Isaiah 50:4-9 (Year B, Proper 19; 15 Pentecost)

Today's appointed lectionary reading from Isaiah 50 celebrates the calm wisdom and "disciple's ear and tongue" of Isaiah's Suffering Servant (Isaiah 50:4-9). I believe that the best teachers and professors are those who take up this model in their pedagogy.

The best professors of Bible are those who empower their students to plumb the Bible's depths for themselves, since they respect their students. They rarely lecture at their classes, choosing instead to sit constantly beside the students as a fellow learner, joining with them in hearing and studying the seemingly inexhaustible riches of the Scriptures.