Teach Your Children Well

“The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” —Malcolm Forbes

Jesus asked a lot of questions.

“What are you looking for?”

“Who do you say that I am?”

“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Which of these three was a neighbor?”

“Why are you afraid?”

Jesus certainly taught. But remarkably often, Jesus taught by asking people to think.

Even as a twelve-year-old, Luke describes Jesus sitting among the teachers in the Temple, “listening to them and asking them questions.”

Listening.

Asking.

Learning.

Growing.

That is a beautiful picture of education.

Education has become another battleground in our culture. 

We argue about schools, books, curricula, teachers, parents, values, history, and what children should or shouldn't learn.

So much of a child's education depends heavily on where they grow up.  

If they are poor, they typically attend underfunded schools with few resources, and within an environment that is not conducive to learning. 

My church serves as a partner with an elementary school in South Austin in an underserved neighborhood where most of the families are recent immigrants, the parents speak only Spanish, and they struggle with food insecurity, housing, and much more. 

We do our best to feed hungry families, support the school's faculty and staff, and give the children there an opportunity to learn in a caring, resourced environment. 

So many conversations are happening now about education, especially how to provide a quality education to those who cannot afford to live in well-off communities or send their kids to private schools.  

Lawmakers continually cut funding to programs that help these students and their families, which leads to more questions and harder conversations.  

Many of those conversations matter deeply.

But perhaps Jesus invites us to begin with the child sitting in the classroom.

A child who is curious.

A child who has questions.

A child discovering an enormous and complicated world.

A child created in the image of God.

What would Jesus want for that child?

Surely truth.

Wisdom.

Curiosity.

Compassion.

Discernment.

A safe place to learn. 

Food that nourishes their bodies. 

Resources to give them a future.  

The ability to recognize the dignity of people different from themselves.

The courage to ask difficult questions.

And the humility to discover that some of their assumptions may be wrong.

Jesus never seemed frightened by questions or hard conversations.

He invited them.

Perhaps education—whether at home, church, school, or university—shouldn't merely produce people who know the “right answers.”

It should help form people capable of seeking truth faithfully.

That means teachers deserve our support.

Parents deserve a meaningful voice.

Students deserve to be treated as people, not pawns in cultural battles.

And all of us can remember that education isn't ultimately about winning arguments over what people should think.

It is about forming human beings who can think wisely, love deeply, recognize truth, practice compassion, and contribute something good to the world.

Jesus didn't simply give his disciples answers.

He taught them how to see.

Perhaps that remains one of education's holiest purposes.

And when we begin to see education this way, perhaps we can begin to transform it. 

(Scripture: Luke 2:41–52; Matthew 22:34–40)\

Prayer

Jesus, our Teacher, give us curious minds and humble hearts. Bless students, teachers, parents, and everyone entrusted with helping others learn. Free us from fear of difficult questions and give us courage to seek truth with wisdom, compassion, and grace. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Am I genuinely curious about ideas that challenge what I already believe?
2. How can I encourage curiosity rather than fear in the people I influence?
3. What would it mean for education to help us become not simply smarter people, but wiser and more compassionate ones?