Teaching and Receptivity

Beware (smile): the document you have found presents ideals. Ideals are divine invitations. They come with the understanding that our growth toward them must be gradual. And ideals carry with them the promise of spirit support as we progress intelligently and cheerfully. People who misunderstand ideals may become overwhelmed, disappointed, depressed and angry—or fanatical and self-righteous. Let’s enjoy a relaxed opportunity to ponder some thoughts. And if we find new insight, let us embrace it wholeheartedly!

The following ideas come mostly from revealed patterns of teaching: the Eternal Son, the Infinite Spirit, and others, especially Jesus of Nazareth. The study of patterns raises questions of which patterns are relevant, when to imitate patterns, and when to adapt them. This document may be used to stimulate study groups or conferences as well as to help individuals prepare for teaching opportunities.

In our efforts to grow as teachers, I suggest that we are striving to become like the Eternal Son and the Creator Son, who reveal truth to the soul, and the Infinite Spirit, who reveals truth to the intellect through the cosmic mind and the adjutant mind spirits.

In his discourse on sonship and citizenship, Jesus directed fifty close followers

regarding their priorities. The following quote integrates these two phases of teaching.

Remember that you are commissioned to preach this gospel of the kingdom — the supreme desire to do the Father’s will coupled with the supreme joy of the faith realization of sonship with God — and you must not allow anything to divert your devotion to this one duty. Let all mankind benefit from the overflow of your loving spiritual ministry, enlightening intellectual communion, and uplifting social service; but none of these humanitarian labors, nor all of them, should be permitted to take the place of proclaiming the gospel. These mighty ministrations are the social by-products of the still more mighty and sublime ministrations and transformations wrought in the heart of the kingdom believer by the living Spirit of Truth and by the personal realization that the faith of a spirit-born man confers the assurance of living fellowship with the eternal God. (178:1.11/1932.2)

I propose that this paragraph and the phrase "enlightening intellectual communion" combine the functions of speaking to the intellect and do the soul. When Jesus taught the best of the religious teachers in Rome, he would select the truth in what they taught, then embellish (add beauty to it by expanding it intellectually) and illuminate it (spiritually).

In teaching, as in every other activity, it is often wise to mobilize our powers of mind and soul before activating our physical energies.

I. Get to know the people with whom you are speaking

Get to know people well. Jesus gained “an intimate knowledge of all races and classes of men” and sought to learn “their reactions to the life they were living in the flesh” (132:4). He made “close personal contacts” and “intimate associations” (130:0) and said, “To become acquainted with one’s brothers and sisters, to know their problems and to learn to love them, is the supreme experience of living” (130:2).

Attune your teaching to others’ capacity of receptivity. Select the right level, and do not overteach. This commentary is longer than on any other principle, since it is so important and so neglected. Just as leadership and teamwork are correlates, so are teaching and receptivity. The adolescent Jesus was learning to be “expert in the divine art of revealing his Paradise Father to all ages and stages of mortal creatures.” (127:6.15/1405.7) The miller he taught about grinding up the grains of truth in the mill of living experience so as to render the difficult things of divine life readily receivable by even the weak and feeble among one’s fellow mortals. Said Jesus: “Give the milk of truth to those who are babes in spiritual perception. In your living and loving ministry serve spiritual food in attractive form and suited to the capacity of receptivity of each of your inquirers.” (133:4.2/1474.2) “Go then, Simon, teaching and preaching the kingdom, and when you have a man safely and securely within the kingdom, then is the time, when such a one shall come to you with inquiries, to impart instruction having to do with the progressive advancement of the soul within the divine kingdom. . . . You cannot teach the deep things of the spirit to those who have been born only of the flesh; first see that men are born of the spirit before you seek to instruct them in the advanced ways of the spirit. Do not undertake to show men the beauties of the temple until you have first taken them into the temple. Introduce men to God and as the sons of God before you discourse on the doctrines of the fatherhood of God and the sonship of men.” (141:6, 75:1, 75:8, 132.1) “Jesus taught these men all they could assimilate. He did not make the mistake of overteaching them. He did not precipitate confusion by the presentation of truth too far beyond their capacity to comprehend. (137:7) Do these quotes not imply that it would ordinarily be inappropriate to present The Urantia Book to someone one hardly knows God?Could we actually end up attracting more students of The Urantia Book if we patiently and loyally and lovingly obeyed the sequence that Jesus lived, revealed, and commanded his followers to heed?

