In A Man for All Seasons, Sir Thomas More gives sage advice to a young man named Richard Rich that is summarized by the sentence: “Be a teacher.” What he means by those three words is far more eloquent than they appear at first glance.

What Tempts You?

What More is really saying is that the safest path in life is to avoid temptation. Money, temper, sex, alcohol, power, vices. We all have something that tempts us, a foible that can make us fall from grace. Or perhaps it’s a proclivity we regularly dabble in, promising ourselves it’s the last time after each indulgence.

It takes major effort to overcome a personal weakness. We all have to pay the price in one way or another. If we choose to fight against our temptations and seek to be better, then we pay the early price of sacrifice and self-discipline. And we are rewarded in time with the fruits of our efforts.

If we choose to give in to our temptations and become worse as a result, then we may enjoy some fruits of them for a time, but we’ll pay a heavy price later in the form of damaged relationships, painful regret, and a seared conscience.

Fleeing from Temptation

I suggest we take the path of most resistance. We must push against our base natures and rise to something higher in order to be happy. If we’re tempted by a certain aisle in a store, a website, or a group of friends, perhaps we could try avoiding them. That will help us build habits of strength rather than wallowing in habits of weakness.

For Richard Rich, his temptation is power and money. Sir Thomas More recognizes this, which is why he flatly refuses to offer the young man a position of power where he would be corrupted by all sorts of bribes. Instead, he offers Richard a quiet position as a teacher where only he, his friends, and his pupils would ever know of his work. And God would know his goodness, too.

It’s interesting how little changes from one epoch to another. Sir Thomas More lived in the 16th century and yet the same things continue to tempt mankind today. Popularity is still on the minds of many people on our social media profiles, in the vehicles we drive, and the relationships we seek. We want to be seen as important in the eyes of people around us, just like Richard Rich did.

But none of that matters in the end. What actually matters is the truth and how God sees us.

Being a Teacher

We’re all unique, and we each have something special that we bring to this life. Being a teacher doesn’t necessarily mean officially taking up that profession. I can think of many ways that we can be teachers in the course of our lives:

• At Home – Parents love their children and teach them how to live happily and get along with people inside and outside their family.
• At Work – Managers care for their employees. Coworkers show new hires how to perform tasks they’ve already mastered.
• At Church – Members of a church accept opportunities to serve in callings, and they also share their testimonies to strengthen others.
• At Large – We demonstrate things that we have learned by the kind of life we live. We lead by example in the way we treat people we interact with.

I’m sure there are many other ways we can be a teacher, but those cover a lot of them. Humility is a great antidote to one’s hunger for fame. I’ve never met a braggart who was fun to be around. But I have met plenty of humble people who are genuinely enjoyable to share my time with.

Let us seek to follow in Sir Thomas More’s footsteps rather than Richard Rich’s. You might point out that the former died by execution while the latter died peacefully in his bed. However, I would simply respond that both died and went to see their Maker. And who do you think was happier then – the one who spent his life living by good principles or the one who spent his life violating sound principles?

We don’t always see justice served in this life. But I believe that justice is eternal. I can think of one Teacher who never owned anything of value, had much money, or was acknowledged by His own people as having any title or authority over them. And yet, He is the greatest Teacher the world has ever known, as well as being far more than that.

If we want to be teachers, like Sir Thomas More suggested, we’ll be in good company.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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