106. Beginner Bible Course: Jesus the teacher, "unlearns" the learners

EPISODE 106   A simple Bible overview of...JESUS THE TEACHER, "UNLEARNS" THE LEARNES

This is now in Jesus' final year. He's the shepherd heading for Jerusalem to lay down his life for the sheep. He's also the mentor of men who will become the shepherd of those sheep after he leaves. So in year four, Jesus spends a lot of time and energy as that shepherd of the sheep, addressing issues in the culture that are wounding or destroying those sheep in doing so. He also as rabbi and teaches those future under shepherds the disciples, a number of things they've learned in that culture and embraced as truth that they desperately need to unlearn. We've already mentioned the gospel writer, Matthew organizes his gospel.

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Topically. Matthew really helps us out here with this topic of rabbi Jesus, helping the disciples unlearn. I'm going to walk you through the section. Matthew 18 through 20 a various Jesus desperately needed to unlearn his learners. First up on Matthew's list. What is greatness? Several times in the gospels, Jesus caught his disciples discussing who was the greatest in Matthew 18. The disciples have the gumption to come right to Jesus and ask him who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus responds by grabbing a kid, gentlemen, to get in at all. You have to be like this child, humble, trusting, full of wonder.

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And while I have this child here, let me just warn you. Be really careful to cause one of these little ones of any age to stumble so that they don't enter the kingdom of God. He adds to that answer. The greatest among you, as one who serves Matthew then adds to unlearning things about the lost. The disciples had been taught. The lost like Samaritans in Gentiles were hopelessly lost. Jesus. The teacher had been taking a sledgehammer to this air throughout his time with the disciples, from sitting with the woman at the well to spending most of his first two years in Galilee of the Gentiles, but they still didn't get it.

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So here he repeats, the son of man came to seek and save the lost. And then he pounds them with multiple parables in Matthew. It's the story of the lost sheep. Jesus stuns them by saying a shepherd with a hundred sheep would leave the 99 to go look for the one. Then he stuns them further by saying when he finds the one he'll rejoice over that more than the 99 who are back in the sheep, fold safe. Jesus introduces the mathematics of heaven. Luke adds Jesus' parable of the lost coin. And Luke also adds Jesus stunning parable about the lost son, the one that squanders his inheritance, then crawls back, broken to his father who finds him and celebrates big time.

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Gentlemen lost people to me and as my under shepherds, they better matter to you. Jesus extends this to lost brothers and sisters in Matthew 18. He gives the disciples directions for how to reach out to a fellow sheep. Who's strayed. Don't let them stay lost. Go after them. You go talk them back into the sheep fold. If they won't listen to you, take somebody with you. Maybe both of you can talk him back. If that doesn't work, tell the whole flock, have them go after that lost sheep. And if that doesn't work, get together and pray for this last one, where two or three of you pray for lost sheep.

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I'm there I'll help for heaven's sakes. Don't let one of my sheep that wanders off stay wandered off. Don't get them lost. Sheep. Matter to me, gentlemen, rabbi Jesus also had to address there. Keep score religious mentality. You could label their practice. Tough love, reap what you sow. Suck it up and do the right thing or else Jesus has to take dynamite to this one. How's he going to teach them the kingdom principle of lavish grace? This is the place Matthew 18, where Peter asked the question. How many times should I forgive my brother? Seven times. Peter is practically breaking his arm, patting himself on the back for being so incredibly gracious for stretching.

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So greatly that tough love mentality. Here's where Jesus breaks out that parable of the unmerciful debtor a servant owing a King, a massive debt. He could never repay having it forgiven only to go out and ring the neck of a fellow servant who owed him a paltry sum. His disciples have no self-awareness of just how greatly they've offended. A Holy God. Lavish. Grace is the hallmark characteristic of God's kingdom. Jesus, the rabbi pounds that home here and will continue to teach that in model that in the coming months, as he moves toward the cross, the next issue is divorce and remarriage.

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Few things have more destructive impact on God's sheep than this in Matthew 19, some Pharisees bring it up asking Jesus. Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason? That's what marriage had come to in that culture. If a man found something unpleasant or unacceptable in his wife, he could divorce her. And that mentality had seeped into his disciples as well. Jesus responds by taking them back to Genesis chapter two, God made us male and female from the beginning and he glued a man and woman together. As one flesh, God's glued them together, gentlemen, and what God is glued together.

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Let no man separate one of the Pharisees objects. So why then did Moses command a man to give her a certificate of divorce? Jesus replies, God didn't command it. He it, because of the hardness of men's hearts, that certificate was to protect women being treated badly. Why won't you do a God commanded, stay glued to your wife. Anyone marrying after divorce, unless there's been unfaithfulness is an adulterer. Marriage is God's idea and it's permanent. And this is serious. Gentlemen, you can tell the disciples had been bathed in this mentality. If a relationship between a man and his wife is like this, it's better not to marry.

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I think that grieved Jesus' heart. Aren't they saying Jesus, if we can't divorce a woman who's difficult to live with. We won't marry them at all. Jesus responds. God's called some of you to marry and others to not marry. But if you're one of those called to marry, stay in it, work it out. Keep your commitments next up on the unlearning list. Wealth. The disciples viewed acquired riches as evidence of God's blessing. Jesus has some help with this one, a special guest in his class. He walks up to Jesus and says teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus walks him through the commands of God.

