Life Lessons
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29
Learn – Do you have a degree in Jesus’ teaching? That’s not the same as a theological education. What’s the difference? The Greek verb manthano implies “an intellectual process that always has external effects”. If you major in Jesus, you end up with a lot more than a certificate on the wall. You end up with a changed life.
Once again we are confronted with a Greek word that needs a Hebrew background. Because our culture is so thoroughly Greek in its thought patterns, we consider learning to be a matter of acquiring information. So we think that knowing what Jesus said is enough. But as soon as we realize that Jesus is speaking to us from a Hebrew background, we discover that information is never enough! Mind without heart is not the way of the Master. One of the great thinkers of the Middle Ages said that the entire goal of spiritual life is to express compassion. The gospel in me requires the gospel from me. Learning from Jesus always means that my behavior changes.
Manthano gives us a clue about the purpose of learning. The earliest Greek usage of this word has the sense of becoming accustomed to something. This process is intended to alter how we act. It is a process that develops personality. This is a great deal more than simply a catalog of facts. But when the Hebrew background is added, then the purpose of learning becomes clear. The purpose of learning is alignment with the heart of God and that means practicing compassion. No man is educated who seeks his own welfare ahead of others. That is the pathway toward destruction. Jesus was the completely free man, bound entirely to the will of the Father, compassionately giving himself up for others. He is the example.
Manthano has a special nuance that cannot be overlooked. In this verse, Jesus establishes that learning from him is the most important activity anyone can do. If you really want to know what life is about, go to the final authority: Jesus. All that is necessary to live as God intended can be found in the words and deeds of Jesus. You can read the book Everything I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten, but you won’t pass God’s Life Lessons course. Jesus is the teacher you must have!
How much time are you spending with the only teacher who matters? How much of what you learn shows up in how you act? Until the actions of my life look like his life, I’m just taking notes.
