Category Archives: Teaching of Jesus

Can we know what Jesus really said?

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This question is addressed by John Nelson, who begins by noting several factors that might suggest some distance between what Jesus actually said and what is recorded in the Gospels:

First, Jesus spoke Aramaic, but the Gospels were written in Greek. This means that we often depend (at best) upon a translation of Jesus’ original teaching.

Second, the Gospels were written in an oral culture. This means that many of Jesus’ teachings were likely passed down verbally before they were written down.

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Can we teach with Jesus’ authority?

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Without a doubt, Jesus taught with great authority.

In what ways is that authority delegated to us today?

Roy Zuck answers:

1. Jesus’ words were from God the Father; he taught only what the Father instructed him to teach.

As we faithfully study and then teach the Scriptures, we are communicating those words of our Lord to others. We are part of a divine chain of communication from God the Father, to God the Son, to us (by revealed truths in the Bible), to our students.…

Where did Jesus teach?

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Focussing mainly on the occurrence of didasko (to teach), Roy Zuck notes that Jesus is recorded as teaching in the following places:

  • In a synagogue (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 13:54; Mark 1:21; 6:2; Luke 4:15; 6:6; 13:10; John 6:59; 18:20)
  • In the temple courts in Jerusalem (Matt. 21:23; 26:55; Mark 11:15, 17; 12:35; 14:49; Luke 19:47; 20:1; 21:37; John 7:14, 28; 8:2, 20; 18:20)
  • In houses (Luke 5:17-18; 7:36-50) In towns and villages (Matt. 11:1; Mark 6:6; Luke 13:22)
  • On a mountainside (Matt.
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Is it possible to teach as Jesus did?

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This is a question posed by Roy Zuck in chapter 1 of Teaching as Jesus Taught (originally published by Baker Book House in 1995).

Here are some objections, together with some responses.

1. Jesus was divine; we are not

Jesus was the unique Son of God, possessor of the full range of divine attributes, perfect in holiness, majesty, righteousness, grace love and mercy.  He is Creator, Forgiver of Sins, Miracle-worker, and the Object of our worship.…

Persuade like Jesus

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This is based on an article by Jeffrey Arthur, professor of preaching and communication at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Arthur points out that Jesus, the Master-Teacher, utilised a variety of techniques in order to nudge his hearers towards an understanding of (and response to) the truth.

Among these were greater-to-lesser and lesser-to-greater arguments.

They are known as argumentum a fortiori, and employ a ‘how much more…’ approach to persuasion.

They take something which is accepted by the listener as obviously true and build a bridge from it to the point the teacher wishes to make.…

Gender pairs in Jesus’ teaching

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Sara Parks makes some interesting observations about ways in which *Jesus often used both male and female examples in his teaching.

Jesus often taught the same lesson twice, using male- and female-oriented examples:

  • the mustard seed and the yeast (Mt 13:31f)
  • the ravens and the lilies (Lk 12:22-34)
  • the lost sheep and the lost coin (Lk 15)
  • the widow and the lepers (Lk 4:25-27)
  • the persistent neighbor and the persistent widow (Lk 18)
  • the Queen of the South (Lk 11:31) and the men of Nineveh (Lk 11:32)
  • the lost sheep and the lost coin (Lk 15:4-10)
  • farming and spinning (Mt 6:26-29)
  • bread-making and fishing (Mt 7:9f)

In some of these pairs, no people are mentioned at all. …

Teaching methods of Jesus

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Based on this post, by Brandon Hilgemann

1. Jesus spoke with authority

He was able to say: “You have heard that it was said…but I say…” (Matthew 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44).

The crowds were amazed because he taught as one with authority, unlike other teachers (Mark 1:22, Matthew 7:28-29).

We cannot preach on our own authority.  But we can and must rest on the authority of Christ and his word.

2. Jesus told stories

He told countless parable. …

Mt 5:38 – “An eye for an eye”

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Matthew 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer.”

The so-called lex talionis is found in Ex 21:24; Lev 24:19–20; Dt 19:21.

According to Greg Boyd (Cross Vision), this is the most ‘astonishing’ example of Jesus repudiating an OT law.  This law required a person’s punishment to correspond to the severity of their crime. …