In today’s article, we will explore how Jesus founded a school of the prophets by gathering to himself a group of disciples. Thinking about Jesus not only as a prophet, but as a leader of a new prophetic schools will help us see his training methods in a new light. The insights we gain from this study of Jesus can transform our own classrooms into places where our students are cultivated to reach their full potential.

Previous articles in this series, Training the Prophetic Voice:

Part 1: The Educational Heart of God

Part 2: Speaking Truth to Power

Part 3: The Schools of the Prophets

Prophets as Master Teachers

In my previous article in this series, we saw how the classic prophets were leaders in the schools of the prophets. The passing of the baton from Elijah to Elisha was a case in point, as the students – designated as the “sons of the prophets” – saw how Elisha bore Elijah’s mantle and accepted him as their new master prophet. The Old Testament establishes a mode of discipleship that is taken up in the New Testament. In the case of Elisha, we learn of the call of Elisha as a disciple of Elijah, who then follows Elijah on his prophetic mission. We can imagine that Elisha joined a number of other adherents to Elijah, but none of the other “sons of the prophets” is named or given a call narrative.

The article I wrote on Jesus as a learner proposed that Jesus joined the disciples of John the Baptist. This seems to have been an important fact to establish, since each of the gospels place John the Baptist at the very beginning of Jesus ministry. In fact, we can see ways in which Jesus’ early ministry is patterned after that of John the Baptist. When Jesus begins calling his own disciples, several are drawn from the group of disciples surrounding John the Baptist. In this way, the transition from John the Baptist to Jesus mirrors the transition from Elijah to Elisha.[1]

So a major insight into the person of Jesus Christ is that he is a master teacher in the tradition of the classic prophets who oversaw the schools of the prophets. This helps us understand why the gospels relate so many episodes of Jesus’ teachings. On one level, the teachings of Jesus are a storehouse of divine wisdom for all of his followers to live in light of the kingdom of God. On another level, the teachings of Jesus operate as a sign of a new work of God through Jesus to inaugurate a new people of God with Jesus gathering about him a new prophetic school.

Another major insight into the person of Christ is his nature as message itself. Not only is he the teacher, he is the teaching. From the beginning, the second person of the trinity was the mouthpiece of creation and the source of all revelation. In my book Ecclesiology and the Scriptural Narrative of 1 Peter, I make the case that in 1 Peter 1:12 we learn how Jesus spoke through the Old Testament prophets.

“The Spirit of Christ manifests the prophetic message of salvation and grace proclaimed by the prophets. Literally, the pre-existent Christ ‘pre-witnesses’ (προμαρτύρομαι) the work of Christ. While the prophets were mediators of divine messages regarding the Christ, it was Christ himself who spoke through them.” (53)

Patrick Egan, Ecclesiology and the Scriptural Narrative of 1 Peter (Pickwick, 2016), 53.

From this we gather that Jesus, as the incarnation of the second person of the trinity, was always the vessel of divine wisdom. It is in his nature to reveal prophetically. Therefore, we could say that from the beginning of time, Jesus was the master prophet in charge of prophecy, and that the process by which he assumed the role of prophetic leader was a mere formality.

The Disciples as a School of Prophets

The call of the twelve disciples can now be seen as a reinstatement of the discipleship pattern established in the old prophetic schools. Just as the prophets of old had disciples, Jesus calls to himself a group of disciples who will learn from the master prophet about the kingdom of God. The disciples walk and talk with Jesus during his travels throughout the Palestinian region. They bear witness to his miraculous works of healing and learn from his teachings. Sometimes his teaching episodes are exclusively for the benefit of the twelve, but often Jesus’ teachings unfold amidst the gathering crowds. The disciples sometimes asked probing questions after these large group teachings, clarifying difficult aspects of Jesus’ divine insights.

A stunning aspect of Jesus’ mentorship of his disciples is the fact that he sent them out on short missions. Matthew 10:5-15 records one such mission for the twelve. They were sent out with specific instructions. What I find particularly interesting is the correspondence between the message of the twelve and the first message of Jesus. The twelve are instructed to proclaim, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (10:7). Minus the initial charge to repent, this is the exact message of Jesus in Mathew 4:17. In my article on Jesus as learner, I noted how Jesus first message corresponds with that of John the Baptist, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (3:2) The modeling and rehearsing of the simple prophetic message gives us a profound insight into Jesus’ role as the head of a new school of the prophets.

