“And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,” Matthew 5:2

Teaching is a practice of passing wisdom from the Teacher (Rabbi) to the student (disciple).   The Teacher is a master of the knowledge, and the students are deprived of the teachers wisdom.

But can teaching be bad, or not teaching.  In 1979 the british band, Pink Floyd penned these words in “Another Brick in the Wall (part 2)”:

We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey, teachers, leave them kids alone
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall

This sensational song marks out that some teaching can be bad.   If your teaching falsehood, or your teaching as they put it “dark sarcasm”.  If you teach to degrade and put down, or “put in your place”, then I don’t know if your even teaching, that’s indoctrination.  In itself indoctrination has some agenda, be it good or bad, but the objective here is not the same as teaching.

A teacher teaches because of a love for his or her students.  Teaching is the expression of love, because the teacher is taking the seeds of wisdom and tenderly planting them in the hearts of the students.  A good teacher listens to the questions, and tenderly and gently guides the student.  Harshness isn’t needed for teaching.  Open discourse between the teacher and students is an expression of love.

Here we see Jesus, he opens his mouth, and he taught his disciples.   How I wish I was one of those men, sitting at the Master’s sandals.  But… I am, I am reading his very words, and he’s speaking directly to my heart if I take on the role of a disciple.

Picture by Monika Kozub