3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time/ “Jesus the Unconventional Teacher”
3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time/ “Jesus the Unconventional Teacher”
We could say Jesus Christ was the first Catholic teacher. Although his school was not any we have ever heard of.
In New Testament times there were all kinds of rabbis around. Rabbi is a word that means teacher. The title of teacher is one of the only titles that Jesus ever accepted. Occasionally, he would call himself the “Son of Man” but what he meant by this was that he was a human being like all of us.
Rabbis were men who perceived as having great wisdom. Today, if someone wants to be a teacher, you must attend college. Your credentials consist of what degrees you earn from what universities. The higher the degree the more of an expert you are. The more prestigious the college you go to the more respect you have.
In Jesus’ day there were no academic degrees. The way a person became a rabbi was that you basically started to lecture on the street. A rabbi would start their own school. But there would not be a building. The school would be a collection of people. A rabbi might have studied under other rabbis, but not necessarily. Sometimes rabbis just picked up knowledge as they went along in life. Maybe that is why Jesus surprised people. More than once people asked the question, “Where did he get all of this theological knowledge.” He was a blue-collar worker from Galilee.
Rabbis would gather their students or disciples. Also, people would seek them out. We see Jesus pick some students. But he also had people come to ask if they could study under him. In today’s Gospel he selects some fishermen as students. He probably had an eye on Peter Andrew, James and John for a while.
Once a Rabbi had his students, he had a responsibility to take care of them. He had to provide for their food. He had to take care of their lodging. A teacher managed the finances of the group. We hear of a common purse in the case of Jesus’ rabbinic school. Jesus was a traveling rabbi. He was constantly on the move. We get the sense that he lectured to his disciples as they walked from place to place.
What we sense is that there was a great deal of affection between Jesus and his students. He came to see them as his dear friends. Which is the way it works with a lot of teachers. Maybe we remember teachers fondly. Someone once said that if we look at our lives, we see a pattern of serial discipleship. In other words, as we have gone along in life, we have been taught by various people about how to be Christian. The first teachers we have in the ways of the faith are our parents. But we can probably all look back at our lives seeing influential Christians who have touched us. Maybe it has been a coach in some sport that we have had who taught us how to be disciplined. Very often our teachers mentor us. Maybe they teach us lessons beyond the classroom.
When I think of a teacher that taught an important lesson, I think of a woman named Victoria Sotto. On December 14, 2012 Vickie, as she was known, was teaching her class of 20 first graders at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut when a gunman burst into the school. He started randomly shooting students. Victoria heard the gun fire in the classroom next to hers. She put all her student in the closet. When the gunman came in the room, she told him the students were in the gym. Unfortunately, a couple of students tried to dart away. The gunman turned his gun on them, but Vickie shielded them with her body. She gave her life for her students so much did she love them. We forget that 6 adults died at Sandy Hook trying to protect the boys and girls in their care.
As we think of our Catholic Schools this week, we remember that our Schools are filled with teachers like Jesus, teachers who always have the best interests of students in mind. No teacher has great pay or benefits. Catholic schoolteachers have less than most. But they give their best. Most make sacrifices because of their belief in God.
Our Catholic Schools have, as their primary task, forming disciples. Jesus is spoken of often. His vocation of Rabbi continues through Catholic Schools today. Jesus was a creative, energetic teacher. We are his disciples. Our vocation is to continue his mission. We remember today that our Catholic Schools continue the message of Jesus who taught others how to live in this world and to desire the things of heaven.
Please note: rough draft-grammar may not be perfect