By: KERRY JOHNSON
As the carefree days of summer come to a close, parents begin preparing for the new school year. Uniforms and school clothes, notebooks and binders, lunchboxes, pens and pencils, and many other items are added to the must-have list for the first day of school. Bedtimes are moved up, and hours spent in the pool become a weekend treat. The “H” word makes an unwelcome entrance back into our vocabulary and lives—Homework.
A new school year also brings the daunting process of handing our children off to a fresh set of adults. Their teachers will often spend more time with them each day than we will. Our children will learn new classroom rules, grading procedures, and all the expectations placed upon them in the next grade.
As a parent, there are many things I pray for going into a new school year: for a loving relationship between my children and their teachers; that my children make friends in class; for a comfortable, safe learning environment; and that the teacher sees my child’s strengths as well as their weaknesses. Nine months is just a sliver of time, yet those months can have a resounding effect in our lives.
One day this summer God spoke a beautiful truth about teachers through my boys. I was folding clothes when I heard Cole and Chase’s voices carry down the hall from their bedroom. Sometimes I eavesdrop on their sweet and often humorous conversations so I can share it with my husband or family later. But this time, the words I heard struck a spiritual chord.
Cole (age 7) said, “Let’s play school. I’m the teacher. I’ll teach the alphabet.” Chase (age 5) responded, “But I want to be the teacher too.” Cole reasoned back, “I’m going into 2nd grade, so I should teach you.” Chase finally agreed and said, “Okay. But I want a turn to be teacher, too.” Then I heard Cole add, “But I’m older. I should be your forever teacher.”
Cole’s point to his younger brother was true and understandable, as well as a humorous example of a child’s straightforward logic. As I chuckled just outside the doorway, I started thinking…what is a forever teacher, and have I ever had one?
A forever teacher is a person whose lessons, words, and teachings have affected our lives the most – a teacher whose truth, love, and care touched our soul and spread like wildfire through our life. Can any one teacher fit this description? Yes, but only one: The Name above all names…Jesus.
At times it slips my mind that before my precious Savior fulfilled Scripture and gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity (Mark 8:31; Luke 18:31-33), Jesus was a beloved Teacher. We call Him Savior, Lord, Friend of Sinners, the Mighty God, the Redeemer, Wonderful, the Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, the Root of Jesse, and the King of kings. But to the twelve disciples He chose, Jesus was their beloved Lord and Teacher—their forever Teacher.
At the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He gathered to Himself a diverse group of men who left everything in order to follow the man claiming to be Messiah.
And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. (Mark 1:16-20, NKJV)
Andrew, John, Philip, Bartholomew, James, Thaddaeus, Thomas, Simon, Judas, Peter, Matthew, and James became students of Jesus. They had no idea how He would change their lives with His convicting words and justice-filled actions, and most importantly, with His all-encompassing love. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are filled with the teachings of Jesus and the many eyewitness accounts of His disciples. We read about Jesus calming the storm and questioning the fearful disciples’ faith (Mark 4:35-41), we learn through the many parables Jesus used to share God’s truth, and we marvel at the healing miracles He performed on those who had faith in Him.
The classroom in which Jesus taught His disciples was often city roads laden with needy people or temple courtyards guarded by crowing, criticizing Pharisees. Jesus taught on fishing boats slammed by crashing waves and in crowds filled with hecklers and angry Jewish officials. Many of those who sat faithfully at His feet or trailed after Him, hoping to touch His robe or simply be near Him, were “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). They were people disregarded by society, but loved by Jesus.
One of the most beautiful examples of a teacher’s love for his student is seen through Jesus’ relationship with Peter. Headstrong, impetuous Peter often jumped the spiritual gun, eventually betraying his Lord and Teacher just as predicted (Luke 22:34). But instead of rejecting Peter, Jesus poured His love and forgiveness into him. Jesus’ grace redeemed a broken man, and Peter went on to preach Christ and grow the Church, write two New Testament books, and heal the lame in Jesus’ name (Acts 3:6). Ultimately, Peter was martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ. In honor of His beloved Savior and Teacher, Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he felt he wasn’t worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
As students and humans, we often fight to see who is “the greatest.” With two young boys in our home, I often see this type of competition. The disciples were no different. In the gospels, we read of their disputes about which one would be considered greatest and which of them would sit at Jesus’ right hand in Glory. Jesus took great care to reveal His heart on the matter. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45, NKJV).
After the Feast of the Passover, as the weight of His purposed plan was unfolding, Jesus humbly washed His disciples’ feet. It was an act of service for the men He’d taught, shared with, and loved deeply. Having their feet washed by their Lord and Teacher was an example of serving that they would remember long after He left them and returned to the right hand of the Father in Heaven.
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. (John 13:13-15, NKJV)
How can we remember this example given by our Savior? As we begin a new school year, how can we serve those who are teaching and serving our children? How can we honor our forever Teacher, Jesus? “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35, NKJV).
Keeping God’s Word in hand and hiding it in our hearts is the foundation for learning to love and serve like Jesus. Through faith in Him, we’re given access to the attributes of our Savior and forever Teacher. We just need to ask for Jesus to fill us with His patience, love, and peace. A new school year – and life in general – is guaranteed to bring trials and difficulties, but our Savior offers a peace that surpasses understanding and a wellspring of love for us to draw from.
Going into the 2011-2012 school year, remember your child’s teacher in your prayers. Though they are not your child’s forever teacher, they’ll lay important educational bricks while you’re laying spiritual bricks in your home and at church. Your children’s teachers need prayer and God’s strength, just as we as parents do. Lift them up with encouragement and thanks and be available to help out when you can during the school year. The teacher will appreciate it and your child will be lovingly hemmed in by the camaraderie between parent, teacher, and school.
Most importantly, we honor our loving Lord and forever Teacher when we seek to know Him more and live out His love in our lives. “O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works” (Psalm 71:17, NKJV).