The Gospel of Luke also contains the sending of the twelve (Luke 9:1-6). This is followed up with a mission on a much larger scale. In Luke 10, seventy-two others were sent in pairs. The message and procedures are very similar to the other commission narratives in the gospels. This next group is six times as large as the core group of disciples. Jesus seemed to be having a good season of enrollment in his school of the prophets! At the very least, we can say that the message of Jesus was being disseminated through the careful training of quite a number of students who were given opportunities for genuine field practice.

Prophetic Discipleship

In Peter’s second sermon in Acts, speaking in Jerusalem at Solomon’s Portico he carefully defines the role of prophecy for the people of God. He grounds prophecy in the speech of God, such that divine revelation is the true power behind prophecy (Acts 3:18). He also demonstrates that the proper response to prophecy is repentance (3:19). Peter then develops the concept that the entire lineage of prophets spoke about the restoration of the people of God through Jesus. In this context, Peter uses the phrase “sons of the prophets” to tell his audience that they are the sons of the prophets inasmuch as they respond appropriately to the call of God (3:25). From this we could say that the call to discipleship is a call to join the school of the prophets. This does not mean that we will have the kind of dynamic ministry that, say, Elijah had. But it does mean that we will live our lives in accordance with God’s revelation and that our speech aligns with this divine wisdom.

There is a pattern of discipleship throughout the Bible. One of the most meaningful passages for me has been 2 Timothy 2:2 where Paul advises Timothy to entrust the deposit of faith with faithful followers who will in turn teach others. In the prophetic tradition, discipleship does not make a follower into the image of the mentor. Instead, discipleship seeks to help the follower to learn the words of God and to be able to handle them well. This is actually the heart of effective teaching.

The Church as a School of the Prophets

Whether we draw upon the principle of discipleship in 2 Timothy 2:2 or consider the implications of the written Gospels, present-day followers of Jesus are part of a school of the prophets, so to speak. Jesus’s teachings were such that his disciples learned, shared and recorded them so that generations could learn from him. As the incarnate Word of God, we have that direct contact with God’s revelation through Jesus Christ in the gospels. The careful preservation of this word is expressed well in Richard Bauckham’s landmark work, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. Jesus the teacher carefully crafted his teachings to be easily memorable to promote preservation. Bauckham writes:

“In a predominantly oral society, not only do people deliberately remember but also teachers formulate their teachings so as to make them easily memorable. It has frequently been observed that Jesus’ teaching in its typically Synoptic forms has many features that facilitate remembering. . . . These teaching formulations were certainly not created by Jesus ad hoc, in the course of his teaching, but were carefully crafted, designed as concise encapsulations of his teaching that his hearers could take away, remember, ponder, and live by.”

Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses (Eerdmans, 2006), 282.

We see this encapsulation in the early message of Jesus (“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”) which has been shown to match exactly the message of John the Baptist and is then handed to the disciples as their message. Jesus deliberate teaching strategies has enabled generations of Jesus followers to continue to teach his words. The church has been handed the words of prophecy and the charge of prophecy. The Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20) is the passing of the baton to the disciples to take upon themselves a prophetic ministry. This commission is handed down to us, the church, to proclaim in the world God’s message of salvation.

Training the Prophetic Voice

There are several practical implications for us as teachers today when we think about Jesus as a teacher as well as the founder of a school of the prophets. First, our schools should be inundated with God’s word. Scripture is God-breathed and “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Tim 3:16) C.S. Lewis was concerned that modern education, with its focus on job training, was producing “men without chests.” One of the best ways to build up our students with warm-hearted Christianity is to help them learn the Bible as God’s message to them.

This leads to my second practical implication, which is very close to the first. We must help our students understand how to handle God’s word. It can be tricky learning about an ancient text with multiple authors and various genres. Some episodes in the Bible can be indelicate for young ears. We also need to be cautious about collapsing all subjects into a Bible lesson. So, we need moments in the day when we are intentionally training our students in how to interpret the Bible effectively. This doesn’t need to be done comprehensively, forming them into Bible scholars. But we do need to provide enough to stimulate their natural curiosity and interest as well as to enable them to engage in fruitful study on their own. We can also demonstrate in our different subject areas how to view the subject with a biblical worldview. How do we, as bible-believing Christians, think about mathematics, science, literature, or history? For me, I rarely bring in a specific Bible passage, but demonstrate through discussion that biblical faith is consistent and compatible with what we are exploring in different subjects.

