Teachers and Messengers

One of the great dangers of religion is ambition, and by people who seek to place themselves in authority and judgment. Only in confused understanding can the false follower of God seek authority.

Teaching implies we can determine if a student has understood the material. A messenger makes no such judgment and that is an important distinction.

Matt 5:19 tells us:

"...whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire"

And what does the word translated into "fool" mean? The Greek word translated into "fool" in the Bible translates into "baby" today. Why? The Greek word μωρός is derived from a word meaning "not understood" and really means "one without understanding". In reality the passage could say, "...whosoever shall say, 'you do not understand', shall be in danger of hell fire"

Teaching implies the ability to determine if a student has learned anything. Teaching implies the ability to judge, which is something Christ has told us not to do. Christ tells us that those who say that others don't understand are in danger of hell.

There is an important distinction here, which Christ made, witness and judgment. Christ often witnessed the lack of understanding of the religious leadership, noting that they taught the ways of people as the law of God. Christ also judged, but, it was not Christ who judged but God who judged. Christ witnessed the judgment God had passed. In this way Christ taught us not to judge, but, to witness what the Holy Ghost has given us.

The distinction is the difference between a messenger, who repeats a message given or witnesses, and the authority who speaks their own understanding and judges those who understand..

The difference in a messenger or witness is that the messenger should be ignored in deference to the message and the authority who sent the message. We do not give deference to a telephone or the paper a message is written on.

Deference is given to teachers.

Matt 28 tells us: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

But the word translated into "teach" here actually means "make disciples" so this passage could be translated "Go ye therefore, and make disciples in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"