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When Jesus gets done, the rich young man says teacher, all these things I've done quite well and keeping, is there anything else Jesus thought for a minute, go sell all your possessions and come follow me at that. The young man paused and walked away. Then Jesus said this to his disciples. It's easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples respond. If rich people aren't saved, who is Jesus, then gives them a principle. Riches are almost always a trap, not a blessing. When it comes to the kingdom of God, next up on the unlearning list rewards you should have picked up by now that the prevailing thought was do your chores for God.

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Get your allowance of riches. And one day get great rewards. Peter triggers this and lecture from rabbi Jesus. When he asks Lord we've left everything to follow you. What's in it for us in the kingdom. Jesus answers him. Well, Peter, you'll be shocked and amazed at what I have planned for you in the kingdom, but you need to learn a principle of kingdom rewards and recognition. The last shall be first. Those who looked first in this world are not necessarily first in my kingdom. Jesus then gives them the story of the laborers in the field recorded in Matthew chapter 20. This one blew the disciples minds and it's likely to bug you a lot too.

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The quick story is it's a really hot day and a farmer hires day workers, three hours later, he hires more three hours later than that more still. And finally one hour before quitting time hires still more. He orders the supervisor to pay the men in reverse order, starting with the ones who'd worked one hour and working his way back to those who started. First thing in the morning, they queued up for their pay. The ones working one hour, got a full day's wages that made those at the back of the line. Almost giddy. They were giddy until they got one day's wages. Then they were ticked and they let the farmer who hired them know about it too.

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We've worked all day in this scorching heat and we get paid the same of those late coming slackers. They weren't slackers. Nobody had hired them. That's all the farmer who hired them replies. What's your problem. I paid you what we agreed on. Why are you so angry that I showed generosity to those who came later? Jesus ends the story with the application when it comes to rewards and recognition, the last shall be first. And the first, last Matthew ends this section with Jesus unlearning their view of power. They've viewed powers. How many people do you have serving under you? This is set up by James and John sending their mother to Jesus.

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She's got a request. Hi mother of James and John. What's your request command that my two sons, Jim and John can sit on your right and your left. When you come into your kingdom, that would be his top two men. Matthew tells us Jesus replied to them. James and John are standing there with their mother. Awkward. Jesus asked them, are you guys able to pay the price to be on my left? And right-hand they reply? Yes, Lord. We're able well, even if that's the case, that's my father's decision. Apparently there were other people listening in the rest of the disciples and they're ticked off about this.

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Why are they ticked off? Because James and John had gotten there first. They were interested in those seats as well. They'll have this conversation again. The night before Jesus' death. This is a tough one to unlearn, picking up on the asked. Jesus says, gentlemen, the Gentiles lorded over each other power to them as who they control, but it shall not be so with you. Are there any here who want to be great among you? You shall be the servant of all. You want to be first be the first one to serve. Follow my example, the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.

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This is where Matthew ends his Jesus unlearning his learner's section. But Luke and Mark mentioned several others. I'd like to touch on. One is prayer. The disciples had learned prayer should be wordy and showy, almost like dramatic monologues in a play. Jesus teaches them. It's a simple conversation fade than trust. It's interesting that Jesus didn't teach his disciples how to pray until early in year four. And then they come to him and request, Jesus gives them an example. Gentlemen, pray like this. You know, it is the Lord's prayer. It's ironic that at the end of the Lord's prayer in your Bible, there's probably that for dine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever amen.

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Part that dramatic pronouncement part. Your Bible will tell you that isn't what Jesus taught his disciples that was added in later manuscripts. It's a nice flowery thought, but it wasn't the simple conversation that Jesus taught his disciples. Jesus, further press this prayer point. He told two parables about persistence. Not so much. You have to Badger God to get his attention, but to show the contrast in his parables about badgering, a neighbor or a judge and getting what you need to, how much more God wants to give you what you need without badgering. Jesus also gave them numerous little lectures and show and tell stories about how they needed to move away from their nitpicky, external religion, to focus on the weightier, things of God and the importance of them coming from a changed heart.

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The final thing I'll mention is Jesus. The rabbis overt focus in helping his disciples unlearn the pernicious attitude. They had, that they were God's special people. Jesus needed them to really get it through Abraham's offspring. All nations would be blessed that the Jewish people had been chosen as God's messenger boys to bring the scriptures and the Messiah, but that God wanted all his people back. So Jesus went out of his way to take the most despised outcast, peoples the Samaritans and make them the heroes of his stories and their villages important stops on his gospel tour.

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I think it's safe to say Jesus' disciples. The ones who'd become the shepherds of his people had more to unlearn than to learn and rabbi Jesus doesn't have a whole lot of time left in the course. He's heading with his disciples toward the Jerusalem area. For the final time, they're about to get an intensive lab experience that will drive these kingdom principles of Jesus' home. Jesus, the teacher is going to model these principles. You could say pour it all out in front of them. We'll start this lab of rabbi Jesus for his student apprentices with the story of Lazarus in our next wordpicture.