Sometimes the words of scripture seem to be written in bold type or inscribed on an envelope personally addressed to me. Even the verses about godly mothering and the warnings to contentious wives don’t hold a candle to Jesus’s cautionary words to teachers in the Sermon on the Mount:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:17-20
These words would have landed like a shockwave to anyone among Jesus’s listening crowd who was in the know. The scribes and Pharisees were THE religious elite. If their meticulous and very public righteousness couldn’t qualify them for heaven there was little hope for anyone else. However, Jesus was tuned into the difference between God’s righteousness and the standard of righteousness the scribes and Pharisees were teaching.
Fear of being legalistic has made some believers think of the law as a barrier. “Christianity is all about relationship,” they claim, and yet the truth is that rules enable relationship. So while it is true that we will never earn God’s favor through obedience to the law, it is equally true that Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to the law on our behalf—and we are called to a life of Christlikeness.
When I teach and when I write, I want to be sure to be clear, accurate, and biblical—and I see the importance of modeling what I teach. Jesus is clear: it’s do and then teach. His little brother James picks up on the warning: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1).
Why in the world, then, would anyone take the risk?
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). Why in the world, then, would anyone take the risk?
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I read the answer that works for me on a snowy day in early April. The storm had taken out our electricity (which somehow renders us all completely useless whenever it happens), and so I picked up The Confessions of Augustine, a book I had been intending to tackle “someday.”
In Book One, Augustine enumerates and extols God’s attributes and excellencies:
What art Thou then, my God? what, but the Lord God? For who is Lord but the Lord? Or who is God save our God? Most highest, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong, stable, yet incomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never old… And what had I now said, my God, my life, my holy joy? or what saith any man when he speaks of Thee? Yet woe to him that speaketh not…”
His response to God’s majesty is to speak of it, to teach. However inadequate the words may be, it is his “holy joy” to share what he has seen of God’s character and majesty. Despite the deficiency of his expression, the biblical warning to teachers, and the heavy responsibility, Augustine was resolved to show up and to tell the truth.
Elisabeth Elliot wrote: “My task is to love God, to make God loved, and to lay down my life to this end.”
So I will continue to speak the truth that is in me.
And to trust God with the rest.
Praying Together
Lord, we echo the words of Augustine for we’re well aware that our words fall short of your glory—and yet how can we bear to be silent? Help us to obey your commandments and to teach others to do the same. May we show your greatness and the reasonableness of an obedient life by the choices we make, the words we say, and our love for you.
Amen
Let’s continue this conversation:
- Does Jesus’s warning to teachers stop you in your tracks?
- If you are a teacher, what motivates you to keep on teaching the Bible?
Holding You in the Light,
Elisabeth Elliot wrote: “My task is to love God, to make God loved, and to lay down my life to this end.”
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This is part three of a series about Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. You’ll find part one on the Beatitudes HERE, and part two on Salt and Light HERE. I invite you to join me each Sunday for the next few weeks as we sit under the teaching of Jesus together and consider how his words and his life should be impacting the way we live, work, think, and pray.
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Being a teacher is worth all of the crazy that comes with it!
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Amen!
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The first part of your post brought to mind John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” It’s weird that we separate obedience and love, since obedience is an evidence of love.
Jesus’ warning is indeed a scary one. It makes me not want to teach! Yet we all do, even if it’s not behind a podium in front of an audience. I’ve been struggling recently even as a participant in Sunday School and Bible study with when to share something and when to keep my mouth shut. I don’t want to be the older lady who tries to answer all the questions and has a comment about everything. But God has given me experiences and years in His Word, and sharing is sometimes helpful. I try to pray for His leading before each session.
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I think we’re seeing this bifurcation between obedience and love most glaringly in current parenting trends.
And I’ve been going through the same dilemma about speaking up. Especially since I do a fair amount of teaching and singing in my church, and I feel as if my voice gets heard a LOT anyway. However, I’m finding myself opting to share my thoughts more than I used to with the caveat that I DON’T need to be heard on every topic or every occasion.
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This is beautiful and yet thought provoking! Thank you for sharing!
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I’m so glad you found it helpful! Thank you for taking the time to let me know you were here!
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[…] the Mount. You’ll find part one on the Beatitudes HERE, and part two on Salt and Light HERE. Last week, in light of Jesus’s warning to teachers, we wondered what motivates teachers to take on the […]
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Exactly! James warning to teachers does make me uncomfortable. Who wants to be judged stricter?
Yet, the parable of the talents also warns us about hiding talent underground. That servant was called wicked and lazy.
In my own case, our church needed someone to teach the adult class. I was asked to fill the position. I’d often said to the Lord, “here am I, send me,” so how could I say no?
Now, after all these years of teaching, I totally love doing it, because I enjoy digging in and searching for nuggets of gold among scripture. But I’m ever mindful of the danger of speaking wrongly and I seek the Lord constantly for His help.
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Exactly! James warning to teachers does make me uncomfortable. Who wants to be judged stricter?
Yet, the parable of the talents also warns us about hiding talent underground. That servant was called wicked and lazy.
In my own case, our church needed someone to teach the adult class. I was asked to fill the position. I’d often said to the Lord, “here am I, send me,” so how could I say no?
Now, after all these years of teaching, I totally love doing it, because I enjoy digging in and searching for nuggets of gold among scripture. But I’m ever mindful of the danger of speaking wrongly and I seek the Lord constantly for His help.
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Yes, we have to continually put ourselves in the humble position of learner in order to be a teacher. That quote from Augustine always hits me between the eyes. How can we dare to speak, but, given what God has revealed about himself, how can we bear not to?
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[…] find part one on the Beatitudes HERE, and part two on Salt and Light HERE. In part three, we wondered what motivates teachers to take on the heavy responsibility of communicating the […]
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