By now, everyone’s back to school, from our kindergartners to our college students. Desks, dorms, lockers and lunchboxes — all packed and prepared for what’s ahead.
And that’s as it should be, but here’s a question we can each ask ourselves: Am I still a student, ready to learn something new, something I need?
That’s what Jesus calls us to be and do as His disciples. In fact, the clearest translation of the original word for disciple is our word student. And Jesus was most often referred to as Rabbi, which means Teacher. So, disciples of Jesus are students, lifelong learners, of Jesus.
That’s good for two reasons: We each have a lot to learn, and Jesus is the best teacher ever. Hear His invitation and promise: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
Rest for my soul — I could use that. I’m guessing you can, too.
Learning from Jesus mostly means staying teachable. He is more than willing and qualified to instruct us. His invitation to “come to me … and learn from me” is ours to accept, not just once but every single day.
A lack of teachability was the primary handicap of the religious leaders who were constantly opposing Jesus and missing the point (see John 5:39-40). And though our world admires knowledge and learning, it too has largely rejected the value of spiritual insight and refused to learn from Jesus.
This is why it’s smart to listen to Jesus when he says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).
Jesus knows our souls need freedom as well as rest. He also knows both are only found in Him and His teaching.
Today, we have an amazingly huge quantity of knowledge at our fingertips. That’s mostly a great thing, but none of it guarantees discernment and understanding — and certainly not soul rest or spiritual freedom. Our society is information-rich, but suffering from a poverty of insight.
This need not be true of us, and we can make sure it isn’t.
Let’s face it: We’re all students of someone or something. Religious dogmas will weigh us down and worldly pursuits will wear us out, but the teaching of Jesus is winsome and energizing and, most of all, true. Jesus tells and teaches us the truth.
There’s a seemingly infinite number of interesting things we can possibly learn in this lifetime, but none compare to what we learn from Jesus. His wisdom is highest and best.
Remember, we cannot apply what we do not know. And we will not know what we do not seek to learn.
So let’s seek to learn — and keep learning — from Jesus, counting ourselves students in His school of life. There are things He teaches we can’t learn anywhere else, and they are the truths we need most.
Dr. Rob McCord is senior minister of Outlook Christian Church in McCordsville. This weekly column is written by local clergy members.
