The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - Jesus Is the Model Teacher

Episode Date: May 29, 2026

What made Jesus the greatest teacher the world has ever known?Jeff reflects on Jesus as the model teacher, exploring not only what Christ taught but how He taught—with availability, sensitivity, compassion, and transformational truth. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit https://media.ascensionpress.com/?s=&page=2&category%5B0%5D=Ascension%20Podcasts&category%5B1%5D=The%20Jeff%20Cavins%20Show for full shownotes!

This podcast is brought to you by Ascension. To discover even more free Catholic podcasts, videos, and resources, to help you live your faith every day, visit ascensionpress.com. Welcome to the Jeff Kaven Show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together in living as activated disciples. This is show 484. Jesus is the model teacher. Welcome to the show again, my friend. Good to spend some time with you this week. At the time of this show, it is very hot in Minnesota. We're up around 90 and we're not used to it this time of the year,

but we welcome it after our long, hearty winters up here in the north. And it is days like today that I get to stay inside and study. And as I was studying and thinking about you, Well, my wife and I have been thinking a lot lately about creation and studying science and biology and all these different things and looking at the marvelous creation of God, as it says in Psalm 19, the heavens declare the wonders of God. And they speak to us day by day, don't they? And my attention was turned to the one who holds all of this together.

And that is Jesus, the son of God. God. He was completely man, completely God, hypostatic union. Something about Jesus is so awesome and is never ceased to amaze me. And from the time that I was 18 years old in February, February of 1977, I have been just fascinated with Jesus and I've never gone through a drought as far as my fascination with him. And one of the things that really grabbed my attention clear back in the 70s and 80s was the teaching methodology of Jesus as the master teacher, the model teacher. And I was privileged for about 10 years of my life to study with some of the greatest teachers at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. My wife and I both took Hebrew at the University of Minnesota. My wife went on to

teach Hebrew, and now she's a biblical archaeologist about ready to finish her PhD in biblical archaeology and history of scripture. And so I want to talk to you today about Jesus the model teacher. Jesus the model teacher. This may end up being a two-part series. You never know. We'll let you know at the end here. But I've been looking forward to sharing this with you. In fact, it was just an hour ago. We were at Mass. And during Mass, I landed on it. I said, that's what I'm going to talk about today with you. So if you want the show notes, all you got to do is text my name, Jeff Kavans. That's one word, J-E-F-F-F-C-A-V-I-N-S, and you can text it to the number 3-3-7-77- Quite biblical.

Okay, so years ago, I mentioned to you about an observation that I made over the years using the magazine rack. I'll go through that quickly. It's kind of interesting. back in the 60s, the big magazine was Life Magazine. It had humans. It had animals and trees and all kinds of different things. Bacteria, cell structure, everything you can imagine, life, it was big. Then in the 70s, the magazine that kind of became so popular was People Magazine. And then in the 80s, it was us.

So we went from life to people to us. And then in the 90s, it was Self. The magazine called Self. Right around the 2000 mark we get not just self, but just one person, Oprah. And I think we could probably continue on from there. But I noticed that devolving from life to one person just in the popularity of magazines. And magazines say a lot about people. It says something about human nature.

We're all enormously fascinated with each other. And the radio plays songs that are primarily about people. TV is mostly pictures of people. at the movies we pay good money to sit in the dark to watch shadowy pictures of imaginary people. We read novels to get inside the psyches of people. And sometimes for recreation, we go to the mall to people watch. Or if you're from Minnesota, you go to the state fair. Our fascination with people is one of the ways in which we are created in the image of God.

Our people's fascination is part of, I think, our godlikeness. I really do. And for Jesus to do his main mission, the will of the father, he became a person like you and me. And he moved and he lived among us. And his followers were considered Talme deem. Those are disciples. They are pupils. They are followers.

