JESUS CHRIST: Teacher and Truth BISHOP JOSEPH STRICKLAND In the New Testament, we find many titles for our Lord. He is the Christ (or Messiah), the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Word, the King of kings, the great high priest, and many more. One that speaks to me is his title as “teacher.” We find Jesus referred to as “teacher” by many people in the Gospels, including Jesus himself. Jesus’ enemies call him teacher in verses like Matthew 9:11. The disciples call Jesus their teacher in John 1:38. Jesus identifies himself as our teacher in John 13:13. I launched the St. Philip Institute to teach the Catholic Faith more effectively in our diocese and beyond; so it would be good to meditate on Jesus’ role as teacher, as well as what that means for our lives. This is Eternal Life (John 17:3) I’ve presided over more than a few weddings, mostly as a priest before I became a bishop. One thing pretty much all those happy couples had in common was that they spent time getting to know each other. A man and woman get to know each other deeply before they enter into the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. The love between them is born from their knowledge of one another. Our Lord wants this kind of relationship with us; he wants a relationship built on mutual knowledge, like a good marriage. Of course, he knows us better than we could ever hope to know ourselves. In order to love him in return, we must know him. Jesus says, in the Gospel according to St. Luke, that you must love God with “all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27). Real love of God is born from knowledge of God. This is why God reveals himself to us: he loves us and wants us to love him. He also calls us to be disciples. That word “disciple” means “learner” or “student.” Our role as Christians is to study at the foot of our master teacher: Jesus Christ. We cannot love God unless we learn about him, unless we become disciples. The more we learn about him, the more we are able to love him. This is why our whole lives should be devoted to learning more about Jesus Christ, so that we can come to love him more. In addition, coming to know God more and more gets us closer to heaven. Jesus says that eternal life is knowing the only true God. They will all be taught by God (John 6:45) We are taught by God in three primary ways: first by creation, second by revelation, and third by instruction. St. Paul says, “Ever
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