Rabboni, Teacher

Confucius in his Analects gives us his understanding of growth with these words: "At 15 I set my heart on learning, at 30 I know where I stood, at 40 I have no more doubts, at 50 I knew the will of Heaven, at 60 my ears were attuned, and at 70 I followed my heart’s desire without crossing the line.”

Confucius in his own life without any Christian teaching knew that something happened to him by living the virtuous life. He was moved  to live in harmony with nature and as Christians understand,  an answer to grace.

A university professor in the Catholic Peace Weekly writes about  Jesus' method of teaching. A representative  example he gives us is the woman caught in adultery brought to him by the lawyers and pharisees.

He is presented with the law in which such a person was to be stoned but Jesus did not directly answer but told them that those without sin can start the stoning. In this short story we have the philosophy, the psychology, and the social aspects of education which is to understand. Jesus didn't want to teach but wanted them to grasp the truth. This is the role of an educator.

When we teach, people forget, when we grasp something, understand what is being said, we don't forget. In English the word educate means to draw out from inside to the outside. God has already placed in us the capacity we are to bring it out in our lives. Socrates considered this as working as a midwife to bring the new birth out to the light.

We all have this duty as educators to help bring out what God has given each of us. Mary Magdalena when she recognized her teacher called out Rabboni. Her teacher she could never forget.

In Titus 2: 11-12, "You see God's grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us what we have to do..." 

In Korean the word for church and education both have the same Chinese character in its first syllable which is the mission of the church but with the methods of Jesus.