; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1994). The Jewish historian Josephus used the word taksis when he recorded the orderly way in which the Roman army erected their camps indicating their camps were orderly, organized, and well-planned. Instead of spending a number of free years searching for the value and meaning of our human existence with the help of others who expressed their own experiences in word or writing, most students are constantly trying to earn credits, degrees and awards, willing to sacrifice even their own growth.60. He Sat Down at the Right Hand of Majesty | Desiring God sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed . ; Expositors Bible Commentary 9; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 148. And in any case, the brilliance or otherwise of the grades achieved is unlikely to have any significant long-term impact on students actual ministries: more than anything else it is the quality of the persons relationship with Christ and of the life which flows from that relationship which will make the difference, and that is an area largely neglected and unevaluated in probably most programmes of theological education. The notion of following a teacher was also a distinctive one, for the metaphor was not used at the time of those who learned from a rabbi.13 It implied many things, among them that Jesus disciples would indeed physically journey with him, submitting to his leadership, applying themselves to his teaching, and learning from his ministry which was to become theirs. Jesus Sitting on the Well "Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour." John iv. Whose son is he? (Matt 22:42); in answer to those scandalised when he declared the sins of a paralytic man forgiven, he said, Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk? (Mark 2:9); and in one of the many debates about his use of the Sabbath, he challenged his critics to say whether it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it? (Luke 6:9). Jesus was a theological educator. His dominion over the hells is described there by "sitting at the right hand," for "the right hand" means the power that divine truth springing from divine good possesses. Jesus said, "Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" (Luke 14:28). . 5. Meanwhile, the Gospel of Luke reveals that Jesus " came down " before delivering this message. 8. The Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4:4-26) - JesusWalk The Sermon on the Mount - 5 Things You Didn't Know - Crosswalk.com [4] Blocher (Jsus Educateur, 34) notes that Jesus pedagogy has been strangely neglected: Les travaux consacrs son enseignement sintressent davantage au contenu de sa doctrine, quaux mthodes et principes ducatifs (The works devoted to his teaching are more concerned with the content of his doctrine than with the educational methods and principles [my translation]). The pursuit of answers to obscure questionsquestions which nobody is asking nor need ask and the answers to which will not assist the people of God in their engagement in Gods own missionhas no place in authentically Christian theological education. "Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. I am very grateful to Dr Duane Elmer for drawing my attention to this literature and for many other insights into theological education. [31] R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Nottingham: IVP, 1985), 113. . That Jesus sits down might indicate this is not meant to be a public address. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. Christian theological education is about the creation of the people of God through an ever deepening appropriation of the great story of the gospelthe whole counsel of God; it is concerned with nurture into a distinct community52and not simply with the cognitive development of isolated individuals. After his sacrifice was offered and accepted, he did what no other priest serving in the tabernacle had done before. While not denying the importance of formal theological education, Gupta and Lingenfelter describe the way in which leadership of the Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) in India acted decisively to draw that institution back to its original missional purpose by reversing the movement towards a university paradigm of education which they had embarked on. These were Jews who were taking advantage by collecting Rome's taxes plus a surcharge to line their own pockets ( Luke 19:8 ). It was an enriching experience and a preparation for the realities of their future ministries which would embrace men and women of every ethnicity and social class. Indeed, Paul defended his ministry by highlighting not only the content of his teaching but also the character of his life (1 Thess 2:112; Acts 20:1835). Today, worship leaders generally read the scriptures while standing and continue to stand for the sermon as well. ? (Matt 18:21), prompted a parable in which Jesus rooted his answer in the infinite grace of God. The same principle occurs at numerous points in the Gospels and beyond. All accusers departed, from the oldest to the youngest. The eternal Son of God did not cease to be . May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 17:21). It is when they are engagedasking and answering questions, discussing