Day 16: Teacher
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
–James 3:1-5 (ESV)
I was an adult Sunday school teacher for over 30 years, and this passage has always grabbed me. There is a sense that all of us, in church or out, are teachers, but those who presume to teach from the Bible must be especially careful to do their homework and speak thoughtfully.
Humility and self control are the name of the game, and it is certain that most of us “stumble in many ways.” This is a very appropriate Lenten meditation.
I take what you say about teachers; in effect, we must all be prepared to be examples, if not actual recognised instructors.
A professed Christian has many responsibilities: as ambassadors for their faith they will be judged by non believers, and a momentary loss of temper or composure reflects badly on many levels. But then I have known those with that indefinable inner glow that comes from living in the light of the Lord. They may not stand in a pulpit, but the presence and majesty they exude is as impressive to those without faith as any slickly turned verse, or deftly worded sermon.
And a lot of them teach Sunday School; no great waste there!
That is a good thought, Jim. I have sometimes recognized that inner glow in others. Whether others see that glow in me is not something I should be too curious about. It’s God’s doing for his good pleasure.
The bottom line is that we try as best we can to stay facing Jesus and leave everything else up to Him.
Thanks for your comment.