February 10, 2023
Educated but not Experienced
“Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.” John 3: 10-11 (NASB)
I remember years ago I was approached by Liberty University to teach Bible classes. I felt under qualified as a professor/ or teacher. I still do. I always thought the person should have been a Bible scholar. I was wrong though. God needed a testifier. As I went through my first few classes it was tough finding my way. It was really hard work. Then one week it all came together. I had been missing something. I approached teaching the Bible initially as a teacher, not a fellow Christian- a testifier. When I realized I was sharing with like-minded Christians, the classes became a whole lot more enjoyable. There wasn’t competition. I was among fellow like-minded people. We could all testify of what we had seen and shared. In fact, I believe that was one of the easiest times in teaching. I later learned with another university that testifying of God’s goodness was also fun and the students seemed to enjoy it as well. I remember how it sparked conversations for 30 minutes after we were done for the evening.
Nicodemus had this problem as well. He got to the point where the teaching became part of his life, and he no longer understood the reason he studied. Jesus hurled a few questions at him. One of them was, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?” A teacher is one who is a didaskalos; an instructor.[1] This word is from the root word of didasko, which means to teach or instruct. There is however a qualifier for teacher. The teacher must be a learner first. When Jesus asked him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?” In essence He said, “Nicodemus how is it that you can be a teacher, and not understand these things?” When Jesus used the word, “understand,” He was referring to experiential knowledge, not book knowledge. Good teachers have experience, not just book time. It helps the learner when the teacher can testify about something he has experienced. Not just reading it. Nicodemus was reading from books the Jews wrote (on top of the Torah) which added so many regulations that the average person could never attain. Jesus punched holes in his lack of knowledge and questioned his teaching ability.
The same is true for many today. I know Christians who have a great knowledge of the Bible. They are well versed in Scripture, but there is an underlying problem, their application. When it comes to learning the Bible, we all have a choice. We can look at it and say, “These are some pretty interesting thoughts today,” and then put it down without the implementing truths. We can Bible study them inside and out, and then never teach them to someone else. These might sound similar, but they are not. One applies to us, and the other applies to God’s people.
I find that many people who have lived God’s Word make far better teachers. Those who approach it as a study, miss the “living it out” part. This is because, with testifying comes passion. It is lived. It is visceral. People can relate. People can understand. They become teachers who know God’s Word and have experienced it. Don’t miss this element that God wants you to experience Him. This way you can testify of Him with power and authority as a true teacher.
[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).