Who's the Teacher?

Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?" (John 3:10)

As I look at this it reminds me of verse two when Nicodemus first addressed Jesus as a Rabbi or teacher. He begins his conversation with Jesus giving Jesus credit for doing a good job as a young teacher and affirming Him as one who must be inspired by God. The reason he gives for this conclusion is the evidence of the signs that Jesus has done. Because of these signs Nicodemus concludes that God must be with Jesus.

"Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." (John 3:2)

However, Jesus trusts Nicodemus enough to be very tough on him as a teacher. He believes that Nicodemus can handle some very straight talk that very few are privileged to receive from Jesus because of their lack of honesty. As a result, Jesus skips by all the potential dialogue and exposes immediately the things in Nicodemus that are preventing him from entering into a deeper experience with God. One of those things is his own pride and self-perception as an honored teacher in Israel. Another is his need for an attitude of genuine belief and faith in Jesus and His true identity and character.

What emerges here is the unspoken question creating tension here about who is the teacher and who is the student. Nicodemus likely must have come to Jesus with a mind to offer Him a mentorship position within the Jewish educational order to assist Jesus' entry into higher levels of acceptance in their intellectual circles. But Jesus confronts Nicodemus with the assertion that Nicodemus himself is sadly lacking in the true knowledge needed to understand real spirituality. He may be well-versed in religion and scriptural facts, but when it comes to the things that really matter and that prepare one for entering into the real kingdom of God, Nicodemus finds himself feeling like a first-grader.

In the back of Jesus' mind He could have been remembering this verse from Psalms.

I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. (Psalms 119:99)

Jesus has just confronted Nicodemus with a review, an entrance exam if you please, to find out where he places in the educational system of heaven. Nicodemus finds himself confused, baffled and nearly clueless by each question or statement and Jesus shares that Nicodemus is the one who needs mentoring here, not Himself. After a series of complete failures to perceive the right answers, Jesus gives Nicodemus the reason why he feels so clueless; it is because the focus of all his studies has been largely in the wrong direction.

"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. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:11-12)

Jesus is pointing out here that true knowledge needs to be rooted in heart-sight, not just factual knowledge of the Scriptures. The wisdom needed for heaven's kind of education involves seeing things with different eyes than we are used to using. It also involves the necessity of believing the right things about God with both the head and the heart before one can progress to the next level in their education.

Like any educational system, heaven's curriculum involves building on previous lessons as a prerequisite for advancing to more complex subjects. Jesus exposes the fact that Nicodemus is not nearly so advanced as he assumed he was and that he needed to enter the school of Christ at the beginning level if he truly desired to advance in the knowledge that is really important.

I sense in these words that one of the very necessary ingredients for effectively staying in Jesus' school is maintaining an attitude of humility and teachability. Whenever a person thinks they are wise and that they have all the truth, that is most often a sure sign that they are unaware of the real nature of heaven's educational system. They are stuck in the world's grading system, the world's value system and are blinded by the men's paradigms about what is important and what is not. It matters not that they may have advanced degrees from Christian institutions or have spent years studying the Bible meticulously. Heaven's methods of education are so different than the ones we have developed that too often a highly educated person by our standards is more difficult for God to train than those who have not been so trained.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that formal education is all bad. But I have observed that the knowledge about factual truth and the way it is packaged in nearly every school on this planet fosters a spirit in the students that makes it more and more difficult for God to educate them in His ways. It takes conscious effort on the part of a person learning under men's tutorship to remain open and humble to the way God wants to instruct them. It is so easy for one to become self-deceived while advancing in earthly knowledge, thinking that they are becoming religious experts while all the while their spirit is preventing them from being tutored under the mentorship of Jesus.

I believe one of the main reasons for this is because men's educational systems focus primarily on facts, theories, formulas and external emphasis. Religious education can sometimes even potentially be more deceptive because it conveys the feeling that one is getting educated in the things of God while all the while actually remaining disconnected from the true Teacher who desires to instruct their hearts through methods that are very different from their other teachers.

Father, I know that I have spent years learning facts about truth but have become aware that I know very little about You personally. My mind has been pumped full of information about religion while my heart has been starving for real interaction with the Source of all love and life and true wisdom. You have been so gracious and patient with me for many years and I praise You and thank You for that. You introduced Yourself to me more clearly some years ago and offered to mentor me in Your school. Ever since then my life has been changing in ways I might not have expected.

Please continue to put a right spirit in me so that I can perceive Your lessons and learn the right things from them. Continue to transform my heart and mind to perceive reality from Your viewpoint which is always very different than what feels natural. As I continue to fill my mind with true facts about Your Word, continue to awaken my heart to learn the truth about Your feelings, attitudes and disposition. Increase my ability to perceive Your face and to become mesmerized with Your glory. Give me the wisdom that is often missing from all my earthly teachers and give me a spirit of genuine humility to make me a clear channel of Your truth for others to be drawn to You.

Cause me to keep You as the focus of my learning experiences. Train me to be an associate teacher with You so that others can learn the things that are truly important for salvation. I thank You for offering me opportunities to pass along to others what You are doing in my education. Use me in any way that may bring others closer to Your heart.