Do And Teach
Which is more important, what you say, or what you do? Which comes first, our instruction, or our practice? Would you rather hear a truth taught, or would you rather see a truth modeled and lived out before you?
You may have heard the expression, “Practice what you preach” or “Do not just talk the talk—walk the walk”.
These expressions get at the heart of the importance of doing and teaching. It matters that our doing—our practice, comes before our teaching—our instruction of truth.
Right doing and right teaching work well together, but right teaching is less impactful and looses integrity apart from right practice. We must have both right doing—orthopraxy, and right teaching—orthodoxy.
A correct lesson is nothing apart from a correct practice or modeling of that lesson. The most effective teaching is first lived out and then lectured.
This balance and order of doing and teaching is what Jesus modeled for us in The Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus said, “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19-20, ESV).
Jesus warns that the person who relaxes a commandment of God is teaching others to also relax that commandment. How we live, and how we obey or disobey, teaches others.
Jesus orders right practice before teaching. This is why Jesus says this about the commandments, “whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19, ESV).
Jesus criticized the religious leaders by saying that our righteousness must exceed theirs, implying that they were not living out their beliefs or their teachings. Jesus clearly orders and models doing before teaching.
This was Luke’s testimony of Jesus in Acts when he wrote, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” (Acts 1:1-2, ESV).
Luke begins Acts with a reflection of his gospel, The Gospel of Luke, saying that he recorded “all that Jesus began to do and teach”. Luke’s observation is the practice of Jesus preceding the teaching of Jesus.
The question for us is, “Are we living out what we believe?” In other words, “Are we doing what we are proclaiming?” Or to put it this way, “Are we practicing what we preach?”
If the answer is “no”, then we can begin to make some changes in our living and in our lessons, recognizing people would much rather see a truth practiced, modeled, and lived out, than hear a truth talked about. A good lesson is lived. Truth is better caught than taught.
Like Jesus, may we live out our faith in what we do and in what we teach. May we teach our faith well by how well we live it out in everything we do.
In Christ alone, Robbie
A Collect For The Renewal Of Life: “O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Photo by Diego PH, from Unsplash. More photography can be found here: https://unsplash.com/photos/fIq0tET6llw
