One of the tasks that many people in the Urantia community are faced with at one time or another is teaching an individual or a group about The Urantia Book. Sometimes we may feel inadequate to the task, but we have some excellent guidance available. Though Jesus lived in a culture that was very different from ours, and though we are not dual nature beings like Jesus, nevertheless we can learn from his teaching methods. Our culture may differ from his, but human nature is the same today as it was 2000 years ago. The teaching methods of Jesus should be just as effective today as they were when he walked the earth. We students of The Urantia Book have the privilege of possessing a detailed account of Jesus' life and teachings. I believe that we who aspire to be teachers can profit greatly from studying and attempting to use Jesus' teaching methods.

Jesus and the Individual.

During his time as Ganid's tutor, Jesus had the best opportunity of his life to teach and minister to individuals. Here are some of the incidents recorded in The Urantia Book and some thoughts about them:

Jesus talked to Godiah, a Philistine interpreter. When Godiah asked Jesus about the story of Jonah and the whale, he asked whether or not the whale actually swallowed Jonah. (1429) Because Jesus sensed how important this story was to Godiah, he did not directly address his question. He taught some truths by using metaphors derived from things mentioned in the story. By answering Godiah in this way, Jesus did not take anything away from him; rather he gave something to him. If we wish to teach someone, we need to learn about that person's deeply held beliefs and respect these.

Jesus turned Anaxand's anger toward his supervisor into concern for the supervisor's soul. (1431) Jesus used the metaphor of a drowning man and suggested that Anaxand would not let a man drown, and in a similar fashion, his supervisor was "floundering in darkness" and needed to be rescued. Jesus turned attention away from Anaxand's plight and focused it on the plight of his supervisor. He turned Anaxand's focus from within to without. He also suggested a positive plan of action: that he and Anaxand go and talk to the supervisor. Can we likewise turn someone's anger into positive action by using Jesus' method?

Fortune was a downcast and isolated young man. (1437) Jesus attempted to make a direct approach to the mind and soul of Fortune without success. He then resorted to the subterfuge of asking the young man for directions to Phenix. After Jesus had drawn the young man out of his shell, he was able to make an appeal to his soul through his mind. Jesus was persistent and creative in reaching Fortune; he wasn't put off by the failure of his first attempt. By showing interest in people's lives, we may be able to draw them out so we can speak to their souls. And we need to be creative and persistent in our approach to the souls of our fellow mortals.

Jesus gave counsel to a wealthy Roman regarding how he should administer his wealth. (1462) Jesus did this only because the rich man specifically asked for this advice. We would be well advised to follow this example. Do we lecture our children or do we practice the art of listening to them? Do we give friends unwanted advice?

Ganid was surprised that Jesus did not try to speak about spiritual matters to a pagan they met. (1466) Jesus explained that the man was not seeking truth now, but that later he might be ready for it. At another time, Jesus said that we should not cast our pearls before swine. In other words, don't waste your time with those who don't care about what you have to offer, but also recognize that some of them may sometime in the future be hungry for truth. Sometimes we need to practice patience and wait for a sign of readiness before we try to introduce The Urantia Book or ideas from it to people. It may not be what they need at that particular moment.

When Jesus saw a man mistreating his wife, he approached him in a way that distracted him from his anger. (1471) Jesus then made him aware that he was violating his own highest principles. This is one of the occasions that Jesus used guilt to make someone aware that his or her actions were unacceptable, but he did it in a kindly way, according to The Urantia Book. Some may think that encouraging guilt is never acceptable, but when we have failed to live up to our moral standards, guilt is an appropriate feeling. But we should not stay locked in feelings of guilt; rather, we should take appropriate action to remedy the problem. In this case, the man regretted what he had done, and promised to live up to a pledge he had made to a Cynic priest. Jesus showed us how to intervene in a conflict situation, and how it can be effective if we do it in a loving fashion.

When Jesus and Ganid were accosted by two prostitutes, Ganid tried to send them away, but Jesus had a different reaction; he treated them with sympathy and dignity. (1473) He recognized that they had been forced into their work by circumstances. But he did more than sympathize with the women; he arranged a way for them to escape from their situation. He brought them to the wife of a new friend, and this woman agreed to help them leave their life of degradation and help them find work. They were not given charity, but rather a chance for honest work, a chance to regain their self-respect. It was not so much what Jesus said, but what he did that was the most effective in this case. Actions speak louder than platitudes. Ganid learned several valuable lessons from this experience. Jesus taught Ganid to look beyond the surface appearances and see the goodness in the two women, and he saw that it is important sometimes to lend a helping hand as well as supportive words.