Be on the lookout for human needs. Divine love reaches out more where the need is greater. Jesus asked his followers to minister to the downhearted, the anxious, the afflicted. The Master responded to unexpressed needs in Fortune (130:6).

Interpret mercifully what you observe. Consider the effect of taking the broad perspective on the snarling cave man (100:4), as demonstrated by Jesus’ attitude toward the prostitutes whom Ganid repulsed (133:3). Note that an attitude of mercy does not imply being blind to error and evil. "Flood tides of spiritual illumination swept through the mortal mind of Jesus and filled his human heart to overflowing with affectionate pity for the spiritually blind and morally ignorant multitudes" (125:6). Jesus' love was "sufficiently strong to forgive sin and swallow up all evil-doing" (188:5).

II. Wisely choose your approach in teaching

In the light of your understanding of your hearers, be wise in your choice of teaching methods. Jesus put it this way. “Ever be wise in your choice of methods for presenting the good news to the different races and tribes of mankind” (191:4).

Whet appetites. (48:7).

Promote discovery. (Why not simply tell people your discoveries?)

Observe and study to relate to the other person’s experience.

Be artistic. Be patient: time is one of the important media in the art of teaching. Awaken attention by appealing to the emotions or the imagination. Then address the mind as the gateway to your final appeal to the spirit (152:6; 159:3; 149:3). “As the days pass, every true believer becomes more skillful in alluring his fellows into the love of eternal truth. Are you more resourceful in revealing goodness to humanity today than you were yesterday? Are you a better righteousness recommender this year than you were last year? Are you becoming increasingly artistic in your technique of leading hungry souls into the spiritual kingdom?” (156:5) Be flexible in your language. You may need to make a conscious effort to use colloquial words, expressions and metaphors that your listener(s) can understand. Be vivid, e.g., by telling stories, and create your own parables. Vivid does not mean flashy. “In all his teaching Jesus unfailingly avoided distracting details. He shunned flowery language and avoided the mere poetic imagery of a play upon words. He habitually put large meanings into small expressions. For the purposes of illustration Jesus reversed the current meanings of many terms, such as salt, leaven, fishing, and little children. He most effectively employed the antithesis, comparing the minute to the infinite and so on. His pictures were striking, such as 'The blind leading the blind.' But the greatest strength to be found in his illustrative teaching was its naturalness. Jesus brought the philosophy of religion from heaven down to earth. He portrayed the elemental needs of the soul with a new insight and a new bestowal of affection” (159:5). Religion needs new slogans (195:6); come up with a few you can use.

“The universe is not like the laws, mechanisms, and the uniformities which the scientist discovers, and which he comes to regard as science, but rather like the curious, thinking, choosing, creative, combining, and discriminating scientist who thus observes universe phenomena and classifies the mathematical facts inherent in the mechanistic phases of the material side of creation.” (195:7) Will not the art of teaching facts or any other kind of teaching also require one to be curious, thinking, choosing, creative, combining, and discriminating?

Jesus did not standardize teacher training. There was, first, a four-month study of the scriptures with the six first chosen apostles (137:7); next a one-week review of that study provided by the first six for the second six apostles (138:6); third, Peter’s school for the evangelists (148:1); and, fourth the school where “Peter taught methods of public preaching; Nathaniel instructed them in the art of teaching; Thomas explained how to answer questions; while Matthew directed the organization of their group finances” (163:0). Exercise: Take a teaching that you would normally present in a straightforward way and prepare and present it with Jesusonian artistry.

Trust in God and the Spirit of Truth. “In the gospel of the kingdom there resides the mighty Spirit of Truth . . . . The fruits of the spirit, your sincere and loving service, are the mighty social lever to uplift the races of darkness, and this Spirit of Truth will become your power-multiplying fulcrum” (178:1). How does it change things when we trust?

