Wednesday Bible Blurb “Teachability” 5 29 2024
For over three years Jesus had traveled, taught, healed throughout the area of Judea and into Galilee. He brought His gospel of love and His coming kingdom to the poor and the oppressed of the land. He gave hope where hope had been swallowed up in defeat. The religious leaders of Judea mocked and scorned Him. The Pharisees, also called the doctors of the law, knew so much scripture that in their own minds they did not need to learn anymore. They had it spiritually made and they were so righteous that no one was going to guide, direct or tell them what to do. They were not teachable in the vanity of their own self worth and false righteousness.
How teachable are we? Are we so caught up in our own knowledge of scripture and our own righteousness that we are unteachable? Peter tells us to “grow in grace and knowledge” (II Pet. 3:1), Paul tells us to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Phil. 2:5). Jesus encountered the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, the most scripturally learned men of His day and found them wanting. He excoriates them over and over again in Matthew 23. Seven times He says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt. 23:13, 14,15,16 (Blind guides- ouch), 23, 25, 27,29). These learned doctors of the law he calls “Serpents, brood of vipers!” (33). Jesus finally says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!” (37). Apparently, just knowing the scripture is not enough to enter the Kingdom of God. They paid “tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” (Matt. 23:23-24). They were so physically righteous in their minds that they forgot to practice the spirit of the law.
Do we neglect the “weightier matters of the law”? Are we teachable and as malleable as Christ would want us to be? Are we willing to grow in His grace and knowledge? To be teachable we must be humble. The religious leaders of the time of Jesus had lost their humility and were puffed up and proud in their own scriptural knowledge. They were not willing to learn from Jesus, God in the flesh.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). In Luke 10 we see the religious leader being so righteous that he walks on by the man in need on the side of the road. Where was the mercy and humility? The good Samaritan got it right.
“Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4). The Pharisees were a proud people whose faith was displaced by their own righteousness and thus they were unteachable.
God says, “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” (Isa. 66:2). Do we tremble before our God? Humility before our savior is paramount in our road to salvation and being teachable in His sight.
“The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.” (Psalms 25:9). We must be humble and willing to learn for Him to teach us.
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalms 34:18). How “broken” are we when it comes to our being teachable? Do we attend church services so we can teach others what “we know” (Like the Pharisees) or to learn from those God put over us to teach us? Peter, who had much to learn when he was young, tells the elders, when he was old, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers…” (I Pet. 5:2). Paul tells us an elder should hold fast “the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict [Teach] those who contradict.” (Titus 1:9). Elders need to be able to teach and we all need to be teachable. Paul reminds Timothy that an elder must be temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach:” (I Tim. 3:2). God gives us elders to teach us. Are we teachable?
Let us all spend a lifetime in humbly learning and DOING the Word of God. Let us all be teachable.
