Jesus the Teacher: A Pedagogy of Love

• In Event: In Spirit and in Truth: Liberatory Christianity in the Struggle for Racial Justice in Education

Abstract

The pedagogy of Jesus is not a methodology or theory; it is a framework which serves to illuminate love as a critical element essential to the practice of all educators. Jesus’ pedagogy is deeply informed by the critical analysis of cultural contexts that seek to identify and illustrate principles of practice to liberate and deconstruct oppressive theological and educational constructs aimed at the dehumanization of traditionally marginalized populations. Jesus provides the field of education with a framework to approach emancipatory pedagogy in a way that supports a more just world through the spiritual restoration of theological and educational practices (Sales, 2021).

The notion of teaching as an act of love is evidenced in the praxis of Jesus and serves as a foundational element of His pedagogy as expressed in the Gospel accounts of the New Testament authors. Freire’s (1970) and Darder’s (2011a, 2011b) contention that love be the driving force, specifically for the critical educator, presents a limited scope for the definition and application of love as a pedagogy. Moreover, there is a need to further develop Freire’s and Darder’s concept of teaching as an act of love by critically analyzing the pedagogy of Jesus and its implications for critical educators.

The primary purpose of this paper is to identify the central critical principle of love as it informs the pedagogy of Jesus. By examining a passage from the Gospel of John (4:1-26), I intend to provide evidence that illustrates Jesus’ pedagogical practice of love and substantiate His praxis as it relates to all educators’ ongoing fight against racialized and spiritual oppression in all its forms. I also intend to clarify and interpret what can be learned from Jesus the Teacher and the praxis of His pedagogical approach, principally by critically examining the epistemologically connected fields of education and theology. The final aim of this paper is to consider how Jesus the Teacher can contribute an educational paradigm committed to social justice in ways that work toward ending the oppression of marginalized populations.

Jesus Christ understood teaching as an act of love; a love not merely built on emotion and feelings, but a love devoted to truth, conviction, and a commitment to humanity and God. The love that Jesus requires from all educators is unconditional (Aquinas, 1975). It is a love that is self-sacrificing and rooted in a profound understanding of God’s love toward humanity (Aquinas, 1975; Augustine, 1989; Grant, 1996). This love is exemplified in agape, where barriers of gender, race, culture, socio-economic status, and ethnicity are nonexistent (Grant, 1996; Outka, 1993). This love does not negate or dismiss these elements of the human identity but testifies to these components as essential factors in the anthropological make-up of all human beings. Therefore, unconditional love acknowledges all and utilizes each unique qualification of humanity to critically engage in the restorative practices distinctive to the human condition. The Scriptures detail the love of God, which is thoroughly expressed in the pedagogy of Jesus toward the world (Sales, 2021).

Author

• Terrelle B. Sales, Pepperdine University