They're the ones that are listening to him and taking in his teaching and putting it into practice. But this teacher, Jesus, goes way beyond just teaching information. He focuses on, sure, teaching information, but for the purpose of transformation, that you and I would become like him. And I remember reading a book, I was looking for it right before the show. I believe it was Clarence Benson, theologian Clarence Benson said, he said, let us remember, however, that in approaching Jesus as a religious leader and a teacher, we are considering more than a dynamic personality and more than a religious genius. We are examining the teaching methods of one who claim to be the Son of God.

Now, if Jesus claims to be the Son of God, which we believe that he is, then what do you think about not just teachings about the Last Supper and forgiving and so forth, and all those are very, very, very foundational in his teaching? but have we taken the time to actually look at his teaching methods, the way he communicates? Now, this could be very advantageous for not only church, you know, CCD directors and teachers and OCI, sure, pastor, right, the priests, the deacons, and religious. But it's also very important to understand the teaching methods of Jesus when it comes to being a parent, or it comes to being a friend of somebody.

So in John 1313, Jesus said, you call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. And I think that's interesting, isn't it, that he puts both in there. You call me teacher, that's true, you are. And you say, you call me Lord. Right, teacher and Lord. That's the difference between Jesus and any remarkable teacher in the world today. I believe it was, Clarence went on and he said, how remarkably. the master teacher capitalizes on every natural opportunity whenever he found spontaneous

interest and attention. He made of it a vital teaching situation. Every social occasion, every temporal event, every need spoken or unspoken, every reference of life presented him with an opportunity to convey to men the truths of the Christian life. So when we talk about Jesus owning us or redeeming us and filling us, we see people in a whole new way. And for Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on, Paul says in 2 Corinthians, we regard no one from a worldly point view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. So when we approach Jesus

the teacher, we are going to go through a transformation of our view of people. The old view of people is gone. The new view of people has come. And since we are God's ambassadors, God is making his appeal through us. So that's a major point that I want to share with you is that our view of people is different because of what Jesus did for them and what he commands us to do in his mission, to bring the good news to people and to help them experience the transformation that deep down inside they really, really want. So one of the most godlike things that we can do is treat people the way Jesus treats people. Now, I'm going to go through a few of these things with you, and I'm going to do that on the other side of the break, but I think you're going to find them interesting.

we're going to point out just a few of the, I guess you would say the descriptors as to how he went about teaching. Now, this is really important, and to be honest with you, it's what really caught my attention back in the late 70s and the 80s, mainly the 80s, is that when I got a hold of how he taught, he didn't just run around making stuff up, but how he taught, I thought to myself, whoa, I can understand this guy. I can follow him. I want to be like him. So we'll take a look at that. You're listening to The Jeff Kaven show. Someone shows up in your parish because they're being drawn towards the Catholic Church. Maybe they can't quite explain why, but something is pulling them.

OCI could be the moment that changes everything for them, where a quiet curiosity becomes a real encounter with Jesus Christ. But the gap between how OCIA is and how it could be is real. and the catechists leading it need more than a schedule. They need vision, tools, and a program that actually forms disciples. Invited, your journey into the Catholic Church is Ascension's new OCI program. 28 lessons that walk participants through the Catholic faith with theological depth, personal warmth, and a focus on conversion, not just completion.

Invited includes a participant guide. that meets the seekers exactly where they are, a leader guide with catechus formation built right in. A trade book with questions and answers many newcomers might be afraid to ask, and a mass companion book to help them participate in the mass actively, both interiorly and exteriorly. Our hope at ascension is that invited will help make OCIA in your parish

what it was always meant to be, a true journey into life with Christ. To learn more, visit a see. ascensionpress.com slash invited. Welcome back. And we're talking today about Jesus as the model teacher. He is the model teacher. Let's get into a few of the things that kind of marked his style of teaching that I think

