Rabbouni: Twelve Teaching Methods of Jesus

By John Zehring

Rabbouni. A teacher. That is what the people who loved Jesus most knew him as. Their teacher. This book examines twelve teaching methods that Jesus intentionally employed. If you gain insight to see the master educator that Jesus was, purposefully using techniques to get across his point, then you will be able to understand the Bible at a much richer level and catch messages that may have previously escaped your attention. In fact, some of Jesus’ teachings and messages will escape your understanding if you are unable to grasp his purpose through the technique he employed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Zehring
• Release date: Aug 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9780463017180

John Zehring

John Zehring has served United Church of Christ congregations as Senior Pastor in Massachusetts (Andover), Rhode Island (Kingston), and Maine (Augusta) and as an Interim Pastor in Massachusetts (Arlington, Harvard). Prior to parish ministry, he served in higher education, primarily in development and institutional advancement. He worked as a dean of students, director of career planning and placement, adjunct professor of public speaking and as a vice president at a seminary and at a college. He is the author of more than sixty books and is a regular writer for The Christian Citizen, an American Baptist social justice publication. He has taught Public Speaking, Creative Writing, Educational Psychology and Church Administration. John was the founding editor of the publication Seminary Development News, a publication for seminary presidents, vice presidents and trustees (published by the Association of Theological Schools, funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment). He graduated from Eastern University and holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, Rider University, and the Earlham School of Religion. He is listed in Marquis' WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA and is a recipient of their Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. John and his wife Donna live in two places, in central Massachusetts and by the sea in Maine.

Book preview

Rabbouni

Twelve Teaching Methods of Jesus

John Zehring

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Copyright 2022 John Zehring

Contents

Introduction

First: Parables

Second: Metaphor

Third: Parallelism

Fourth: Hyperbole

Fifth: Patterns

Sixth: Props

Seventh: to one individual

Eighth: took people and their questions seriously

Nineth: Brief

Tenth: Learning by Discovery

Eleventh: Popularized existing truths

Twelfth: Encouraged people to think

About the Author

Books by John Zehring

Introduction

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for? Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary! She turned and said to him in Hebrew, Rabbouni! (which means Teacher).

John 20:11-16

In the greatest recognition scene in the Bible – perhaps in the greatest recognition scene in all of literature - Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning. A voice behind her asked Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for? She thought the voice belonged to the gardener. Speaking the one word which could make her stop dead in her tracks and

compel her to turn around, Jesus called to her by her name, Mary!

This would have been the one time in the Gospels where it would have been understandable of Mary had whipped around, saw who was speaking to her, and blurted out at the top of her lungs JESUS CHRIST!!! But she did not. Recognizing him, she did not call him by name. Rather, she turned and said to him in Hebrew, Rabbouni! (which means Teacher).

That’s Jesus: Rabbouni. A teacher. That is what the people who loved him most knew him as. Their teacher.

Have you, Dear Reader, ever taught? Perhaps you served as a teacher or a staff member in an educational institution. Or, perhaps you taught Church School or volunteered as a literacy volunteer or tutor. Or, did you ever teach art, music, tennis, or any other skill to another? Have you ever taught another computer skills, or home repair, or cooking? If so, then you know that some methods work better than others to enhance the teaching-learning process.

Very early in my career when I was working in college administration, I was invited to teach a course in Educational Psychology. I explained that I had never taught that course. In fact, I had never even taken that course, although I had many other courses in psychology and education. The department chair needed me and said Just keep three weeks ahead of the students. So, I plowed headlong into the subject, learning quickly everything I could about the teaching and learning process. I was daunted by the opportunity to, essentially, teach teachers how to teach. It quickly became apparent that the methods used to teach can make all the difference in the world to how effectively a student can learn. There are many, many methods, but in a nutshell, one of the least effective is simple telling another… or lecturing. You talk, they listen. At the opposite extreme, one of the most effective methods, is learning by discovery. The ideal here is for the educator to shape and to create opportunities for students to learn for themselves… to discover insights, understanding, and information. Isn’t it interesting how much of our educational system invests in the least effective method of teaching? Compare that to a student who is highly motivated to learn about any topic, who searches and investigates with vigor and enthusiasm for more information and understanding about the subject.

Let me ask you: Can you remember the name of your first-grade teacher? If you were asked for the names of three people who influenced your life, would a teacher be on that list? Can you think of one teacher who knew your name, who cared about you, who gave you a chance, or who brought out the best in you?

There could be dozens of other titles or names Mary could have called Jesus in her classic recognition scene, but her first impulse was to call him Teacher. It was a high compliment, and spoke of the respect that she and we have for teachers.

As a teacher, Jesus deliberately used a variety of teaching styles and educational methods. If we understand why he did what he did in teaching, his messages will jump right off the page and