What are the marks of a good teacher? Conventionally, someone fluent with speech and knowledgeable about his/her subject matter comes to mind. We also expect someone who is truly invested and firmly believes in his/her subject, being able to effectively deliver an intended lesson. In today’s context, some might even say that appearances matter to some extent, playing a part in attention retention. Fundamentally, most agree that being a sincere and thoughtful teacher develops a friendly image, pointing to the fact that a personable teacher is usually an effective teacher. With some of these thoughts in mind, take a pause and consider – Who are some of the greatest teachers we know?
In our lives, we have surely encountered multiple teachers of varying aptitudes. Recall that teacher who tried to force his lesson on you without paying attention to any of your inputs? On the other end of spectrum, what about that teacher who took great care to cater to your every need? Recognising the needs of the students is a big factor in how effective a teacher can be. In this article, we wil briefly examine two characters – One of whom is the greatest teacher.
Let us first consider the rival who has had arguably more success in his career thus far – The devil, Satan. Indeed, his degree of market research and subject expertise is impeccable. As you might expect, he isn’t teaching something that benefits us as mankind. In fact, he may even be better portrayed as a salesman (let us use this analogy for the devil), appealing to things that aren’t exactly what we need as Christians. We are talking about someone who knows every desire of his target audience. Instead of waiting for people to look for him when they desire something, he actively looks for them to satisfy their wants. Consider 1 Peter 5:8 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”.
When dealing with any salesman, we need to be fully aware of his/her motivation. While monetary earnings will always be a big factor, genuine salesmen truly want to help their customers by selling their products. When money becomes the sole focus (c.f. 1 Tim 6:10), they may turn to unscrupulous ways, giving birth to the concept commonly known today as “scams”. Let us be aware that this salesman - the devil - does not have our best interests at heart. In fact, we are told that his intention is to “devour” us. It is my sincere hope that we carefully consider what are the desires and pleasures of life that appeal to us most, thereby being “sober” and “vigilant” with respect to how we prioritise them.
Enter the greatest teacher – Jesus Christ. As you might have surmised by now, what makes Him the greatest teacher is not based on the number of students (c.f. Mt 7:13-14). Rather, it is the value of the gospel He teaches and the reward for those who stay true to Him. Any listener with a sincere heart would take to this teacher and His lessons readily. Let us take note of some key differences between both of these figures.
Jesus appeals to our spiritual needs, while Satan appeals to our physical lusts and desires. The former does not mean that we do not enjoy any pleasures of life. Rather, these things may come along as a byproduct in His plan for us, while we conscientiously live as righteous Christians in full submission to God. In fact, the Christian joy we experience is regardless of our external circumstances, due to our unwavering faith and trust in Him. Do give this thought careful consideration, as having this information means the onus will ultimately be on us to fulfill our spiritual needs or physical wants (c.f. Mt 6:24) Let us exercise godly wisdom in prioritising our life’s decisions.
Furthermore, in Jesus’ case, He has died as a perfect sacrifice for us, that we may have the opportunity to be reconciled with God. The reward for us is eternal life (Jn 3:16). On the flipside, buying into Satan’s offerings to us would result in eternal torment and damnation (Mt 25:41). In other words, the decision lies in weighing the cost of discipleship while on this earth, against the cost of our very own souls for eternity. Once again, do keep in mind that there are many blessings to enjoy while leading the life of a Christian and fleeing from Satan (Php 4:19, Jas 4:7). Let us also not forget that we are already fully assured of which figure is superior and that the greatest teacher will have the final victory (Heb 2:14, Rev 20:10).
Despite this being an imperfect analogy, it is my exhortation that we be mindful of both figures we have brought up in this article. May this be an additional perspective we can take when we consider what Satan offers us and what Jesus teaches us. Moreover, we also have to remember what following either of them cost us. May we stay focused on what we really need in our lives, rather than the things of this world (1 Jn 2:16-17). Finally, having made the decision to follow Jesus, let us take a step further to be worthy teachers of His Word, spreading the gospel as effectively as He and the apostles did while they walked this earth (Mt 28:18-20, c.f. 1 Cor 11:1).