The Lord's pedagogy

"Jesus saw a great crowd ; He was moved with compassion towards them, because they were like sheep that have no shepherd ; And he began to teach them many things." Mark 6: 34

It is argued that concentration is rapidly decreasing in every auditor. But it depends on the circumstances : while in school their attention often falls quickly, the young (and the less young) can follow a game of tennis on television without losing their attention for several hours !

To be heard, listened to and understood, the preacher must :

- Introduce the Word with authority and conviction, following the example of the Lord.

- To preach the Word as it is, in its simplicity, beauty and power, without introducing its own thoughts.

- Addressing the conscience and the heart. The paths that lead to consciousness and to the heart are the only ones that allow God to penetrate into the inner being through His Word with the help of the Holy Spirit.

- Illustrate his words. In the Sermon on the Mount, for example, there are several simple images taken from the common language: earth salt, city on the mountain, lamp, eye, hand, hair, slapping, tunic and Coat, walking, sun, rain, hand, moth, rust, thieves, birds, lilies, grass, straw and beam, dogs, pigs, bread, Stone, fish, snake, door, path, sheep, grape, thorns, figs, thistles, fruit tree, house, rain, winds, sand.

- Use objects to fix attention (re-read the account of tax and denier, Matt. 22: 16-22).

- Make use of known notions (read again the account of the encounter between the Lord and Nicodemus, John 3. 1- 21).

- Raise questions and answer them (read again the story of the Lord's encounter with the Samaritan woman at Sichar's well, John 4). The Lord has always answered questions about his teaching, but not about himself. His nature as Son, Son of God and Son of man, remains a profound mystery : "No one knows the Son, except the Father" (Matthew 11:27).

- Above all, above all, to love those to whom one speaks (verse of the day).

Source (To pleasing the Lord)