Question

According to the Synoptic accounts, what were Jesus’ characteristic modes of teaching? Define the term parables and aphorism, and give examples of each.

Answer 1

1. Speaking with Authority

While on earth, Jesus utilized many different teaching methods during his three and a half years of ministry. One approach He used was to speak by His own authority; He spoke with certainty. The Bible states, “The people were amazed at His teaching, for He taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law”.We find ourselves quoting other teachers or experts in our field of study but Jesus did not have to do this. He spoke with His own authority because “all authority on heaven and earth had been given to Him”

1. Using Object Lessons

Jesus knew that many of the people of His day who were visual learners. This is still true today. In Christ’s Object Lessons we read, “in His wonderful deeds of healing He had answered their question” (p. 273). Jesus used object lessons to communicate truth to those who would listen. According to the Visual Teaching Alliance (1998), 65% of the population are visual learners. At the high school level, 10% of the students are auditory learners, and 80% of the instruction is delivered orally. The 3M Corporation has found that visual aids in the classroom improve learning by up to 400%. Can you visualize Jesus washing the disciples’ feet? How about sitting with His disciples when a child approached Him and He said it was okay? Or pointing out the widow as she dropped her offering in the plate? Or the big one: calming the storm with just his words?

1. Use of Repetition

There is a famous saying attributed to teachers: “You are going to do this over and over again until you get it right.” Repetition is essential to new learning, as is relevance and rigor. Jesus utilized these three conceptsas He worked not only with His disciples but with folks He met. We see this when He talked about the importance of receiving the kingdom of God like a little child, and when He told the disciples to allow the children to come to Him. In Peter we read about desiring the milk of the word like a child, and in regard to evil, be like infants. His repetitious use of children sends a message to us. It is crucial to our lessons that we identify the essential concepts to be learned and build on them. In teacher education, we talk about accessing prior knowledge and activating prior knowledge. Students need to see the relevance of what they are learning (how it ties in with what they already know), and how it might apply to their future. This can be accomplished through various activation strategies such as two-minute talks, think-pair-share-,talking drawings, the first word (acronym), or THIEVES (title, headings, introduction, every first sentence, visuals and vocabulary, end of chapter questions, summary). Once we point out to students the relevance of the material, we can then increase the rigor.

Parables

A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whereas parables have human characters. A parable is a type of analogy.

Examples:

1. Akhfash's goat – a Persian parable
2. The parables of Ignacy Krasicki:

• Abuzei and Tair
• The Drunkard
• The Farmer
• Litigants
• Son and Father

1. The parables of Jesus
2. The Rooster Prince – a Hasidic parable

Aphorism

An aphorism is a concise, terse, laconic, and/or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. They are often handed down by tradition from generation to generation. The concept is distinct from those of an adage, brocard, chiasmus, epigram,maxim (legal or philosophical), principle, proverb, and saying; some of these concepts are species of aphorism.

• Seneca the Younger: Roman Stoic philosopher.
• Burchard of Worms: mediaeval Catholic priest and canonist.
• Juan Manuel: Prince of Villena (Spain) and mediaeval author; the second, third and fourth parts of his famous work El Conde Lucanor are collections of aphorisms.
• François de La Rochefoucauld
• Oscar Wilde
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• George Bernard Shaw
• Nicolás Gómez Dávila
• Dorothy Parker
• Patanjali