Okay, so your students have learned lots of Bible passages and they’ve learned methods to interpret the Bible effectively, the next practical implication is for them to know how to translate God’s message for today. Most of my students walk in the door hearing lots of perspectives on the news today. It might be political in nature or it might pertain to the latest gossip out of Hollywood. There are moments when I need to divert the conversation away from controversy when I know the students can’t handle these things effectively. However, there are times when I take on board whatever topic they’ve brought in order to ask them, “What does the Bible have to say about this?” or “Is there a divine perspective on this?” or “What do you think God thinks about this?” Guiding students in this way helps them to see that a biblical worldview can help them navigate the complex issues of today. The goal is for them to make the connections between God’s divine wisdom and the contemporary problems that need to be addressed. Here’s where they get to practice their prophetic voices. Even though I am not sending them out two by two, they still get that training expressing God’s message for today.

Finally, as Christian schools, we should cultivate a Christ-centered approach to schooling. If Jesus is the eternal message – in John’s terms, the Word – spoken by the prophets of old and speaking through his followers today, then we should be constantly refocusing ourselves on the reality of his presence in our schools each day. “For where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt. 18:20) This becomes the life blood of our schools. We cling to the cross of our salvation, being prompt to apologize and ask forgiveness. We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, trusting in the transforming power of his holy spirit in our lives and the lives of our students.

Other articles in this series, Training the Prophetic Voice:

Part 1: The Educational Heart of God

Part 2: Speaking Truth to Power

Part 3: The Schools of the Prophets

Part 5: Internalizing the Prophetic Message

Part 6: Classical Rhetoric for the Modern World

[1] Most commentators see a connection between the Elijah-Elisha narrative and the depiction of the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. Perhaps Thomas Brodie has taken this idea the furthest by proposing that the Elijah-Elisha narrative was instrumental as a literary model behind each of the Gospels. See Thomas L. Brodie, The Crucial Bridge (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2000).

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In this next article, we travel back to the Bible to make some observations about where the prophets went to school. Educational principles can be found throughout the Bible, so it is not surprising to find that prophets and prophecy were cultivated in specific schools in the Old Testament.

Previous articles in this series, Training the Prophetic Voice:

Part 1: The Educational Heart of God

Part 2: Speaking Truth to Power

The Schools of the Prophets

During Old Testament times there were many prophets in Israel. Both when Israel was a unified nation and after the nations divided into the northern and southern kingdoms, there were schools of the prophets. There were six locations where these prophetic schools or guilds existed: Ramah, Bethel, Gilgal, Jericho, Carmel and Samaria. Ira Price, in his article “The Schools of the Sons of the Prophets” (The Old Testament Student 8 [1889], 245-246), describes how at these locations new generations of prophets were trained up, usually under the guidance of a few seasoned prophets. It was very important to figure out who were authentic and false prophets, because these would be the people who not only spoke the words of the Lord, but also the people would lead these prophetic schools.

Unfortunately, we don’t know the curriculum they used. We don’t know the methods they used. But we do know that what made those schools special is a core principle. They were founded upon belief as a first principle. Belief in God’s active communication to his people and belief in the salvation God provides for his people. These prophetic schools were faith-based educational institutions.

It’s fun to imagine a prophet like Elijah as the head of school. What kind of uniforms would they have worn? What would their classrooms look like? What kinds of books would they read? Interestingly, we can guess at several of these. The prophets wore garb that indicated they were part of the prophetic guild. You would know a prophet from the distinct tunic and hood they wore. The classrooms, at least what we learn from Samuel, were associated with local centers of worship; either the tent of meeting in ancient Bethel, or later the temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. We also know that they studied the revealed word, the written scrolls that existed in their times.

The Training of Samuel

In the early chapters of First Samuel, we learn about the mother of Samuel miraculously bearing him and then devoting him to the Lord by boarding him in the household of Eli (1 Sam. 1:25-28). This section of stories gives us a first glimpse into the early training of a prophet. Eli, unfortunately, wasn’t that great of a teacher or leader of the prophetic school at Shiloh. His own sons had gained a rather bad reputation (1 Sam. 2:12-17). There is a sense of irony, then, that Samuel would be apprenticed to Eli.

Samuel’s training occurred both in the tent of meeting at Shiloh as well as in Eli’s home. This was typical of apprenticeships where the novice craftsman would live with the family of the master. Samuel likely spent much time at the tent of meeting, indicated by the phrase, “Samuel was ministering before the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:18). Here he learned how to carry out the duties of priesthood. The most poignant moment in Samuel’s training, though, occurred in Eli’s house, when he learned how to hear the voice of the Lord and proclaim the Lord’s messages (1 Sam. 3:1-18). He learned the essentials of how to carry out the role of prophet.

