If we never knew a word out of Jesus’ mouth, we could still spend a lifetime learning from Him. The fact that He left heaven to come to this world, along with His actions while here, speaks volumes. Perhaps this is why all the epistles of the New Testament are thin in their quoting of Jesus’ words but are instead preoccupied with who He is and the life He lived.
Jesus is a two-for-one deal. Getting to know Him entails learning of Another. “Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us’” (John 14:8, ESV). One can hear the pained surprise and amazement in Jesus’ voice as He responds: “ ‘Have I been with you so long . . . ?’ ” (John 14:9, ESV). He expected His disciples to know what the author of Hebrews knows, that He Himself is the “brightness of his [the Father’s] glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3). An important Christological theme in the New Testament is that Jesus reveals what God is like. His face reveals God’s face (2 Cor. 4:6). When teaching the Bible, we should express doctrines in light of the character of God. This character is best seen in the only One who can exclusively say,
“ ‘Whoever has seen me has seen the Father’ ” (John 14:9, ESV). So, regardless of people’s experiences, the number of Bible texts quoted, or the reverence for one’s denominational doctrines, the life of Christ must always serve as a corrective to our descriptions of God.
Part II: Commentary
Illustration
So then, who is Jesus of Nazareth? The answer often depends on who is asking. During a meeting, I was asked by a pastor of another denomination who I thought Jesus was. Because of the context and who was asking, I knew what he wanted. He didn’t want to know whether Jesus was the Messiah or the revelation of the Father or our best Friend. He wanted to know whether I believed Jesus was the eternal, preexistent, omnipotent, omniscient, omni-everything-else that affirms that Jesus truly is God. The disciples, on the other hand, gave a different answer than I gave. Matthew’s account answers with, “ ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ ” (Matt. 16:16, NKJV). The text condenses with Luke saying, “ ‘The Christ of God,’ ” (Luke 9:20, NKJV) and Mark simply says, “ ‘the Christ’ ” (Mark 8:29, ESV). Obviously, Jesus as Messiah was the looming issue during His ministry. As time marches on, sometimes the issues and questions about Jesus change. Though Jesus doesn’t change, it may be advantageous, based on context and our audience, to modify our emphasis in how we present Him.
Who Jesus is can be communicated in various ways. Keep in mind that the audience helps to narrow the options. Here is an extreme example: A young boy on his deathbed doesn’t need to hear of the hypostatic union of Jesus’ divine and human nature as articulated by the Council of Chalcedon. He needs a comforting Friend. Other venues provide opportunity for scholarly discussion about the details of Christ’s person. It is imperative as educators that we recognize different ministry settings and know Christ well enough to share just the right angle of His personality that best fits the moment.
Scripture
“Passing the torch” is an English idiom that harkens back to Greek runners passing a torch in a running relay in which a final runner crosses the finish line with torch in hand. Scripture reveals a passing of the torch that is both thrilling and sobering at the same time. As the lesson brings out, Jesus came to reveal what the Father is like. In a sense, the Father passed a torch to the Son, so that the Son’s face would illuminate the Father’s character to our gaze. Here are some biblical snippets to that end:
“He [Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God” (Heb. 1:3a, ESV).
Jesus is “the exact imprint of [God’s] nature” (Heb. 1:3b, ESV).
“The glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4, ESV).
“The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6, ESV).
“ ‘Whoever has seen [Jesus] has seen the Father’ ” (John 14:9b, ESV).
There is no doubt that New Testament authors want us to conclude that when we see Jesus, we are beholding an accurate picture of what the Father is like.
So, Jesus fulfills His leg of the race. Does He pass the torch? Yes, He does. Of course, He remains, and will always remain, the most perfect image of His Father, but He passes the torch on to His followers in an expression of shared responsibility and privilege.
Notice the “commission” He gives His disciples—a commission that may even be greater than what is typically identified as the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). After twice pronouncing peace on His disciples, He proclaims,
“ ‘As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you’ ” (John 20:19, John 20:21, ESV). Never has the little word “as” been so honored to bear such meaning. Just as the Father sent Jesus to show the world who He (the Father) is, Jesus now sends us to show the world who He (Jesus) is. The torch has been passed.
It is no wonder that His laying this holy burden on the shoulders of the disciples is embedded between two empowering acts of Christ. First, He pronounces “peace” upon them while letting them gaze upon His scars. He slowly undoes His robe so they can see and touch His spear-pierced side and hold His scarred hands. “ ‘Touch me, and see. . .’ ” (Luke 24:39, ESV). And while they stand huddled around their risen Savior, He says again, “Peace be unto you” as if to make a connection between His wounds and the peace He is blessing them with (John 20:19–21). They now have peace—a shalom—that truly passes all understanding and ushers them into reconciliation with God (Phil. 4:7, Rom. 5:1). He then tells them He is sending them the way His Father sent Him, but not before He does one final act. He breathes on them and says “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22). This will be the secret of their success. The renewing and empowering influence of the Spirit of God will enable them to reflect their Savior.
