Already in its earliest stages, the Protestant Reformation emphasized the ministry of teaching. Among Lutherans, this culture produced strong values around public education, accessible worship resources and hymns, and pedagogical tools like Luther’s Small Catechism. Introducing his main idea of Christians as at once entirely free in Christ and entirely bound to serve their neighbors in his 1521 tract The Freedom of a Christian, Luther described his goal to “make the way smoother for the unlearned—for only them do I serve.”

The Reformation also re-emphasized preaching as the primary task of ministers and bishops. Instead of being concerned with ceremonies and rules, Luther and his colleagues believed that church leaders should focus on preaching God’s Word clearly, confident that the good news of Jesus Christ would then bear fruit in its hearers. This great trust in the power of gospel preaching appears in article five of the Augsburg Confession (the primary statement of Lutheran preaching and teaching), which says, “So that we may obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the gospel and administering the sacraments was instituted.” It also grounds the Small Catechism’s explanation of the work of the Holy Spirit: “I believe that… the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith.”

This image of Jesus preaching and teaching to a crowd of ordinary men, women, and children reinforces this concern for basic Christian instruction and formation. The text from Luke 4 belongs to the story of Jesus giving his first sermon in his hometown of Nazareth. The people loved his wise words, until he said that he was called not to serve them but to go to other villages and peoples. Although the townspeople then grew so angry that they tried to throw him off a cliff, Jesus simply walked away and continued his ministry.