Ever sit in one of those Bible study classes where someone reads a verse and then everyone talks about what the passage means to them. I’m all for reading the Bible together and I like using discussion as a teaching tool, but I just can’t picture Jesus teaching the Bible that way. I think Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived, so maybe we can learn some things about teaching from him.

1. Jesus was a living example of what he taught. Most of your students have heard impassioned talks. They have done the fun activities that come out of the Bible study books. What they need are real-life examples of what it means to walk with Jesus.
2. Jesus was a master story-teller. Stories are more than just illustrations. They are word pictures. They help students to see principles fleshed out in real life. Some people say that teenagers today are less responsive to logical arguments. They are image-driven. If you want to convince them to follow God they are probably going to be more moved by pictures of what that looks like than arguments about why they should care.
3. Jesus was not afraid to confront. He may have been a little slower to address the adultery of the woman at the well than he was to call Peter, Satan, and to tell Peter to get behind him, but he addressed sin head-on. I think people received Jesus’ rebukes because they knew how much Jesus really loved them. We have a responsibility to address sin in the lives of our students. If our students know how much we love them, I think they will receive that from us.
4. Jesus taught the crowds, but he discipled the Twelve. I don’t know how many youth are in your group. I think you have a responsibility to share truth with every teenager your ministry can touch. But, you can really invest in a handful of students. Don’t neglect discipling your “Twelve” (even if there is only one in your Twelve) in order to invest in the crowd.

Jesus did so much more. I suppose we could write books about the teaching of Jesus and never exhaust what he taught us about teaching. Learning to teach as Jesus did will be a lifelong pursuit. Hopefully, these ideas will give you a place to start.