The Absent Teacher

“The Jews therefore were marveling, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”” John 7:15

Learned . . Educated – You can’t understand the critical astonishment of the Jews unless you know something about Jewish education. The complaint against Jesus is not about what he said but about the source of his teaching.

The quality of higher education in Judaism was determined by who taught you. A great teacher produced great pupils. The student’s claim to fame was not the subject matter but the instructor. Remember Paul’s claim to have had Gamaliel as his teacher? Why is the teacher more important than the subject matter? Because for the Jew, the subject matter was always the same. It was always the Scriptures, especially the Law. A truly educated man sat under a great teacher of the Law. He learned (the Greek is grammata) by being a disciple of a master. These Jews complained that Jesus did not have a recognized teacher. He had no heritage. He wasn’t a disciple of some famous man. Therefore, he could not be truly disciple, that is, educated (manthano is from the same root as the word for disciple or pupil). What they were really saying is this: Jesus’ teaching did not come with the proper heritage. It was not backed up by other famous men. It stood alone. Jesus wasn’t a disciple. Therefore, what he said could not be considered credible.

But this leads to a real problem. Jesus taught with authority. He taught as though he did have a great teacher behind him. He taught with insight and depth and knowledge that could only be explained (humanly) by having a great heritage. He was an enigma to the scribes. He acted like a man of power with history. They had never seen anyone like him.

We know the answer to their question. Jesus did have a great teacher. The Father. What Jesus taught came directly from His Father. What Jesus did came directly from His Father. Jesus overturned all the accepted educational credentials. He demonstrated a fundamental truth about religious understanding. It doesn’t come from books or from men. It has to come from God. No degree on the wall, no books on the shelf can ever bring me closer to God unless I first am a child of His. Education is not the answer. Education without submission and obedience means nothing. If I am to be useful to God, I must be taught by Him in the center of my heart.

Who instructs you?