After spending an afternoon at a concert and following up with a meal and some downtime at a local diner, two of my adult sons returned home expecting to, possibly, see three little munchkins waiting past bedtime to greet their dad and uncle. 

What they were surprised to see when they opened the front door was a chicken, a big, brightly colored fowl strutting from the hallway into the living room.

“Did you just see that?” said the younger brother, stopping in the doorway as if questioning his reason. When they left, there were three youngsters, a Golden Retriever, two cats, and two ferrets. No chickens.

“Are you kidding me?” said the older brother, panicked at the prospect. “A chicken? Now we have a chicken??”

After she finished laughing, my daughter-in-law explained that she had borrowed the chicken from a friend to play a joke on my sons and teach her husband a lesson. The lesson being 'things could always be worse!'; apparently, the chicken had the desired outcome.

Creative, effective lessons were Jesus’ forte and methods that are readily available to educators. In addition to telling stories through parables, and asking lots of questions, both of which were previously shared in this blog:

Jesus’ lessons were memorable – Sometimes Jesus surprised people, sometimes he shocked them, but always he presented something important in a way that would be remembered, often with hyperbole – exaggerations, a language with a flair. We see an example in Matt. 7:3-5 when Jesus teaches that we should not sit in judgment of people. He brings the lesson home by using images that are improbable: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” Another memorable one is, “… it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matt. 19:23-24

Jesus used repetition – Jesus understood that if something is memorable and something is repeated, it is something that will be remembered. There’s a reason advertisers repeat the name of a product multiple times in an advertisement, or why the same ads show up repeatedly in our social media and email feeds. Consider how easy it is to match a slogan to a sports company, a fast-food restaurant, or an insurance company.  Jesus repeated themes, like the Great Commission, and his death and resurrection many times. He also repeated words and questions. One of the most obvious, and good for classroom discussion, is in John 21:1-19 when Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” (15-17). 

Jesus used conversation – Jesus’ conversations were personal, facilitated by knowledge of the person with whom he spoke, whether it was someone seeking healing, understanding, or who needed instruction or correction. He shared his concern and his compassion, even when the truth was difficult to hear. One of the most well-known conversations is with the Samaritan woman at the well, John 4: 4-26. We can learn as much as we teach when we help children engage in conversation. Sometimes it’s the youngest child who offers a brilliant insight. Jesus’ greatest skill in conversation was being personally present, with no distractions, and being fully honest, all skills needed for a fruitful conversation with kids or youth.

Spending some time with the Gospels is a wonderful way to learn the teaching methods of Jesus. Look for examples of poetry, puns, object lessons, similes, and metaphors, and, of course, there is a wealth of stories. Make notes as you read and consider how you may add a particular method to a lesson or, perhaps, develop it as part of your teaching style.

About the Author
Mary Clifford Morrell, mother of six and grandmother to ten, is a Catholic journalist, editor, and author who has served the Dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey; Burlington, Vermont, and RENEW International in the areas of religious education and communication.

 

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