In response to critique, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (140.8). There are wise and tactful compromises that blaze a trail for later and fuller presentations of truth. This virtue is of course not to be carried to extremes. “You are not to be passive mystics or colorless ascetics; you should not become dreamers and drifters, supinely trusting in a fictitious Providence to provide even the necessities of life. You are indeed to be gentle in your dealings with erring mortals, patient in your intercourse with ignorant men, and forbearing under provocation; but you are also to be valiant in defense of righteousness, mighty in the promulgation of truth, and aggressive in the preaching of this gospel of the kingdom, even to the ends of the earth.” (178:1) What wise and tactful compromises did Jesus make? What dynamism accompanied Jesus’ natural way of teaching as a “happy laborer”? How can we be valiant, mighty, and aggressive while remaining free of anger?

Emphasize truths held in common with those of differing beliefs (92:5). For example, there is a balance to strike in the attitude to Christianity, characterized as both cocoon and as the larval stage of the kingdom, destined to emerge as a beautiful butterfly, both as an obstacle and as a tradition that Jesus has fostered (170:5; 195:10). Make judicious use of the sources familiar to your audience. Observe how Jesus made discriminating use of the scriptures in teaching and training (130:1; 130:8). Jesus was an artist at selecting and sequencing readings when he taught in the synagogue (127:3). Consider, for example, the practice of the Master (and the author of Paper 2) to introduce his teaching by drawing on a topical study for a few memorized quotations from a source dear to his hearers. What kinds of study does this ideal suggest for us? Why is it important for us to study to understand other peoples' sources of religious ideas?

We teach best by revelatory living. As a teacher, Jesus was centered, focused, positive, vivid, responsive, courageous, and trusting (171:7). Jesus was not a systematic teacher but taught as the occasion served (149:3). To follow him, the branch must abide in the vine (180:2). “Jesus endeavored to make clear that he desired his disciples, having tasted of the good spirit realities of the kingdom, so to live in the world that men, by seeing their lives, would become kingdom conscious and hence be led to inquire of believers concerning the ways of the kingdom” (141:7). “The world needs to see Jesus living again on earth in the experience of spirit-born mortals who effectively reveal the Master to all men” (195:10). The supreme motive in teaching is to “allow the overflow of the welling-up of eternal goodness within his soul to refresh and ennoble his fellows” (102:3). Even your gestures, bearing, and expression manifest your quality of dignity and love. The emperor Tiberius remarked of Jesus, “If I had that fellow’s kingly bearing and gracious manner, I would be a real emperor, eh?” (132:0) While some persons are so eager to spread a message that they repel others, while others are so afraid to offend that they almost never give voice to truth. How do the ways of revelatory living lead us beyond these extremes?

III. Saying and doing

Readiness for either alternative—saying or doing—marks the Jesusonian teacher. The Master was “minded to say or do something to make [the other's] life richer and more worth while” (132:4). He would impart “some thought of spiritual ennoblement by well-chosen words or by some obliging service” (132:4).

Saying

Ask questions and listen. From the section on Jesus personal ministry (132:4) come the following points. “Jesus’ usual technique of social contact was to draw people out and into talking with him by asking them questions.” His usual practice was to enlist the person “in conversation which would naturally lead up to the discussion of spiritual questions.” What are the advantages of beginning with questions? Can you recall hearing someone draw another person out well by asking questions? Jesus listened to overburdened, anxious, and dejected people—the very ones who derived most benefit from his personal ministry. Jesus gave them “the opportunity to unburden their souls to a sympathetic and understanding listener.” “As a rule, to those he taught the most, he said the least.” It has been observed that many people come to the crux of what they have in mind only at the end of what they say. The authors of Part IV remark when someone interrupts Jesus. While Jesus was talking with someone, it seemed as if that person was the most important person to him in all the world. What is it about mortal personality that is of such worth? Jesus could also ask questions that were challenging, as we see from his teaching in the temple at age 12 (125:5). What kinds of questions are easy conversation starters? What questions take the conversation into spiritual territory? And imagine yourself in a situation in which it would be appropriate to ask a challenging question (as Jesus did in the temple); what questions would you ask in that situation?