In thinking about Jesus’ passing the torch of revelation to His people, a number of verses come to mind that reinforce the idea that we were created and redeemed for such a purpose.
Jesus is the express image of God (Heb. 1:3), and humanity was made in God’s image, as we read: “Let us make man in our image” (Gen. 1:26).
Jesus is the image of God, but we are to be restored into the image of Jesus: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29, ESV). “And we all, . . . beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (2 Cor. 3:18, ESV).
Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), but then so are we: “ ‘You are the light of the world’ ” (Matt. 5:14, ESV).
Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:14) in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9, ESV); by extension, the people of God are called “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:27).
The list of parallels continues between Jesus’ mission to reveal truth about God to this world and how He has qualified His people to continue that same mission. Our prayer is that to the very end we will carry the torch handed us by Christ, to illuminate the world with the knowledge of His character.
Illustration
A revivalist once offered some thoughts on being God’s image bearers. As touched on in the lesson, Hebrews 1:3 speaks of Christ as being the charakter of the Father. The Greek charakter first denoted the engraving tool used by an engraver. Eventually, it denoted the mark or impress made by the tool, an impress as one would see on a coin. The purpose was to make an exact reproduction of the king’s image on those coins. Jesus was once asked a question on whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. He asked to see a coin and asked his audience whose image was on the coin. They answered, “Caesar’s,” after which Jesus said His famous line, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s” (Matt. 22:21). In like manner, Jesus will one day return to this earth looking for His own “coins.” When He does, He needs only ask the same question He asked 2,000 years ago: Whose image is seen on these coins? If we bear the image of Christ and have the Father’s name impressed in our foreheads (Rev. 22:4), then it will be good news to hear, “ ‘Render . . . to God the things that are God’s’ ” (Matt. 22:21, ESV). God will gather His coins and we can go home—finally.
Part III: Life Application
Speaking like a Christian, attending church like a Christian, explicating doctrines like a Christian, and calling oneself a Christian are never replacements for actually being a Christian. There is no population that understands this difference better than our children who are watching every move their parents, their teachers, and their religious leaders make. They may not be able to articulate it, but they are either consciously or unconsciously evaluating Adventist education based on how Adventists live. This is the bottom line. This is why bearing the image of God in our daily lives is nonnegotiable if we want to see Adventist education succeed.
Discussion Questions
How does one know if he or she is a genuine Christian?
How should accountability play a role in denominational employment, where one teacher or leader can influence hundreds or maybe thousands of children?
How much should we rely on students’ feedback to determine if someone is a godly teacher who should continue being employed?
The title of this lesson is, “Jesus as the Master Teacher.” Do you think that this idea is coming across loud and clear in our families and schools? If not, how could we teach our children in a way that causes them to say, “I was taught by Jesus today”?
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If we never knew a word out of Jesus’ mouth, we could still spend a lifetime learning from Him. The fact that He left heaven to come to this world, along with His actions while here, speaks volumes. Perhaps this is why all the epistles of the New Testament are thin in their quoting of Jesus’ words but are instead preoccupied with who He is and the life He lived.
Jesus is a two-for-one deal. Getting to know Him entails learning of Another. “Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us’” (John 14:8, ESV). One can hear the pained surprise and amazement in Jesus’ voice as He responds: “ ‘Have I been with you so long . . . ?’ ” (John 14:9, ESV). He expected His disciples to know what the author of Hebrews knows, that He Himself is the “brightness of his [the Father’s] glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3). An important Christological theme in the New Testament is that Jesus reveals what God is like. His face reveals God’s face (2 Cor. 4:6). When teaching the Bible, we should express doctrines in light of the character of God. This character is best seen in the only One who can exclusively say,
“ ‘Whoever has seen me has seen the Father’ ” (John 14:9, ESV). So, regardless of people’s experiences, the number of Bible texts quoted, or the reverence for one’s denominational doctrines, the life of Christ must always serve as a corrective to our descriptions of God.
Part II: Commentary
Illustration
So then, who is Jesus of Nazareth? The answer often depends on who is asking. During a meeting, I was asked by a pastor of another denomination who I thought Jesus was. Because of the context and who was asking, I knew what he wanted. He didn’t want to know whether Jesus was the Messiah or the revelation of the Father or our best Friend. He wanted to know whether I believed Jesus was the eternal, preexistent, omnipotent, omniscient, omni-everything-else that affirms that Jesus truly is God. The disciples, on the other hand, gave a different answer than I gave. Matthew’s account answers with, “ ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ ” (Matt. 16:16, NKJV). The text condenses with Luke saying, “ ‘The Christ of God,’ ” (Luke 9:20, NKJV) and Mark simply says, “ ‘the Christ’ ” (Mark 8:29, ESV). Obviously, Jesus as Messiah was the looming issue during His ministry. As time marches on, sometimes the issues and questions about Jesus change. Though Jesus doesn’t change, it may be advantageous, based on context and our audience, to modify our emphasis in how we present Him.
