On Thursdays, I teach a class in Bible School which is entitled Principles of Teaching.  As is so often the case, there is no usable textbook available in the Philippines such that I have to pull source materials from all the books I have in my possession. I make my lessons from scratch, from a variety of sources.

I decided that every Thursday, we would devote half the class time to theory and the other half we would do practice teaching.  Each week, I assign them a parable or a Bible story to teach and give them a lecture on a particular strategy to employ.  Then, I give them particular instructions as to the age of the group they are supposed to teach and how long they have to teach the lesson

Last Thursday, July 21, my students were supposed to teach for fifteen minutes each and they were supposed to teach a bunch of twelve and thirteen year old children.  They were supposed to incorporate the gospel into their presentation of the lesson plus one item of doctrinal teaching.  Their text was John 11, the story of the raising of Lazarus.

I have seven students, all males, their ages varying from their early twenties to their fifties. And I had to listen to the retelling of the tale of Lazarus, Mary and Martha seven times. I thought it would be tedious.  But before we began the class, I really prayed that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to teach others also. Only he can teach us how to teach the truth in a way that the hearers will understand.  Teaching is a gift that we must ask the Holy Spirit to give us, after all.

I was all set to politely stifle my yawns for 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Except that I accidentally found new insight into the story thanks to three of my students. And I will take the time to share these insights I got from my students:

First, Gerry Galicia turned our attention to the stone which was laid on the tomb of Lazarus.  It covered the already rotting corpse and kept the stench of death at bay.  But in order for the Lord Jesus Christ to raise Lazarus, Jesus ordered the stone to be rolled away.  Gerry took the picture of the stone and applied it as the hardness of our impenitent heart that will prevent the Lord Jesus from performing his life-giving miracle.  He said that we often refuse to admit that we are sinners, we would rather hide our moral corruption instead of exposing them to the holiness of Jesus Christ in order for the Lord to take the stench of our sin and give us life.

Second, Rojan Lucena next compared the attitude of Martha and Mary.  He pointed out that although both sisters said the same words, their attitude were radically different.  Martha seemed reproachful ( in Tagalog, nanunumbat) while Mary had submitted to Jesus Christ as when she bowed herself to the ground in worship.  He said that Martha was NANINIWALA kay Hesus while Mary was NAGTITIWALA kay Hesus.  “Naniniwala,” after all is to have head knowledge, a mental assent to an unseen truth.  But “nagtitiwala” means to stake one’s life on that truth.

Third, Daniel Nebrao pointed out that often, when we pray out of our desperation, we do not immediately get the response we anticipate from God.  It is because God does not answer our prayers only to make us happy.  God will answer our prayers with the end in view of showing forth God’s glory.  In the case of Lazarus, the sisters prayed that Jesus would come and heal their brother.  They were gravely disappointed because he did not come immediately such that Lazarus died.  But they did not know that God wanted to answer the sisters’ prayers such that God will be glorified.  Lazarus was not only healed, he was raised from the dead, a mightier miracle.  It made Mary and Martha happy, but more importantly, God was glorified because many people believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. It is God’s will for us to believe in Jesus Christ.  This is the reason why Apostle John also wrote that if we ask anything according to God’s will, God hears us. And when God’s answer arrives, it is above and beyond all we ask or think.

I was amazed!  It was serendipitous.  I accidentally and unexpected found something pleasant and useful: new  insight into Scripture, new application of a known Bible story.  But more importantly, God answered my prayer, God was teaching us how to teach others also.  God was equipping us with ways to present the truth of God to others in a new and fresh way.

I must admit here that I have been raised in a Baptist home, I have been going to Sunday School since I was five days old!  I have been a Sunday School teacher since I was fourteen.  I have taught the story of Lazarus so many times, but I have never seen it the way these students presented it.  And that’s saying a lot.  Truly, the smart and the learned do not have a monopoly on spiritual discernment. All believers are in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit who will guide them into all truth. The Holy Spirit is still in the business of giving wisdom to believers just as he gave Peter and the apostles the wisdom to preach.

I went home tired but happy.  It was like manna from heaven: an old and familiar Bible story, retold in a fresh manner with fresh insight and fresh application of the truth. Manna from heaven was always given by God to Israel fresh daily when they were in the wilderness for forty years.

I doubt if my students read this blog, so they probably won’t know it, but they have given me a totally unexpected blessing. They have given me hope and a renewed sense of purpose.

On Tuesday, I was feeling kind of blue because I was told (yet again) by a well-meaning friend that I should concentrate on my legal career instead of wasting my time and energy in teaching the Scripture. I was sad because that friend made observations about my life that were undeniable.  If I look at my life honestly in the same way the my friend did,  I would have to admit that since I devote more time teaching Scripture, I have not been as successful in my legal career.  If I were to concentrate on my law career, life would be more comfortable for us. I was beginning to look at my life the way others view my life, and I was getting disappointed with myself, too: I had begun to believe that, indeed, I might have been wasting my time.

But last Thursday, when I heard  my students deliver lessons that were keen and insightful, I knew I had not been wasting my time.  I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing, I am teaching others how to teach others also. It is God’s will for his disciples to teach the whole world. God will empower us and embolden us for this task. Teaching Christ to others is not a waste of time.  Knowing Christ and believing in Christ has eternal implications. Helping others to know Christ and to believe in him has eternal rewards that trump all trappings of wealth. From the point of view of finances and prestige, it may seem as though I have truly wasted my time.  But our lives don’t end here on earth.  There is life in eternity.  I think it is wiser to set one’s affections on “things above” where Christ sits at the right hand of God than to use all my energy and time on things that won’t last for eternity. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.