Teachable Moments

Learning in the classroom of Christ the Teacher

02/03/2018

Mark 6:30-34 The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

           Every good teacher is trained to take advantage of teachable moments. What is a teachable moment? It’s an unexpected event that the teacher had not planned on, catching everyone by surprise, but it’s also an opportunity to teach an important lesson. For instance, the flu virus has spread this year to epidemic proportions. But instead of lamenting that fact, a good teacher will learn from that fact and turn it into a teachable moment, so students can learn about the importance of washing their hands and not coughing into someone else’s Kool-Aid. Last year’s tragic shooting at a Texas church served as another teachable moment for all churches and congregations. How can we warmly welcome everyone without walking around with a six-shooter strapped to our hips? We have to balance both welcome and safety without going to either extreme; that’s the lesson in that teachable moment. Teachable moments arise when things don’t go according to plan, but they nonetheless offer us great life lessons.

             Jesus seizes upon a teachable moment at a very unplanned and also very unpleasant moment. The apostles have just returned from a hard day’s work of preaching, teaching, and expelling demons. Jesus takes them to a deserted place to get some rest; they were searching for a Samaritan speakeasy or a Palestinian pub to unwind after a long day of saving the world. Just like me every night going to your house! But what unexpectedly happens? The crowds find them. Jesus, the timeless Teacher, immediately sees the teachable moment here and takes full advantage. And not only does he teach the people many things, but he also teaches his apostles a lesson by his example, namely, we must teach even when we’re tired. Every teacher is trained to look for teachable moments.

            Have you ever thought about this whole universe as a kind of cosmic classroom? I think every now and then we all get a sense that we’re all students going through life, and that Someone – an invisible Teacher – is trying to teach us something valuable at every turn, especially at those unexpected turns in life. Now, some people may think we’re just mice in a cosmic laboratory, like Douglas Adams’ comedy fiction book called Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But I don’t think so. Rather, I believe this whole cosmos is a huge saint-making machine, a classroom to crank out “other Christs.” And that everything that happens in our life – without exception – happens for a reason. And what is that reason? It’s simple: everything that happens is designed to teach us how to be a saint, how to be more like Jesus. That is what lies at the heart of every teachable moment – the flu epidemic, church shootings, a chance meeting, etc. – all those moments are really encounters with Christ, the Teacher, who teaches us how to love like he loves, the greatest lesson of all.

          Teachable moments are unexpected and unplanned moments in our life, but they are always part of the lesson plans of Christ. We are not mice in a cosmic laboratory; we are students in the classroom of Christ the Teacher.

Praised be Jesus Christ!