READING: Luke 8:1-3, Mark 3:20-30, Matthew 12:22-45, Mark 3:31-35, Matthew 12:46-50, Luke 8:19-21, Mark 4:1-9, Matthew 13:1-9, Luke 8:4-8, Mark 4:10-20
I am a teacher, so I pay attention to how Jesus taught. He was the perfect teacher. He never did anything wrong. His opponents questioned His teachings at times, but Jesus was always right. We who teach can always learn from Him.
At the same time, though, His students/disciples did not always listen to Him or understand Him. When Jesus taught the parable of the sower, for example, the disciples did not comprehend its meaning. That was indeed a problem, according to Jesus: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” (Mark 4:13). If the disciples did not understand this story of a sower and the growth of the seed, it would be hard for them to understand other parables.
It’s what Jesus did next, though, that helps me think about teaching. Jesus knew the disciples did not understand, and He did rebuke them a bit—but He also backed up to teach them what the parable meant. He gave them the interpretation of the story. That’s what good teachers do: they patiently keep teaching until their students understand. They press on in the task so others learn.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Are you patient yet persistent in teaching others?
DAILY PRAYER: “God, I want to understand Your Word and help others understand it, too.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Matthew 13:10-23, Luke 8:9-18, Mark 4:21-29, Matthew 13:24-30, Mark 4:30-34, Matthew 13:31-52, Mark 4:35-41, Matthew 8:23-27, Luke 8:22-25
