultimately us.  If we want to reach a generation that has lost God, we cannot simply say they don’t get it.  What we need to do is understand where they are.  Then like Jesus, set the example and find out how to best teach them about who God is. 


God’s work is a labor of love.  If we love God’s people, we are obligated to be teachers to those who may not know Him.  If you are not capable of teaching a way that gets through to them, rely on someone who can, and learn from them.  What’s the worst that can happen?  They still stay lost?  How can you share your knowledge of God to others?  What can you do to be a better sharer of God’s impact in your life?  My prayer is that we focus being better teachers of who Jesus Christ is and stop blaming ‘the student.’  Amen.

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