Jesus had the advantage of disciples who wanted to learn from him - although there were others who challenged him and made his life difficult. He did not have the constraints of a classroom, but on the other hand he could not put everything behind him at the end of the school day!

Jesus seldom answers a question in a straightforward way. Frequently he uses parables, which have the effect of throwing the question back and making the questioners work out their own answer. Does this provide a working model for most teachers today? Discuss what the students think makes a good teacher. Would they want to do the job? If so, how would they do things differently?

Perhaps Jesus is best thought of as a 'guru', a teacher who deals with wisdom rather than practical lessons and facts. Here, though are some of the questions he was asked:

- 'Why do you speak to the people in parables? (Matthew 13:10)
- 'How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?' (Matthew 18:21)
- 'Teacher, what good things must I do to get eternal life?' (Matthew 19:16/Luke 10:25)
- 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' (Matthew 18:1)
- 'By what authority are you doing these things?' (Mark 11:28)
- 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?' (Mark 12:28)
- 'What is truth?' (John 18:38)

Do the students know how Jesus answered these questions? What would their answer have been to those questions? Could they embody their answer in the form of a parable?