Jesus Teaching

Basic Info

One of Jesus’ main activities during his public life was teaching about God and about living a human life directed toward God and God’s priorities. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5–7) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17–49) are the most well known of his teaching events, but he is often described teaching the Apostles, other disciples, crowds, scribes, and Pharisees in open places and at meals. But artworks of the teachings are often unable to depict the content of Jesus’ teaching. They instead present Jesus as an authority figure engaging an audience with varying levels of attention depending on who is in the audience. The relationship between the people and Jesus’ authority is often the real focus of the artwork.

Historical Notes

In early Christian art, Jesus was often depicted as a young, beardless philosopher / teacher. The philosopher was a motif common in Roman art and was adapted to the Christians’ purposes.

What to Look For

• Jesus’ authority (expression, posture, demeanor, physical relationship to others [bigger, higher, set apart, etc.])
• The makeup of the audience (12 Apostles, other disciples, crowds, scribes, Pharisees)
• The attention of the audience members (captivated, on Jesus, wandering, disagreeing with Jesus)
• Any reference to the content of the teaching (children, mustard seed, etc.)

Questions to Focus a General Interpretation

Does the artwork describe the relationship between Jesus and his biblical followers, or does it prescribe the appropriate relationship between Jesus and his followers? Does it take into account normal human distractions?

Does the audience seem focused on what Jesus is saying, or are they just wowed to be in the presence of greatness?

Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation

Is Jesus depicted as someone to whom you would pay attention if you wandered into a park or flipped to a television station broadcasting him today? What is attractive about his authoritativeness? What turns you off about the way his authority is depicted?

Think about your own attentiveness to things religious. Is there a character in the artwork that reflects your usual response? Is there a character in the artwork whose attentiveness you are attracted to?

Is there anything about the artwork that moves you to find out more about the content of the teaching event the artist was trying to depict?

Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation

How might the authoritative stance or appearance of Jesus reflect the stance and appearance of the religious or social authority figures in the artist’s time and place?

What was the artist’s depiction of the audience’s attentiveness intended to do? Does it imply that this is how the people of the artist’s time and place already pay attention to Jesus’ teachings and / or Church authority figures? Does it suggest (demand) that this is how the people ought to pay attention to Jesus’ teachings and / or church authority figures?

Attention spans are shrinking in the technological age. What would an artwork about Jesus’ teaching look like if it were translated into our own time?