issues and arguing a casethat their brain cells fire into life. Sometimes Jesus created rather than responded to the teachable moment. They spoke of everyday, well-known realitiesa sower sowing, a merchant trading, fishermen hauling in their catch, a traveller attacked by brigands, labourers waiting for work in the marketplace, and so on. Unquestionably there is a place in the church for the scholar and researcher,62 and the university ethos and structure may in some respects provide a suitable setting for such a vocation. Perhaps the greatest drawback of the church-school dichotomy is that theological education takes on the individualistic mentality of Western culture, rather than the community model of Scripture.53 Such a community emphasis also raises a question mark over the implications of distance learning, which tends to isolate learners from one another as well as retaining a heavy emphasis on the cognitive dimension of education to the exclusion of more or less everything else. Had Jesus formally been given authority to preach in the synagogue? As Jesus readily responded to the issues and problems that arose in the course of his ministry, so teachers might set their notes aside from time to time in order to address theologically and pastorally the questions that preoccupy their students and societies. Jewish law is the focus of many passages in the Gospels. tradition - Did Jesus have His Last Supper standing? - Christianity Did Jesus Go Up or Down the Mountain? - Answers in Genesis What you say in the dark will be told in the light. Jesus parables were deftly crafted and subtle stories to which he obviously gave careful attention.41 These were not blurted out ad hoc but show every indication . IF we were wise, dear friends, we should find a thousand things in the world to remind us of our blessed Lord. Jesus took children in his arms and blessed them. Jesus talks about hell more than he talks about heaven, and describes it more vividly. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees Whom did the teachers of the law and the Pharisees bring in? When Jesus disciples tried to prevent children from being brought to him, Jesus reaction not only affirmed their value but at the same time illuminated the nature of the kingdom of God (Mark 10:1316). Again, the act was arresting because it repudiated accepted cultural norms where children were held in little regard and listening to them was a waste of time.23 Examples could be multiplied: Jesus demonstrated dependence on God through his prayer life and evident disregard for material security (Luke 9:58), confidence in and submission to Gods Word by constantly referring to Scripture (e.g., Matt 4:111), compassion by ministering to crowds and individuals (Matt 9:36), obedient faith as he walked steadily to Jerusalem (Mark 10:32), and the extravagance of Gods grace in the welcome accorded to the outcasts and despised of society (Matt 9:1013). It was for those few men a richly varied experience and one which would have an immense impact not only on them but also, as they continued Jesus own mission, on the whole of human history. The schooling process characteristic of so much of contemporary theological education might well try to approximate more closely the richly diverse approach of the master theological educator. [56] J. Frame, Proposal for a New Seminary, Journal of Pastoral Practice 2:1 (1978): 1017, takes a particularly radical approach to the question: I propose first that we dump the academic model once and for alldegrees, accreditation, tenure, the works. He argues that the academic machinery cannot measure what really matters, that it distracts from the proper purpose of theological education, and that it conveys a false impression of how the knowledge of God is really attained. [60] H. Nouwen, Reaching Out (London: Fount, 1976), 59. Where, indeed, might all this lead us? They would stand up to read the scripture, sit down to teach. [16] Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism, 34. and teaching them (Matt 28:1920). . (2 Tim 3:1011). Each of us, before we came to Christ, were God's enemies (Romans 5:10). [54] Banks, Reenvisioning Theological Education, 105. Elmer and McKinney), 99. Both of Jesus' parents had "done everything required by the Law of the Lord" (Luke 2:39). Who do you [plural] say I am? (Matt 16:15)he seems to have been voicing the conviction of the group as a whole rather than just his own opinion. Almost anything could become grist to Jesus mill.37 Its relevance was immediately apparent to those who listened because far from being mere classroom theory it emerged directly out of the concerns of life and human relationships. They witnessed his attitude towards hypocrites, the poor and rich, the broken and abandoned of society, notorious sinners and tax collectors despised for their collaboration with Rome. And again, when Pharisees raised the contested issue of marriage and divorce, Jesus took them back to the origin of marriage as recounted in Genesis and drew out the implications of the narrative. Listening is Believing podcast Why did Jesus sit down to teach? Jesus Knew and Used His Father's Laws of Physics! Highly unlikely. It must have raised eyebrows because Jewish civil and ecclesiastical law were nearly the same at the time.