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In Section 4 of Paper 133, Jesus speaks to a number of persons. (1474) In each case, he uses metaphors drawn from the sort of work each person is doing. We are usually more comfortable with and respond better to that which is familiar to us, that which is nearest and dearest to our hearts.

The forgoing examples show a number of principles that Jesus used in his work with individuals. Jesus understood human nature. He lovingly but firmly led people to consider their spiritual nature. He always appealed to love and fairness; he never stooped to use of fear or intimidation; the content of his teaching was always positive. He knew the ways in which we attempt to shut off truth that we don't want to hear and he knew how to circumvent these roadblocks.

Jesus with the Apostles.

When Jesus taught the Apostles and disciples, he used different techniques than he did with individuals or large crowds. He sometimes simply lectured, but he also taught by example, and by actions whose results carried a lesson.

There are many of Jesus' lectures and talks with the Apostles recorded in The Urantia Book. Some of these lectures were initiated by Jesus to enlighten his Apostles, but many were spontaneously generated in response to a question by one of the Apostles. I am sure that few of us will have apostles or disciples, but we may unexpectedly find ourselves in a position of teaching a group of people. I believe we can use the spontaneous teaching method of Jesus to advantage.

On one momentous occasion, we observe Jesus teaching by example. When Jesus joined the Apostles in the upper room for the Last Supper, he found them contending for the seat of honor at Jesus' right hand; this was not the first time that the Apostles had been contending with one another about their place in the coming kingdom. Jesus gave them a profound lesson in humility; he washed their feet. He used this example to then give them a talk about service. By his actions, Jesus was able to make all of the Apostles very conscious of the pettiness of their contending for the place of honor. He opened their hearts and minds to the lesson on service he taught after his unexpected action. When I think of this lesson, I am reminded that our lives can be a lesson to everyone whose lives we touch in some way. We can teach by doing.

Jesus also set up situations to produce results that served as profound lessons to his Apostles. Consider the feeding of the 5000. Though Jesus had proclaimed time and again that his was a spiritual kingdom not of this world, yet the apostles had not completely given up the idea of Jesus as a Messiah who would take his place as leader of the Jews by demonstration of divine power. They saw the increasing number of people following after Jesus as a sign that he might soon be acclaimed a political as well as a spiritual leader of the Jews. It was indeed a painful lesson they received when they saw Jesus refuse the call to kingship and saw the material minded among the people following Jesus desert him.

Possibly one of the most amazing and powerful demonstrations Jesus performed was raising Lazarus from the dead. Apparently, Jesus did not raise Lazarus to teach or change anyone's mind, rather, this demonstration reinforced the faith of Lazarus' sisters, the Apostles and others who already believed in him and his mission. But reinforcing that which we know and believe is a part of teaching, much as when a teacher gives a child positive feedback for getting a math problem correct. Sometimes we forget that affirmation is a powerful tool. We forget to praise that which is praiseworthy to reinforce positive behavior. We forget that encouraging the positive is the best way to eliminate the negative.

Jesus Teaches the Crowds.

Jesus' teaching methods with the crowds was different than his approach to teaching the Apostles. This is not surprising, since Jesus chose his Apostles to carry on his teachings. When Jesus taught them, he was teaching teachers.  When teaching the masses, Jesus was teaching a group of people with varying levels of spiritual hunger and comprehension, so different methods were appropriate. One of his favorite devices for teaching the crowds was the parable.

The authors of The Urantia Book inform us that there were a number of good reasons for Jesus to use parables when teaching the masses. First, he could teach at several levels at once. The more spiritual listeners could discern deeper spiritual meaning than those who were less spiritually inclined. And those who sought to trip Jesus up would be unable to derive any meaning from the parable because they were not spiritual seekers. Another reason parables are valuable when teaching truth is that stories are more easily remembered than lectures. This may be why the parables of Jesus survived in the Bible much better than anything else he said. We probably won't have to deal with hostile Pharisees, but perhaps parables might add an interesting twist when we are teaching a large group of people. The next day, they might even remember something we said!

Dick Bain, USA.