To teach is to fear.

  
     For me as a university minister one of my responsibilities is to teach the Word of God to students and adults. This responsibility strikes fear in me that is hard to put into words. To teach a text that at times can seem so complex and at other times seem quite simple. To teach words that were spoken by the Son of God and of God. To try and grasp the beauty and the whole meaning behind a seemingly simple statement, such as; "God is love." For me, to teach is to fear.
      When one studies the word of God they will find a vast compilation of commentary. Everyone has an opinion and at times they seem to be quite different. It is exhausting. I once read that, "God has spoken and the rest is commentary." I agree with this statement, but even the scholar who made that statement seems to give a lot of commentary without reference to what God has spoken. So as a teacher of God's word, where does one begin? How should it be approached? Is commentary valuable? Should human opinion even be uttered when it comes to teaching God's word?
       To teach is to fear. Fear of teaching what is untrue. Fear of giving to much commentary. Fear of the judgement. Fear of fear. Yet, in all this fear, I find much enjoyment in teaching. An enjoyment that I rarely find in other avenues of life. It is powerful. It is eye-opening. It is good news and it is exciting to share and discuss this good news.
       As a young minister, this is one of the day to day battles in my mind. Although I am a rookie in the field of teaching, I have reached a conclusion to this matter and I remind myself of it daily.

"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." (1 Cor. 2:1-5)  


        The conclusion of the matter for me is to teach nothing except Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. May my commentary be limited and my opinions be brief. There are words on paper and the rest is blank space. Try not to fill in the blank space because you are confusing me.