Samuel heard a voice calling his name. He ran to Eli, assuming he heard Eli’s voice, only to discover that Eli had not called. It took three times before Eli becomes wise to what was occurring. The text provides the insight that Samuel had not yet learned the ways of the Lord (1 Sam. 3:7). Upon Samuel’s third arrival, Eli now taught Samuel how to respond to the Lord. He told him to return to bed and await the Lord’s voice.

“If he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’ “

1 Samuel 3:9

Although very brief, Eli’s teaching not only conveys the knowledge Samuel needs, but also the proper disposition Samuel should have toward the Lord. The words are no mere formula. Viewing oneself as a servant of the Lord is essential for the individual who desires to truly be used by the Lord. With this training in hand, Samuel was finally able to listen to the Lord. The Lord communicated once more and Samuel received a message of judgement against Eli because his sons had blasphemed God.

The next morning contains another episode of teaching. Eli pressed Samuel to reveal the message he heard from the Lord. Samuel had received a message that the punishment against Eli’s household would soon be fulfilled. Not quite the message you want to share over breakfast. Eli then taught Samuel to be brave. He must share the message, no matter how difficult that may be. Eli’s response to the condemning message taught Samuel that the words of the Lord are good (3:18).

Samuel’s training as a prophet occurs only in two brief episodes. But from these we may gather a few insights about spiritual education. First, Samuel gained core knowledge about listening to the Lord: differentiating the Lord’s still small voice from other competing sounds, delivering a reverential response to the Lord, displaying the appropriate disposition toward the Lord, and conveying the message properly despite one’s own reticence.

Second, Samuel was guided toward mastery right from the outset. There is a right way to interact with the Lord, and there is a right way to share the Lord’s message with his people. Eli’s training of Samuel in this respect can be contrasted with the training of his own sons. For Samuel, only perfect execution of the task would be acceptable. We learn that Samuel continued to grow as a prophet, never letting the words he received from the Lord “fall to the ground” (3:19). Samuel’s reputation throughout Israel grew as well, being acknowledged as a true prophet. The Lord continued to reveal himself to Israel through Samuel from that point forward (3:21).

Finally, Samuel became the key leader for Israel in a time of great need. The Philistines utterly defeated Israel, taking the ark of the covenant. The upheaval in light of this decisive defeat promoted Samuel to a place of leadership drawing upon his skill both as prophet and priest. Samuel became the last judge of Israel before the monarchy, he himself being the prophet who identified and anointed Saul. We can trace Samuel’s mastery as a leader of Israel back to the personalized training he received from Eli. While Eli may have had his shortcomings in training up his own sons, the coaching he provided to Samuel guided him carefully along a path toward gaining a prophetic voice that guided Israel through many years of hardship.

The Training of Elisha

The story of Elisha’s training differs from that of Samuel in many respects. Elijah, the master prophet, found Elisha plowing his father’s fields (1 Kings 19:19). Elijah wraps his cloak around him, which Elisha seems to instinctively understand as his calling to be apprenticed to Elijah. He kisses his father and mother and follows Elijah, becoming his assistant (19:21). Elisha’s apprenticeship lasted roughly five years, the three final years of Ahab’s reign (22:1) and the almost two years of Ahaziah’s reign (22:51). In this interval, we only learn of two major events in Elijah’s prophetic career. In one instance, he challenges Ahab for acquiring the vineyard of Naboth by murder (21:1-29). Later Elijah denounces Ahaziah for sending messengers to inquire of Baal in Ekron (2 Kings 1:13-18). Throughout these events Elisha’s name never occurs, but we can assume Elijah’s assistant is there as a silent observer all along.

During these five years, we learn nothing of Elisha’s course of study. We can only assume and imagine long hours spent together. There are many details, though, in the transition narrative of 2 Kings 2 that provide insight into Elijah’s prophetic guild. Elijah was a master prophet, having delivered messages of challenge to two kings of the northern tribe. There seems to have been a thriving group of apprentices under his care. The transition narrative takes the master and his apprentice to several locations where the prophetic guilds resided. We can imagine that an element of the transition narrative was to complete Elisha’s training and establish him as the head over the prophetic guilds in place of Elijah.

Elisha’s call was geared towards taking up a leading role as someone who would oversee the established guilds and provide a guiding hand in its future direction. The transition narrative of 2 Kings 2 depicts the promotion of Elisha to this new leadership role. The “sons of the prophets” are first mentioned in 2 Kings 2:7 as Elisha accompanies Elijah across the Jordan. After Elijah is taken up, Elisha returns bearing Elijah’s cloak and the sons of the prophets exclaim, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They prostrated themselves before Elisha, indicating their submission to him as their new leader. From this point forward, Elisha carries out a prophetic program very similar to that of Elijah, with several of his prophetic acts echoing those of his predecessor.

