A common word that we use in the church is Christlike. Now, can you think of a scripture that uses the word Christlike? I’ll let you cheat and look. Heck, I’ll even let you do an electronic search. Can’t find it?
But seriously, if you do find it, I’d like to know. I searched far and wide, with no luck. I think it strange that a word that we use so often is not to be found in the standard works. Not super strange as in how Daniel Larusso won the Under-18 All-Valley Karate Tournament with an illegal kick to the face, but kinda strange like how it costs 1.5 cents to make a penny.
While the word Christlike may not be found in the standard works, the concept most definitely is. I would argue that the scriptures’ primary message is to define the word Christlike. Starting with the creation, to the fall, through the flood, the Abrahamic covenant, the Law of Moses, the life of Jesus, the early Apostles teachings, the Book of Mormon prophets, the restoration through Joseph Smith, down to the present day; there has been a consistent revealing of what Christ is like. A revealing of the nature of God, of what eternal life is.
According to scripture, there is a clear mandate to be like Jesus Christ. From His own lips comes the admonition to “be ye therefore perfect.” John teaches that “when he shall appear, we shall be like him.” By all accounts, the descriptions of Christ are interchangeable with the type of life we are commanded to live.
In our teaching of the gospel, the method must match the message. How can we expect to teach others to be Christlike through un-Christlike means? It behooves us, therefore, to be Christlike teachers. Easy to say, but what exactly does it look like?
In the appendix of Teaching In The Savior’s Way (see, it’s even in the title of the manual), there is a section about improving as a Christlike teacher. It is a great resource to analyze the kind of teacher that Jesus was, and assess our own attempts to be like Him. This evaluation is divided into 4 categories, which are further divided into behaviors that demonstrate the Christlike attribute. The 4 categories are: Love those you teach, teach by the Spirit, teach the doctrine, and invite diligent learning. If you haven’t taken the assessment, I highly recommend it. The behaviors listed are excellent habits that will improve your efforts as a gospel teacher.
Let’s look at the person of Jesus, and the kind of teacher that he was. The best place to examine Jesus as a teacher is the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and his teaching of the Nephites in the Book of Mormon (3 Nephi 11-30). I’d like to look at three aspects of Jesus as a teacher: the message, the method, and the messenger.
The Message
When Jesus taught, he frequently focused on personal behavior. He didn’t talk as if the problem was “out there,” but that the battle is in our own hearts. We are to act in a certain way, which can be summed up as loving God and loving our fellow man.
Jesus also spent a lot of time talking about helping others. To follow Christ is not to be above others, but to serve those around us. He cared about the poor, and about how we treat the poor. His teachings often were juxtaposed alongside the teachings of the Pharisees, who He chastised because they “outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Rather than a doctrine of superiority over others from self-righteousness, Jesus taught of our need to repent, that we each have our own cross to bear, and our own path to Heaven.
The crux of the message is the cross. That through his suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus saved us from death and hell. Jesus was very clear that, as the promised Messiah, He was the only way to the Father. We partake of His grace through our faith in Him, our repentance, and through baptism.
When Jesus visited the Nephites, after His resurrection, He gave a succinct definition of the gospel message. “Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you–that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.
“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil–
“And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.
“And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.
“And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father.
“And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words.
“And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.
“Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;”
The Method
In literature, there are two ways to illustrate a powerful teacher. One way is to reveal the teaching and let it speak for itself. Another way is to show the effect that the teaching has on those who listen. Lucky for us, we can use both in Jesus’ case. Before getting into the style itself, let’s look at how people responded to Jesus’ teaching.
After teaching in a synagogue, “they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.”
Peter said to Jesus, “Thou hast the words of eternal life.”
The woman at the well, after just a short conversation, said to Jesus, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.” Then after recruiting more people to listen to Him, they responded with, “Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”
Those opposing Jesus responded by trying to kill him.
Clearly, Jesus taught in a way that elicited strong reactions. Let’s see if we can dissect his teaching and extract some concepts that we can apply in our teaching.
As mentioned earlier, Jesus’ teaching penetrated the hearts of the listeners, and caused them to look inward. In the sermon on the mount, He taught that we are not only to avoid bad behavior, but “to suffer none of these things to enter into your heart.” He didn’t waste a lot of time with things that are out of our control, which is empowering. We can control our behavior, and how we treat others; and this is the sweet spot where Jesus taught.
