St. Mark tells us that Jesus looked upon the crowds with compassion for "they were like sheep without a shepherd."

They were desperately, deeply yearning for the truth. The search for meaning and purpose consumed them just as it consumes so many of us.

What I find so wonderful is Jesus’ response to their long search.

He teaches them, Mark says.

He teaches them. He doesn’t preach to them. He doesn’t indoctrinate them or propagandize them. He teaches them.

One of the great driving forces in my life is my view of education. To challenge and tantalize minds with new ideas, new visions, seems to me the holiest of callings. Education is so exciting because it is so risky. A teacher constantly runs the risk of students racing off in all kinds of new and different directions once they have discovered the joy of learning, of expanding their minds.

Education is very different than indoctrination. One opens minds to new thoughts. The other merely fills it with old thoughts.

St. Mark says Jesus taught them and from that description, I imagine a teacher opening the minds of many to a new way of thinking, a new way of seeing, a new way of living.

Such pedagogy is terribly dangerous for it breeds originality and openness. It critiques the traditional and demands to know the reasons why.

Too often, we in the church are afraid of such education. We dig in deeper and build our walls even higher as we piously intone that we have all the truth anyone will ever need.

Don’t question. Don’t protest. Don’t argue. Don’t do anything but believe precisely as we believe.

What could be less Christ-like than that?