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Study Section 20: How did Jesus Teach His Disciples?

“If you believe, take the first step, it leads to Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe, take
the first step all the same, for you are bidden to take it.”
-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

20.1 Connect

A good teacher has something to say (content) and then must deliver what he has to say to
the students in a way they will receive it. Jesus was a master at delivery. He selected various
methods depending on each situation and delivered his messages with power that shocked
or confounded his audience. He could deliver Words from God that would penetrate the
soul. Why not learn from Him? He was the world’s all-time best teacher, so we can copy
what He did to obtain similar results. Today we are going to look at ways Jesus delivered His messages
to hungry people in need of hearing Him.

20.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to demonstrate that Jesus employed the use of lecture with
larger groups.

2. The student should be able to validate that Jesus used questions and answers more than
any other method to bring His messages to bear on the hearts of his listeners.

3. The student should be able to describe how illustrations and storytelling can be a strong asset to a
teacher.

20.3 Jesus’s Methods in Teaching

Jesus employed three major methods in his teaching style with His disciples. Let’s
look at them and see why they were his primary methods utilized.

Lecture (used with larger groups of people)

Three major discourses that Jesus presented to various groups of people are recorded in the
Gospels: The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) and the
Upper Room Discourse to his disciples (John 13-17). In all three discourses, Jesus stood up before the
group and verbally shared with them information that they needed to know. As the teacher, he talked,
and the group listened.

This is the principal method used by most youth pastors in giving information to their youth today. It is
called the lecture method. It is fast, efficient, and an excellent way to present information, but is only
effective if the learners are able to assimilate the information at the rate and level it is coming to them.

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