Jesus personalized His message to the audience. We have record of Jesus preaching to individuals, to small groups, and to large groups. He invited both the proud and the humble to repent, and come unto Him. The method and tone of the message varied depending on who He was talking with. He used parables that would be understood and could be applied by His audience. That’s a large part of the power of His teaching. He could relate to anyone, and by so doing formed a connection with his followers. That’s also one reason why the Pharisees tried to kill Him. They understood what He was saying, and it wasn’t pleasant for them.
The Messenger
Let’s get the oft used caveat out of the way: Jesus was the only perfect person. This should not deter us from trying to be the same kind of person that He was. And, for our purposes here, I want to focus on how the kind of person he was reflected in His teaching. Really, it’s hard to separate Jesus as a person and Jesus as a teacher. He didn’t seem to change from “regular” Jesus to “teacher” Jesus. Teaching was just a natural extension of who He was.
In John chapter 4, we read about Jesus teaching the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. We see the humility of Jesus on display. He took time out of His day, possibly to the disciples’ disapproval, to speak to this single individual. Not only a solitary person, but likely a social outcast. He did not view himself as too busy or too important to testify of His saving mission.
How about us? Do we feel like we are too important or busy to teach a small class? I once served as a Stake institute teacher. The class was designed for the young single adults for the 3 wards that met in the nearest church building, and was held every Wednesday night. I would leave work and get some snacks, then head over to the church to teach. One night, only 3 people showed up, 2 missionaries and a recent convert. At first, I thought, “well this is going to be a waste of the hours that I put into this lesson.” Luckily, I didn’t let that initial reaction ruin it. The smaller class size allowed for some personal conversations, which turned into a very spiritual moment. The four of us there probably had a more powerful lesson than ten “regular” classes.
Of course, Jesus didn’t only teach to an audience of one. Just two chapters later, he’s preaching to over 5,000. Here, we see the dichotomy of Jesus the teacher. While ever humble, His message was one of apparent self-promotion. I am the living bread. Come unto me. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the light of the world. Not to mention, that His use of “I am” had a deeper meaning, proclaiming Himself as Jehovah.
The way to reconcile these two opposing sentiments of humility versus self-importance comes down to the truth of His claim. If He was truly the Son of God, then He could remain humble yet still testify of Himself. Also, evaluate what He did with a following. Was He seeking to exploit His followers for riches, popularity, power, or an easy living? I think the clear answer to this is no, but that He was seeking to do His Fathers’ will, and for the benefit of mankind.
One word that comes up often in Jesus’ ministry is compassion. It is used as something Jesus possessed, as well as a moving force. In other words, because Jesus had compassion He was moved to action. The action comes from the characteristic. Jesus’ teaching came from a compassionate heart.
Does your teaching come from a place of compassion? Do you feel love for those you teach? Does this love drive your teaching? Can the class feel your compassion for them? If you don’t feel this Christlike love for others, pray for it. Get to know your audience. It’s hard to really know somebody and not feel compassion for them. Even crazy family members.
Jesus taught with passion as well as compassion. He cared greatly about His message, and His mission. He treasured up in His mind continually the words of life (DC 84:85), so that He was always ready to give an answer (1 Pet 3:15). Nowhere in the record do we hear Jesus say, “I’m sorry but I didn’t have enough time to prepare, so I’m just going to wing it.”
This passion also makes lessons more interesting. The gospel should not be the most boring message that your class listens to. Especially when teaching the youth. There are many messages being conveyed to their spirits, and most of them are very enticing. The advantage that we have as gospel teachers is that our message is rock solid. When life gets tough, and it always does, the gospel is a solid foundation. The fluffy stuff of the world is a sandy foundation. We have failed as teachers if we portray it as impersonal, boring, stuffy, rule-based, heavy-handed, or irrelevant.
At some point, we all come face to face with the reality that we are fallen, and in need of saving. In these moments, hopefully, we remember the words that we have often heard concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, and it sinks deep into our hearts. (Enos 1:3).
As we (and those we teach), in our insecurity and insufficiency, turn to our Savior in faith, we (and those we teach) will find a remission of our sins. We (and those we teach) will find a mighty change of heart.