Malcolm Cox

I am off to Tallinn on Thursday. The “Learning to teach, teaching to learn” conference runs from Thursday to Saturday. Do you attend conferences? Let’s consider the example of Jesus. In a sense he created his own conference – at the age of 12. Luke 2:41-50 1. Jesus chooses the best over the good. He ‘should’ be considerate of his parents. But he chooses what is best (or, needed as he will put it to Martha later in Luke 10:38-42). He is prepared to be misunderstood and to unintentionally hurt those he loves in order to learn what he needs. 2. Jesus seizes the opportunity. Who knows when he will be in Jerusalem again? We do not know the quality of the teachers in Nazareth, but it is unlikely to have been as good as the teaching in Jerusalem. Jesus made the most of the opportunity to learn while he was in the capital city. 3. Youth is no barrier. He was not intimidated by his elders and those in authority. 4. Listening and asking. Jesus shows a healthy balance of deference and curiosity. 5. Opportunity overca