Week 3 Essay

Because Jesus is the Son of God, He is the best teacher in the world. There hasn’t been or
will be any teacher greater than He. Our English word “teacher” derives from the Anglo-Saxon
“teacan” which meant to show, or to point out.1 This is exactly what Jesus did when He provided
lessons for His disciples, He pointed out values and lessons, but with uniqueness. It is seen
throughout Scripture that Jesus’ teachings have a distinct style which is observable in the Bible.
While there are many stylistic approaches Jesus took when He was teaching, there are three most
prominent methods, schemes, and tropes which He used.

Firstly, Jesus spoke with authority. When Jesus lived His life on earth, He spoke by His
own authority; speaking with much certainty.1 Mark 1:22 even cites: “And they were astonished
at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” (ESV).
Although we seek the expertise of other teachers and other prominent experts in any particular
disciple of study, Jesus had to do this very minimally since all authority had been given to Him
(Matthew 28:18, ESV).1

Secondly, He used the method of story-telling. From Jesus’ stories, He correlated

everyday objects and examples of the lifestyle His disciples lived in, using objects such as fig
trees, mustard seeds, fish, weddings, coinage, and the workforce.1 Although He spoke in very
simplistic language, He used insight and humor, using down-to-earth illustrations, preaching
complex philosophies simply.2

Lastly, Jesus used exordia, which simply means He used methods to grab His audience’s
attention. One of His most prominent methods of teaching was to grab peoples’ attention, or
“using a hook” with shock value, humor, enigmas, or aphorisms.1 For example, Jesus states in
Matthew 5:29, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better
that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (ESV).
Although this passage is not literal, it brought the point of the message across with exordia.
 While it is unknown if Jesus’ method was common in the first century, His style of
teaching has significantly influenced 21st century-teaching. For example, phrases such as “I need
everyone’s attention”, “All eyes on me”, and “Settle down, class” are common phrases used by
teachers to grab the attention of students today.1 However, there are other methods that teachers
use to grab the attention of their students. Interactivity, humor, and sometimes shock value are
exordia that teachers use, which reflects what style Jesus used. Story-telling is seen in almost
every aspect of communication. Pastors, motivational speakers, and other occupations which
require communicating use the trope of story-telling to relate to the audience in which they are
speaking to. Finally, would one trust a teacher if they did not speak on authority? No. Great
leaders are to speak on authority, which is what the best teachers in the 21st century do.
Bibliography
1
McCoy, John W. 2016. “The Teaching Methods of Jesus.” The Journal of Biblical Foundations
of Faith and Learning, 9, 1 (1).
2
Deffinbaugh, Bob. 2004. “19. The Method of the Master (Matthew 7:28-29; John 7:44-46).” 19.
The Method of the Master (Matthew 7:28-29; John 7:44-46) | Bible.org. June 12.
https://bible.org/seriespage/19-method-master-matthew-728-29-john-744-46.