you can adapt in your raising of your children, your grandchildren, or if you are working in the parish all the way from pastor to everybody else involved in catechesis, that's the handing on of the faith. I think you can really take advantage of this. It'll be fruitful. One of the things that Jesus was a master of is going from the abstract to the concrete. Now, I'm the first to admit that in Catholicism, man, there's a lot of meta-language. Meta-language is the language of the informed. It is the language that uses the Greek and the Latin and concepts that we don't use in the business world or in science or mathematics or astronomy, whatever it might be. But there are a number of words and concepts that we use in the Catholic Church that the average

person outside of the church wouldn't have a clue what we're talking about, right? And so oftentimes all those things fit into what I would call an abstract category. And there are a lot of people who have problems with learning abstract concepts. but Jesus had a way of taking an abstract concept and he brought it into the concrete. So, for example, in Mark 12, 29 through 31, I'll put these in the notes for you, when the crowds ask Jesus, what is the greatest commandment? Well, that could be a very abstract idea. What is the greatest commandment?

So what he said was he quoted Deuteronomy 6-4, the shmars. S-H-E-M-A. It means in Hebrew to hear. He said, Here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, right? Hero Israel, the Lord are God, the Lord is one. Now, wow, okay, I guess I can run with that. That's pretty cool.

But what does that mean in a concrete way? And then he says this. He said the second was like it. Now he's going to go from abstract. Here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And he's going to go into the concrete. He says the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.

That added line slammed the abstract down into the concrete. You see what he did there? Hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Mommy, what does that mean? Love your nation. as yourself. That's how you love God. And so Jesus would do this repeatedly. And it helps the listener understand the concrete aspect of an abstract concept. So the way Jesus put it, our love for God is expressed not in pews, pulpits, and stained glass, even though they're all beautiful. But in

relationships among people, in the way you and I get along with people and her or them. So dynamic Christianity is worked out in the arena of marriages, friendships, partnerships, neighbors, communities, property lines, sales contracts, all of it. Or to simplify it, if we really love God, the first ones to know it will be family, friends, and neighbors. That's the way he taught. In 1st John 420, John said, if anyone says I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. So John picks up on this teaching of Jesus and goes a little further with it. So if you are around Jesus and you are to observe him, what would you notice?

What would you notice not in terms of content, but what would you notice in terms of technique? because again, as Mr. Benson said earlier, when we study Jesus, we're not just looking at a spiritual genius. We're not just looking at a teacher of teachers. We're looking at the son of God. And therefore, his methodology is, if you will, technique is very important. So let me go through a couple of these points with you. And again, this will not only help you understand his techniques or how he teaches. what his norm is, but it'll give you ideas for your own relationships, your children.

Let's just use your children as an example, or your roommate. If you're not married and you've got a roommate, then we'll use it there. The first thing that I would say about Jesus, as far as technique, is he was available. Now, that might sound like a small thing. Yes, he's Jesus. Yes, he's on a mission. Yes, he's the son of God. But how many people do you know today that are really, super stars in their field. How available are they? Can you even get to them? Or are you just going to hear them on YouTube? Or how available are they? I think about this because, you know, as I teach around the world and do conferences and lead pilgrimages to the Holy Land and other places, I invite people to go with me. Now, the pilgrimages that we do, like for example, the Holy Land, I don't just invite

them to go with me and then show up once in a while. When I say, do you want to go to Israel with me, or you want to go to Poland with me, or you want to go to France or whatever it might be, I mean, I'll be available. Want to have breakfast? When I have dinner? When I was walking to a site, do you have a question? I try to make myself available. Now, that isn't something that I naturally would have done until I met Jesus. And I realized that part of his teaching methodology was his availability. For example, John 1.14, the word became flesh. That's Jesus. The word became flesh and lived for a while among us. You could say this. He pitched his tent right smack in the middle of our campground. He rented a house on your block and walked down my street. He made himself available. We do not

see anything. In fact, we don't see anything of him purposely avoiding. We do see him retreating and taking a break, but even then the people pressed in on him, and he made himself available. I see no record in the Gospels of Jesus taking two weeks off. He just remained available. And I think the reason for that is because the answer to life is in Jesus. He is the way the truth in the life. The way the truth in the life must be available. and if you know him and you love him and you want to become like him, you must be available. Remember the scripture in John 129?

