The Bible seems to contradict itself. 2 Timothy 3:16 instructs us to teach. But James 3:1 says that not many of us should
presume to be teachers because of the higher standard applied to us.

Jesus resolves this contradiction as he talks about the teachers of his day in Matthew 23. He actually defends the Pharisees, telling his followers to do what they say. But in the next breath he says, "but do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach."

So many of us are eager for the authority conferred upon a teacher, but we are not ready for the responsibility, and our lives can't hold up to the scrutiny to which our pupils subject them.

Any person or institution that would raise up teachers must first of all assess the integrity of their pupil's walk and testimony. Conversely, all of us, whether we aspire to be teachers or not, will do our share of teaching.

It's unavoidable, whether as parents, or with our coworkers, or in a more formal context with the title "teacher" next to our name. As we pass information along to others, we endeavor to teach them.

Perhaps another reason we're cautioned against assuming the role of "teacher" is because, even if we impart the truth, we so often do so poorly. So little of the information teachers impart in classrooms is ever retained.

Even the best of teachers, those whose words drip like honey from their lips, trade in a very inefficient methodology.

The brain is simply not wired to absorb and retain a steady flow of facts from the lecture podium to the notepad. Studies show that over time, just 10% of information imparted in this way ever lodges in a person's gray matter in such a way that it can be recalled.

Those who would aspire to the high calling of spiritual teacher should do so recognizing that the classroom is a highly inefficient venue.