Answer questions. Jesus “was equally adept at teaching by either asking or answering questions.” “The interview would usually begin by his asking them questions and end by their asking him questions” (132:4). Be ready for questions about evil (130:1; 130:2; 132:2; 130:4; 148:4-6). With contentious questioners in public, Jesus' answers were always “dignified, enlightening, and final” (149:4). It is acceptable and responsible to avoid commenting on certain topics. Jesus avoided commenting on Buddhism—until Gonod asked him a direct question (132:7)—and he avoided commenting on the relations between the sexes. What are the marks of an effective answer, and what sorts of answer only make things worse?

Build on the truth in what the other person says. Jesus, when conversing with the most advanced Roman teachers, used this method: “Never once did he attack their errors or even mention the flaws in their teachings. In each case he would select the truth in what they taught and then proceed so to embellish and illuminate this truth in their minds that in a very short time this enhancement of the truth effectively crowded out the associated error” (132:0). To embellish suggests expanding on what has been said by adding attractive detail. To illuminate suggests placing the other's best ideas in the context of spiritual truth. List some truths that others cherish that you might build on. Then write down and share how you would you do it. When would it be appropriate to use Jesus’ method with these teachers he met in Rome?

Do not try to take something out of the other's heart. Jesus explained Simon Zelotes’ failure to impart the gospel to a Persian whose religion he had misunderstood. “When Simon Zelotes and Jesus were alone, Simon asked the Master: “Why is it that I could not persuade him? Why did he so resist me and so readily lend an ear to you?” Jesus answered: “Simon, Simon, how many times have I instructed you to refrain from all efforts to take something out of the hearts of those who seek salvation? How often have I told you to labor only to put something into these hungry souls? Lead men into the kingdom, and the great and living truths of the kingdom will presently drive out all serious error” (141:6).

In particular, do not undermine a person's trust in the scripture that motivates their life. When Jesus responded to Gadiah’s question about Jonah, he was able to use the story of Jonah as a parable expressing spiritual truth (130:1). This episode demonstrates the value of sympathetic and thoughtful study of scripture, seeking the spiritual potentials even in stories that in some ways we would reject. Write down a list of disagreeable doctrines that others sometimes express to you and then how you can constructively respond in terms of attitude and content.

Model attitudes of openness in discussion. Ganid was “mightily moved in his own mind by Jesus’ broadmindedness, fairness, and tolerance. In all their discussions of philosophy and religion this youth never experienced feelings of resentment or reactions of antagonism” (132:7). What situations most readily stimulate feelings of resentment or reactions of antagonism in you? Design responses for such situations. How long did Jesus relate patiently with the Pharisees, and how, even after open warfare broke out, did he continue to reach out to them? [153:1]

Respond with unconventional words in conventional situations. Jesus, who had a fine sense of tact and social appropriateness, did not allow convention to block truth. He would drop words at work to whet the truth appetites of his fellow workers (130:2). Consider Jesus’ parting remark to the boy selling fruit (1440.3). Think of conventional situations and write down unconventional remarks that you could try.

Develop the capacity for advanced responses. Some of Jesus’ victories in conversation were the result of the bold exercise of spiritual power. Should we say that we could never—or should never—attempt such things ourselves? If you are ready to let the Spirit of Truth speak for you and through you, prepare wisely to grow to a level where you can exhort directly, as Jesus did to the Roman soldier (132:4) and to challenge, as Jesus did to the speaker at the forum (132:4). Write a description of a situation calling for a bold exhortation, and write what you might say. Discuss with others.