Elisha’s apprenticeship to Elijah and his call to be a master prophet provides a couple important ideas for us to consider as educators. First, the relationship between Elijah and Elisha is that of a mentor and apprentice. The text shapes our understanding of the last five years of Elijah’s ministry as a time when Elisha was right there with him. They walked and talked together. One of the ways I see this playing out in our day is time spent with students outside the classroom. Having lunches together with your students can be more formative than the content delivered in class. My wife and I have intentionally opened our home to students for get togethers. Retreats and class trips are other times when we can share experiences. The students gain insight into how you live your life as a human being rather than just seeing you as a one-dimensional teacher.

Second, we can see how Elisha went through a rite of passage. Granted, he was taking up a significant role in actually replacing the departed Elijah, and I don’t imagine our students are regularly replacing us in such a manner. But I like how the text depicts Elisha literally taking up the mantle of responsibility and being recognized by a group of peers. Schools should develop traditions and roles that promote new levels of leadership, responsibility and privilege. One school that I visited in Pennsylvania had the grammar school on the first floor and the secondary school on the second floor. At the end of each year, a ceremony was performed where the sixth graders moved up to the second floor, being welcomed by the upper school students. These kinds of traditions can be so powerful in recognizing the new levels your students are achieving. At my school, there is a student leadership group that students can apply for. These leaders get to plan and implement events, they participate in a mentorship program and they coordinate service opportunities.

Educating the Prophetic Voice

We are developing a prophetic voice in our students, and the model of the Old Testament prophets is instructive. It is important to clarify that prophecy in its classical form had little to do with predicting the future. Even after the transition to apocalyptic, the role of futuristic visions had less to do with some kind of mystical prediction and more to do with addressing the then present concerns of the community. The classic prophets sought to maintain the fidelity of the nation’s adherence to their covenant with the one true God. Prophetic utterance was extremely relevant to the current events of their time and to the daily lives of the people of Israel. The prophets by challenging the community often came into conflict with the institutions of power, namely the monarchy and at times the priesthood. Yet, the centers of power could exist in harmony. Samuel exemplified this as he was simultaneously prophet, priest and judge. The national outcry for a king, though, amounted to an affront against Samuel and by extension God. Thus, a king was anointed who seemed to meet with approbation, but was ultimately rejected by God in favor of a man after God’s own heart. Both Saul and then David had prophets at their elbows evaluating their policies in light of God’s revealed covenant with his people. From this we can gather that the prophetic voice is one that aligns with God’s revealed will and addresses the institutions of culture to challenge and correct them so that God’s people are appropriately shepherded.

As we train our students, we are providing them not only with the information and knowledge they will need to secure a college acceptance, a good job and a decent wage. We are raising them up as heirs of a cultural tradition so that they can both protect and defend that which is true, good and beautiful, but also to speak out again the inevitable corruption of that crops up due to our fallen humanity. How does this occur today in our classrooms? First, we must see as one of our most compelling aims the training of our students as spiritual beings. We must help them to listen for the still, small voice of the Lord. In practical terms, we need to provide training in how to meditate on God’s word, how to pray, and how to articulate what it is they sense God is placing upon their hearts. There is no singular program we can follow to make this happen in a student’s heart. And we cannot expect that every student’s journey will look exactly the same. Yet we should trust the efficacy of God’s word, which means that our classrooms should be places steeped in scripture and prayer.

Second, we should be self-consciously modelling for our students this meditative and prayerful disposition. We must be careful here to avoid dogma and overt displays of piety. But if we are authentic in our own responsiveness to the message of scripture and demonstrate the role of prayer in our own lives, the students that are given into our care will see a pathway forward in their own lives. I want to clarify that training and mentoring is not about sermonizing or indoctrinating our students in our own views on religion, politics or culture. I myself almost never share my own views. Instead, we are trying to cultivate the skills in our students that will enable them to speak for themselves and engage the issues the Lord places upon their hearts. I find it much more helpful to allow them to speak their own viewpoints, to debate with one another, and for me to play devil’s advocate when it seems necessary.

Other articles in this series, Training the Prophetic Voice:

Part 1: The Educational Heart of God

Part 2: Speaking Truth to Power

Part 4: Jesus as Prophetic Trainer

Part 5: Internalizing the Prophetic Message

Part 6: Classical Rhetoric for the Modern World

The post Training the Prophetic Voice, Part 3: The Schools of the Prophets appeared first on .