Who Jesus is can be communicated in various ways. Keep in mind that the audience helps to narrow the options. Here is an extreme example: A young boy on his deathbed doesn’t need to hear of the hypostatic union of Jesus’ divine and human nature as articulated by the Council of Chalcedon. He needs a comforting Friend. Other venues provide opportunity for scholarly discussion about the details of Christ’s person. It is imperative as educators that we recognize different ministry settings and know Christ well enough to share just the right angle of His personality that best fits the moment.
Scripture
“Passing the torch” is an English idiom that harkens back to Greek runners passing a torch in a running relay in which a final runner crosses the finish line with torch in hand. Scripture reveals a passing of the torch that is both thrilling and sobering at the same time. As the lesson brings out, Jesus came to reveal what the Father is like. In a sense, the Father passed a torch to the Son, so that the Son’s face would illuminate the Father’s character to our gaze. Here are some biblical snippets to that end:
There is no doubt that New Testament authors want us to conclude that when we see Jesus, we are beholding an accurate picture of what the Father is like.
So, Jesus fulfills His leg of the race. Does He pass the torch? Yes, He does. Of course, He remains, and will always remain, the most perfect image of His Father, but He passes the torch on to His followers in an expression of shared responsibility and privilege.
Notice the “commission” He gives His disciples—a commission that may even be greater than what is typically identified as the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). After twice pronouncing peace on His disciples, He proclaims,
“ ‘As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you’ ” (John 20:19, John 20:21, ESV). Never has the little word “as” been so honored to bear such meaning. Just as the Father sent Jesus to show the world who He (the Father) is, Jesus now sends us to show the world who He (Jesus) is. The torch has been passed.
It is no wonder that His laying this holy burden on the shoulders of the disciples is embedded between two empowering acts of Christ. First, He pronounces “peace” upon them while letting them gaze upon His scars. He slowly undoes His robe so they can see and touch His spear-pierced side and hold His scarred hands. “ ‘Touch me, and see. . .’ ” (Luke 24:39, ESV). And while they stand huddled around their risen Savior, He says again, “Peace be unto you” as if to make a connection between His wounds and the peace He is blessing them with (John 20:19–21). They now have peace—a shalom—that truly passes all understanding and ushers them into reconciliation with God (Phil. 4:7, Rom. 5:1). He then tells them He is sending them the way His Father sent Him, but not before He does one final act. He breathes on them and says “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22). This will be the secret of their success. The renewing and empowering influence of the Spirit of God will enable them to reflect their Savior.
In thinking about Jesus’ passing the torch of revelation to His people, a number of verses come to mind that reinforce the idea that we were created and redeemed for such a purpose.
The list of parallels continues between Jesus’ mission to reveal truth about God to this world and how He has qualified His people to continue that same mission. Our prayer is that to the very end we will carry the torch handed us by Christ, to illuminate the world with the knowledge of His character.
Illustration
A revivalist once offered some thoughts on being God’s image bearers. As touched on in the lesson, Hebrews 1:3 speaks of Christ as being the charakter of the Father. The Greek charakter first denoted the engraving tool used by an engraver. Eventually, it denoted the mark or impress made by the tool, an impress as one would see on a coin. The purpose was to make an exact reproduction of the king’s image on those coins. Jesus was once asked a question on whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. He asked to see a coin and asked his audience whose image was on the coin. They answered, “Caesar’s,” after which Jesus said His famous line, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s” (Matt. 22:21). In like manner, Jesus will one day return to this earth looking for His own “coins.” When He does, He needs only ask the same question He asked 2,000 years ago: Whose image is seen on these coins? If we bear the image of Christ and have the Father’s name impressed in our foreheads (Rev. 22:4), then it will be good news to hear, “ ‘Render . . . to God the things that are God’s’ ” (Matt. 22:21, ESV). God will gather His coins and we can go home—finally.
Part III: Life Application
Speaking like a Christian, attending church like a Christian, explicating doctrines like a Christian, and calling oneself a Christian are never replacements for actually being a Christian. There is no population that understands this difference better than our children who are watching every move their parents, their teachers, and their religious leaders make. They may not be able to articulate it, but they are either consciously or unconsciously evaluating Adventist education based on how Adventists live. This is the bottom line. This is why bearing the image of God in our daily lives is nonnegotiable if we want to see Adventist education succeed.
Discussion Questions