Doing

Minister as you pass by (171:7). "Jesus was very fond of doing things—even little things—for all sorts of people” (132:4). How can we, just by the way we do something, impart a thought of spiritual ennoblement? “When Ganid inquired what one could do to make friends, having noticed that the majority of persons whom they chanced to meet were attracted to Jesus, his teacher said: “Become interested in your fellows; learn how to love them and watch for the opportunity to do something for them which you are sure they want done” (130:7). Salvation from spiritual blindness involves the realization of the universal family—“the service-discovery of spiritual reality and the ministry-revelation of the goodness of spirit values” (101:6; 191:5; 94:9; 94:4). To the mistress of the Greek inn he said: "Minister your hospitality as one who entertains the children of the Most High. Elevate the drudgery of your daily toil to the high levels of a fine art through the increasing realization that you minister to God in the persons whom he indwells by his spirit which has descended to live within the hearts of men, thereby seeking to transform their minds and lead their souls to the knowledge of the Paradise Father of all these bestowed gifts of the divine spirit" (133:4). Say three kinds of helpful things (132:4): “When these maladjusted human beings had told Jesus about their troubles, always was he able to offer

(a) “practical and immediately helpful suggestions looking toward the correction of their real difficulties.” How does this differ from unasked-for advice?

(b) “words of present comfort and immediate consolation. Practice creating your own examples, perhaps with a thought along the lines of a beatitude.

(c) “And invariably would he tell these distressed mortals about the love of God and impart the information, by various and sundry methods, that they were the children of this loving Father in heaven.” “Always the burden of his message was: the fact of the heavenly Father’s love and the truth of his mercy, coupled with the good news that man is a faith-son of this same God of love.” What growth do we need in order to experience the love of God—receiving God’s love, loving God in return, and sensing God’s love for the other person—in such a way that we can express it to the other? What “various and sundry ways” can we imagine, ranging from direct proclamation to indirect ways? What is the difference between service-discovery and ministry-revelation?

Engage in social service as needed. Jesus’ gospel “is personally realized in loving ministry and social service” (94:4). There may be practical things that would be good to do for a study group participant.

Consider some of the things Jesus did and extend this list by recalling what you have done and imagining what you could do.

(a) Restoring lost children to their parents (132:6).

(b) Visiting the lonely (as Jesus visited the woman whose husband had just died (132:6).

(d) Helping the unemployed find work (132:6).

(e) Helping someone on a wrong path to find a new life (133:3).

(f) Intervening to defend someone being attacked (132:4; 133:1-2). Study the example of Jesus’ response to the man beating his wife. Ponder Jesus’ gentle and considerate approach in his description of what the man was doing and his expression of appreciation for the man before asking his question, giving a kindly look and a sympathetic smile . . . and a parting discourse.

(g) Visiting the sick and using prayer and faith encouragement to help them—as a strong, positive, beneficent personality whose ministry banishes fear and destroys anxiety! Once the apostles “began more specifically to carry out Jesus’ instructions to minister to the sick,” visiting every house in Jericho and seeking to comfort every afflicted person, they “made the discovery that the good news of the kingdom was very comforting to the sick; that their message carried healing for the afflicted” (141:9; cf. 158:6; 163:4; 164:3).

What is the difference between personal ministry and social service? Why did Jesus make time for both?

Note the exceptions. Jesus did not attempt to minister to a man who did not have a normal mind (130:8; 133:0), nor to a man who had no hunger for spiritual truth (132:7). Jesus was not outgoing when his mind was filled with much to ponder, e.g., at the end of the Roman tour, in Antioch, nearing Palestine (133:8). Jesus did not go to places of promiscuity (132:4; 133:8). Do you find that there are persons, times, or places where you do well not to attempt ministry?

Smile. Jesus, the “calm and happy laborer” (136:0), highlighted the proverb that “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance and is a continual feast” (131:2; 149:5). "When Jesus smiled on a man, that mortal experienced increased capacity for solving his manifold problems" (171:8; cf. 127:1; 133:2; 167:1; 171:6). Smiling was something that others could learn from the Master. Jesus and Ganid while in Naples “thoroughly canvassed the city and spread good cheer with many smiles upon hundreds of men, women, and children” (130:8). What attitude must have been expressed in such a smile? Maintain a sense of humor (156:3; 143:7). What truths about God, what attitudes toward challenges, and what perspectives on the past, present, and future (48:4) nurture a sense of humor?

Shall we ask the Master to help us become better teachers?

Revised November 2017