Builder to Teacher

 He was a carpenter.  He was good at his craft.  Nothing was his specialty and everything was his specialty. 

In his years of carpentry, he built myriads of cribs, cabinets for homes, work benches, tongues for wagons, and just about anything else his customers asked for.

He once made a toy baby-rattler with a little monkey trapped inside a cage for an especially close friend.  It was the delight of the child, and the parents never forgot.

Yet today nothing remains of his skill as a carpenter.  One would be hard pressed to find even a board from a bed sawn by this master craftsman.

One day, he walked away from this life.  He left it all behind – the

tools, the sawdust, the apron, and the constantly dirty fingernails.  He marked out a new occupation – that of a teacher.  He had no classroom to call his own.  He had no credentials, yet he became a teacher.

He never wrote any books.

He never penned a resume or drafted a syllabus for his classes, yet he taught, and his words echo down through the ages and reach us even today.

His voice was never recorded so we don’t know if he had a soft or loud sound, spoke with an accent, stuttered, had trouble rolling his r’s or spoke with a nervousness in his voice. 

He spoke and taught nevertheless. 

Today, we do have examples of his teachings.  His words live long after he passed from this earth.  His words echo from the ages past, for they are immortal words of hope, life and of redemption.

This builder turned teacher is called Jesus, the Christ, and his influence as a teacher has changed the course of the world.  Armies have marched for him and against him.  Men receive his words and curse his words.  People praise him and despise the mere mention of his name. 

And yet …

Yet his influence lives on. 

Here are some of his teachings.

“Come unto me all who labor and are heavy with burdens.  I will give you rest.”

“Peace I give unto you, not as the world gives.”

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

“Don’t let your hearts be trouble.  If you believe in God, then believe in me, for in my father’s house are many rooms.  I am going to prepare a place for you as well.”

“I am the bread of life; he that comes to me shall never be hungry; the one who believes in me shall never thirst.” 

“Surely I tell you; whoever believes in me shall have everlasting life.”

“Love your enemies, bless them who curse you, do some good for those who hate you, and pray for the ones who spitefully use you and persecute you;”

These are just a few of the words our builder-turned-teacher spoke while on earth.  They hold the power of life and encouragement, hope and redemption.

I pray that your heart is encouraged today by this teacher – Jesus, the Christ.

His carpentry work is long decayed.  His words still bring life. 

Praise be to God!

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