In the Gospel reading yesterday Jesus says, 'You are not to be called 'Rabbi' for you have one teacher and you are all brothers.' (Mathew 23:8)* This is a powerful reminder that the title of 'teacher' cannot be loosely applied to anyone.
This is a sobering reflection for teachers in their profession who think they are the be all and end all of all things. Many of them adopt a condescending attitude to students making them feel like worms. Jesus chides this arrogance and requests teachers not to put on airs, and instead practice what they preach. More so we are not considered worthy of the title.
Jesus did not belong to the privileged classes. Yet he had the conviction to call a spade a spade and indict the Pharisees for their follies. No doubt he would be crucified later, but he pointed out the truth.
He pleaded for equality among all. Just because one is a teacher that does not give the person a right to privilege himself/herself over others. 'You are all brothers' - He reminds us.
The line from Mathew quoted above is liberating. It calls us to see our true destiny not as a vassal but as an originator and witness of God's word. One just needs to trust His way and know that He is leading from the front.
It places before God and humanity that though we may be teachers, our knowledge is imperfect and incomplete before God.
The page came to me on a gust of wind today which blew my book of daily reflections to yesterday's Gospel reading. Restless with the number of things to be done, I was looking for certitude. The wind played its part in showing me a sign.
The verse is situated among the last chapters of the book of Mathew (It has 28). It was written around 60-65 AD. Chapter 23 is seen as one of Jesus's final discourses. Like the last symphony of a composer, Jesus makes it very clear the heaven has no place for hypocrisy.
Jesus chooses to use the word 'Rabbi' which is Jewish for 'teacher.' The word retains its power even today. In his book Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life, Lois Tverberg goes over the Jewish words Jesus used and their special resonance in His time.
Another interpretation of the verse in Mathew 23:9 is 'Do not hold your father or master responsible for your choices.' This was particularly meaningful for me, since I have currently rearranged my commitments, leaving out some in dead habit and taking on others which help me evolve.
No doubt this causes some turbulence, but it is important to listen to the way you feel. Reading the Gospel passage helped me come to terms with my choices. In a morose mood, it was easy to forget the progress I had, in fact, made in several verticals - many of which had caused the same amount of dissonance not so very long ago.
During the season of Lent, Mathew 23 provides ample food for thought to reflect on our ways. It forces us to recognize that to be a teacher is to enable learning and be a friend to learners. This may be achieved by true simplicity and the awareness that we are just instruments of His will.
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*NIV; pic courtesy: zondervan(dot)com
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