I'll stick these in the notes for you, so you don't have to pull over anything. John saw Jesus coming toward him, okay? That's street level availability. Physically accessible. Not only was he physically available, but he was also emotionally available. He was available.

That's a master teacher. Now, I know when you go to college and you're in a great big lecture hall with 200 other students and the professor says, my schedule, my office hours will be available outside of my door. And you go there and people start filling in 15 minutes segments, you know, to meet with the teacher. That's a certain level of availability. But sometimes the availability, needs to be at the gas station in the parking lot of Walmart at a funeral at a wedding after a police car pulls over you know whatever whatever the situation might be so he was available number two

and i think this is a really important point not only was he available he was sensitive he was sensitive now someone right away is going to say you know i say well i'm not wired like that i my wife says I'm not a sensitive person. My husband says I'm not a sensitive person. My roommate says I lack sensitivity, right? So what do I mean by sensitive? I don't mean that he was just, oh, you know, I hear you, you know, that type of sensitivity. What I mean by sensitivity is he was tuned in. He was tuned into the people he was with, the groups he spoke to, the marginalized people. He was tuned in. He didn't walk around with his earbuds in listening to Hebrew rap. He was tuned in to people. He picked up on subtle people signals. You know what I mean there? Now, I've been teaching for 48 years.

and throughout those years, I've learned to try to become more sensitive, aka pick up on subtle people, signals. Like, for example, I was speaking at a convention, some kind of conference. And this has actually happened quite a few times now. I could probably go through a whole list of them with you. And as I was teaching at this meeting, a guy in the crowd, let me know with the experience. let me know with the expression of his face clear across the room that he wanted to talk. And when I was done, I got off the podium, off the platform, made my way to that side of the room. And as I made my way to that side of the room, he was making his way to me.

And I could have right when I met him just said, how are you doing? What's your question? And it's because I picked up that subtle signal that he was giving me. It was really quite remarkable. So I also was speaking at the University of Minnesota one time at the Newman Center. And there were probably 400 college students there. And sitting towards the back row was a young lady. And I was teaching and giving my talk.

And all the while giving the talk maybe four or five times, my attention was drawn to her. And all I could think of is she has a question. I need to talk to her. I don't know what this is about, but that was the level of sensitivity that I'm talking about, is that there's something about that girl. And so as it turns out, I had just come back from visiting a man

who invented software for prosthesis, for arms and legs. And he was a very celebrated man who developed this software. And I was fascinated with him, and got his information. We became friends. And that was just prior to this meeting at the University of Minnesota. When I got done with my talk, about 25, 50 people came up towards me because they had

questions and so forth. And I had to say, excuse me, stay right here. I'll be back. I'll answer all your questions. I'll talk to you. I got one thing I need to do. And I moved through the crowd all the way back to that lady in the back. And I came up to her and she looked at me and I looked at her.

And all I said was, what's your question? question. She said, it's funny you would come back here and ask me that. She said, I'm, I'm just trying to figure out what God wants me to do with my life. And I'm not sure which direction to go. And it had to do with the talk that I was giving. And I said, what are you interested in? She said, I know it's funny, but I really have a desire to develop prosthesis for people without arms and legs. And I took out a piece of paper, wrote the guy's name, a number, I said, this guy invented the best software for it in America. Give him a call.

I'll text him. You're going to call. That was it. That was it. It was amazing. So when I talk about sensitivity, I'm saying that he seemed to know that someone was following him. Someone was pulling on him. What do we do when we sense that someone is following us?

Well, we either run or turn and confront. Jesus turns and lovingly faces the curious following. Yes, there's been a lot of times when I was done talking, you know, I wanted to get out of there, go back to the hotel. But I wanted to remain sensitive and there for a reason. And I have to act on it. So when Jesus asked them what they wanted, they were doubtless feeling a bit awkward, right? And they answer, where do you live?

Right? where do you live in John's gospel? And notice his answer, come and see. Get this, within seconds of meeting people, Jesus invites them to where he lives. Now the question is, are we this sensitive? Did Jesus want to show them his interior decorating job? No. He was saying, come and I will show you the perspective from which

I live my life. Now, the third thing that is very interesting here is that Jesus was a master at securing the pupil's attention or the student's attention or the observer's attention. Securing the pupil's attention must be a top priority of a model teacher until the teacher has secured the attention of the person they're teaching, there's no need to try to go any further if you cannot get their attention. So securing attention was not a problem for the master teacher. He simply and naturally did those attention-winning things, which poor teachers must do with a real set purpose. He just does them naturally. So what were those attention-winning

things? In other words, how did Jesus make contact with people? Well, I'll give them to you real quick here. Number one, he used his eyes. He saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew. Jesus turned and beheld them following. He used his eyes. He makes eye contact, very powerful in teaching. Sometimes it's difficult when you're speaking to a group of 2,000 people because it seems like a blur, but you have to purposely focus on individuals and look them in the eye. So number one, he used his eyes. Number two, he initiated conversation. Perhaps we'll do a podcast in the future about some of these things in Jesus' teaching style, but he initiated a conversation. Wow, this is something that people don't like to do. I love to do it. Love it. Love it. And when I teach this, like at the

seminary, I tell them you can start up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, anytime, promise. And I can show you how to do it. To the woman at the well, he said, give me a dream. drank. And she immediately answered. He initiated the conversation. You know what's interesting? Pope John Paul II said that that story, the woman at the well, is the model for the new evangelization. He initiated the conversation. If you've got this idea in your head that you can sit back and believe what you believe and you're happy and you're going to church and if people want to know, they'll ask you, it doesn't work that way. Never has. The people of God, the disciple of the Lord, the men and women of the kingdom must learn to initiate conversations.

The third one is he asked questions. And I'm going to do a whole show on that. I'm going to show you the different ways, 12 ways that he used questions in his teaching. So when Jesus came into the district of Cessaria Philippi, he began asking his disciples saying, who do people say that the son of man is? That's one of the ways that he has secured the pupil's attention. Number four, he invited companionship.

After seeing Simon and Andrew, he said to them, follow me. Stay with me, be with me, work with me, travel with me, eat with me. He invited companionship. Some of the most fruitful people that I've been a part of bringing them into the kingdom are the people that I invited to companionship. Call me anytime. Want a cup of coffee. What are you doing tomorrow morning on the way to work?

let's meet, let's get a cup of coffee, invite companionship. Number five, he called people by name. Jesus looked at him, it says, in John 142 and said, you are Simon, the son of John. Who doesn't like to hear their name, huh? Very powerful. And then six, he called for attention with words such as, listen, truly, truly, and behold.

Now, there wasn't punctuation in Hebrew at that time. and so if you really wanted to make your point, you'd say verily, verily, or truly, truly, or amen, or behold, or listen, listen. So those are very, very important. I just decided there will be a show too, because I am out of time and I've got so much more to share with you. So let's pick it up next week, shall we together? and next week I'll go further into the teaching methodology of Jesus, but I'm also going to introduce you to 12 ways that Jesus uses questions

to get information, to help people understand something, to speak of the obvious, rhetorical, all of them. So you've got to join me next week now. Well, let's pray, shall we? And let's think about putting some of this into practice in our own life. In the name of the Father, end of the son, and the Holy Spirit, amen, Lord Jesus. You are the master teacher, you are the model, you are God.

And Lord, we can never just listen to what you say, but we need to listen to how you say it, how you teach, for you are the master. And we want to become like you, help us this week to take these things into our heart, into our home, at work, among our friends, and put them into practice to proclaim the good news. In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I love you. See you next week.