It's Better to Relay Information than Teach our Own Philosophies

As a guy who writes books and teaches for a living, I've definitely got some ideas. But reading this morning in John 7, I was brought back to the truth that, well, what I've got to teach really isn't that important. What I need to do is relay information that has existed for centuries, truths that existed even before there were centuries.

In John 7:14, Jesus, goes to the temple and begins to teach. And apparently he knew what he was talking about. People remarked at how learned he was, even though he wasn't a student. Of course what he was teaching was that he, in flesh and bone, was the fulfillment of the prophesies in the ancient text. The prophesies had told of a coming Messiah. The Jews, of course, rejected him because he didn't look the part (He wasn't like the image they had built up in their imagination) but none the less, he knew the text inside and out (most of the people who knew the text inside and out rejected him, so that's not praise for knowing the text).

Jesus says of his teaching "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me." And I find myself wondering about how great it must be, how much it takes the pressure off, to simply relay information rather than to invent teachings. What I have to teach simply isn't that important and may in fact lack eternal meaning.

To be sure, Jesus would not have a problem with teaching math or advancing cancer research. This is not a statement about whether or not we should teach. But it is a true characteristic of Jesus that he was always going about the fathers will, teaching his fathers truths and I think there is a lesson in there for us.

My mind goes back a few chapters to John the Baptist who said "I am not the light but came to bear witness to the light."

Jesus did not teach in the realm of math or cancer research, but he did teach in the realm of "what's wrong with my soul and how do I make it better" and to this end, our teachings lack meaning in compared to the teachings of Jesus, namely he was the son of God and we will be healed mysteriously in a relationship with him, betrothed now, and united in heaven.

It's Better to Relay Information than Teach our Own Philosophies is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog