Teach by example; learn by imitating
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Mark 8:27 – Chapter 9 Click here to read
In last week’s sermon I made reference to Martin Luther, who is probably the best known figure from the Protestant Reformation.
The Reformation was a protest (hence Protestant) against things that Luther and others considered to be corrupt or ineffective practices in the Catholic Church.
While the Catholic Church opposed the Reformation, in trying to restore loyalty to Catholicism it actually corrected the abuses that Luther had criticized.
Luther and those like him reluctantly left the church they were part of to start something new and more faithful, and in doing so they became a model that allowed their original church to itself become more faithful.
But along with all of the good the Protestant Reformation did, it also had some unfortunate effects, one of which was an over-emphasis on learning by teaching about Christianity instead of learning by experiencing Christian community.
A book I recently read put it this way: “It was a time that emphasized cerebral faith, linear thinking, reason, and logical argument, and it was perceived that faith was arrived at by a mental acceptance of doctrines.”*
In short, the Reformation led to the Protestant church (and to a lesser extent, the Catholic Church), emphasizing preaching and teaching over experiencing. In turn, their preaching and teaching tended to focus on the words of Jesus more than the actions of Jesus and his first followers.
But nowhere in scripture did Jesus call anyone to attend a weekly meeting, listen to some teaching, then go home. He stressed the importance of the followers of Jesus gathering together, in the words of Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
A few verses later, he continues, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”
Aside from instructions about how the church should teach, we also have the example of how Jesus taught. We have record of some sermons and parables, but mostly we see him living out his life in view of his followers. His first call isn’t “listen” or “learn;” it’s “follow.”
When Peter finally says the word they have all been thinking in Mark 8:29, “You are the Christ,” he recognizes that Jesus is more than a prophet. Jesus is God in human flesh.
Remember last week when we talked about incarnation? This is what incarnation means.
To learn from Jesus, look at Jesus.
And, as you look at Jesus, let him look at you.
Soon after recounting Peter’s confession of faith, he turns around and records Peter’s great failure of faith that leads to Jesus saying, “Get behind me, Satan.”
Peter’s failure is wanting to avoid exactly how human Jesus is. He didn’t want to hear about the suffering Jesus would experience and how vulnerable Jesus was willing to make himself—how much God was willing to sacrifice to teach his children (us!) what sacrificial faith looks like.
Always keep asking what parts of you do not yet look like Jesus. Surrender those parts to him.
*Verlon Fosner, The Dinner Church Handbook (Seedbed, 2017), 22.